Barrington Hills, Illinois | |
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Horse farm in Barrington Hills | |
![]() Interactive map of Barrington Hills, Illinois | |
| Coordinates:42°08′24″N88°12′12″W / 42.14000°N 88.20333°W /42.14000; -88.20333[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| Counties | Cook,Kane,McHenry |
| Townships | Barrington,Dundee,Cuba,Algonquin |
| Incorporated | July 5, 1957 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.62 sq mi (71.54 km2) |
| • Land | 27.00 sq mi (69.94 km2) |
| • Water | 0.62 sq mi (1.60 km2) |
| Elevation | 774 ft (236 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 4,114 |
| • Density | 152.3/sq mi (58.82/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 60010, 60021, 60102 |
| Area codes | 847, 224 |
| FIPS code | 17-03883 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2398038[1] |
| Website | barringtonhills-il |
Barrington Hills is a village located about 40 miles (64 km) northwest ofChicago in theU.S. state ofIllinois. Per the2020 census, the population was 4,114.[4] It straddles approximately 29 square miles (75 km2) over four counties,Cook,Kane,McHenry, andLake. The Village of Barrington Hills was incorporated in 1957.
The suburban village is included in the greaterBarrington area. Many very affluent residents live on large estates and commute to downtown Chicago. A minimum 5-acre (2.0 ha) zoning restriction has been in effect on new construction since 1963, but the existence of equestrian farms antedates the village by decades. Farming and horse raising are allowed.[5] Barrington Hills includes farms and estates such asHill 'N Dale Farms, which was owned byRichard L. Duchossois, former owner of theArlington Park racetrack. It was acquired by Citizens for Conservation in 2022 CFC plans to restore the original countours of Spring Creek as well as wetlands and prairies.[6] Another example of an estate isBank Note Farm. The identification of the area with horses carries over to the names Broncos and Colts for school teams.[5]
Barrington Center Church was built in 1853 by theBarrington Methodist Episcopal Society.[7] A memorial plaque outside the church lists 91 area residents - one woman and 90 men - who served in the Civil War.[8] Since the 1980s, the church building has been used by aKorean-American congregation, the New Friends Wesleyan Church.
In 1860, about 18 immigrant families ofCzech ancestry settled along the east side of the Fox River, near the future site ofFox River Grove. In 1867, land was purchased at the southwest corner of Church and River - Algonquin roads, and construction was started onSt. John Nepomucene Chapel, named after the patron saint ofBohemia. Completed in 1873, the chapel was never served by its own priest, and currently services are scheduled only once a year. The chapel and its cemetery are owned by the St. John Nepomucene Catholic Cemetery Association, making it the only privately owned Catholic chapel and cemetery in theRockford Diocese.[8][9]
Starting about 1900, business executives from Chicago, many of whom were tied to the railroad industry, purchased the rolling farms and subdivided them into large summer estates. One such individual was Spencer C. Otis Sr., who by 1910 is credited with purchasing 1,000 acres (405 ha) of farmland along what was then Goose Lake Road but is now known as Otis Road and creating Hawthorne Farm. Otis was a "gentleman farmer" of the era. He worked in Chicago commerce, but his hobby wasdairy farming on his large country estate which was led by his son Spencer Otis Jr. who attended agricultural school at the University of Illinois in Urbana. At this time the university was experimenting building round barns, of which became an Otis signature, as there were three built on the Hawthorne Farm.[10] Several of Otis Senior's business associates, including George E. Van Hagen, also built large estates in the area and ran their summer homes as year-round dairy farms.
In 1921, the Barrington Hills Country Club, with its eighteen-hole golf course, was established on 200 acres (81 ha) of unfarmable land betweenCounty Line Road, Oak Knoll Road, andNorthwest Highway. The land was donated by three of the club's early founders: H. Stillson Hart, who owned the farmstead known as Hart Hills just to the east of the club; George E. Van Hagen of Wakefield Farm, who owned the land just to the west of the club; and J.R. Cardwell, whose Oak Knoll Farm swelled along the winding Oak Knoll Road on the club's northern end. Van Hagen became the club's first president. Noted Chicago architect Robert Work, who was associated with David Adler, designed the first clubhouse, which was opened in 1926 and burned to the ground in 1930. Work designed the second clubhouse as well, which opened in 1931 and still stands.[11]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Barrington Hills has a total area of 27.62 square miles (71.54 km2), of which 27.01 square miles (69.96 km2) (or 97.77%) is land and 0.62 square miles (1.61 km2) (or 2.23%) is water.[12] The village is located within theFox River watershed of the greaterIllinois River waterway. There is about 1,700 feet (520 m) of shoreline along the east bank of the Fox River. Locally there are two perennial stream courses known to the west as Spring Creek and to the east as Flint Creek. Over the years, Flint Creek has been impounded such that along its course in the Cook County portion of the village are substantial lakes with such names as Hawley, Hawthorne, and Keene.
Into the 1990s, farmers still worked about 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) of land. Residential properties of over 1-acre (0.40 ha) covered 30 percent. There is no downtown center, but the village has a small shopping strip along Route 14. With a population of 4,209 in 2010, Barrington Hills has kept its rural flavor as industrial and commercial development has sprung up around its borders.[5]
The village is bordered on the west byEast Dundee,Carpentersville, andAlgonquin; on the north byFox River Grove, andLake Barrington; on the east byBarrington andInverness; and to the south and southeast bySouth Barrington, andHoffman Estates. Barrington Hills is one of only three municipalities in Illinois (along withAurora andCentralia) with land located among four counties.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,726 | — | |
| 1970 | 2,805 | 62.5% | |
| 1980 | 3,631 | 29.4% | |
| 1990 | 4,202 | 15.7% | |
| 2000 | 3,915 | −6.8% | |
| 2010 | 4,209 | 7.5% | |
| 2020 | 4,114 | −2.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 2010[14] 2020[15] | |||
As of the2020 census[16] there were 4,114 people, 1,438 households, and 1,277 families residing in the village. The population density was 148.94 inhabitants per square mile (57.51/km2). There were 1,651 housing units at an average density of 59.77 per square mile (23.08/km2).[17] The racial makeup of the village was 83.01%White, 8.51%Asian, 1.05%African American, 0.12%Native American, 0.95% fromother races, and 6.37% from two or more races.[18]Hispanic orLatino of any race were 5.15% of the population.[18]
There were 1,438 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.30% were married couples living together, 5.15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.20% were non-families.[19] 9.87% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.98% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[19] The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 2.88.[19]
The village's age distribution consisted of 22.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 11% from 25 to 44, 34.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65 years of age or older.[20] The median age was 50.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.[20]
The median income for a household in the village was $157,414, and the median income for a family was $181,181.[21] Males had a median income of $118,716 versus $40,148 for females. Theper capita income for the village was $88,747.[21] About 5.5% of families and 8.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.[21]

| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[22] | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[15] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 3,647 | 3,752 | 3,369 | 93.15% | 89.14% | 81.89% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 18 | 32 | 39 | 0.46% | 0.76% | 0.95% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.10% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 153 | 272 | 348 | 3.91% | 6.46% | 8.46% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.44% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 22 | 38 | 124 | 0.56% | 0.90% | 3.01% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 75 | 114 | 212 | 1.92% | 2.71% | 5.15% |
| Total | 3,915 | 4,209 | 4,114 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[3] of 2000, there were 3,915 people, 1,381 households, and 1,168 families residing in the village. Thepopulation density was 140.4 people per square mile (54.2 people/km2). There were 1,456 housing units at an average density of 52.2 per square mile (20.2/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 94.30%White, 0.46%African American, 3.91%Asian, 0.74% fromother races, and 0.59% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.92% of the population.
There were 1,381 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.9% weremarried couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 37.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $145,330, and the median income for a family was $156,002. Males had a median income of over $100,000 versus $56,167 for females. Theper capita income for the village was $73,629. About 0.9% of families and 3.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
The village ranks 87th on the list of highest-income places in the United States with a population over 1,000, with nearbyNorth Barrington,South Barrington, andInverness also making the list.
Barrington Hills was incorporated in 1957.[23] It was then composed of land only in the northwest corner of Cook County, and expanded over the next five years to its approximate configuration of today. In 1959, areas in McHenry and Lake counties joined the village, and in 1962 the village of Middlebury in Kane County was annexed. With the incorporation of Middlebury, the village government acquired its first building, a single-room school house converted into a police station.[5]
The current Village Hall was constructed in 1974 with a substantial addition in 1993. The building hosts the Barrington Hills Police station, administrative offices and public meeting rooms. Barrington Area Council of Governments BACOG offices are also located on this site. A fire station was constructed in 1994 on the grounds.[24]
The Village of Barrington Hills is a home rule municipality which functions under the council-manager form of government with a Village President and a six-member board of trustees, all of whom are elected at large to staggered four-year terms. Officers of the village include a village treasurer, a village clerk, a building code enforcement officer and a village manager.
The current village President is Brian D Cecola and current members of the Board of Trustees are Colleen Konicek Hannigan, Bryan Croll, Brian D. Cecola, Robert Zuback and Paula Jacobsen.[citation needed] The village manager is Anna Paul.[citation needed]
The only public school located in the village is Countryside Elementary School, with about 500 students, in grades K-5, in the Barrington Community Unit School District 220.[25] Countryside Elementary School draws students from both Barrington Hills and the eastern half of Fox River Grove which falls into District 220 also.[26] Students from Countryside either attend Barrington Prairie Middle School or Barrington Station Middle School Station. Older students attend the nearbyBarrington High School. Portions of the village are also within CUSD 300 ofDundee-Crown High School and of theCary-Grove High School district.