Vernon Hills is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,120 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 23,957 as of 2005. Vernon Hills serves as a retail hub for its surrounding areas.
The land that was to become Vernon Hills began with the establishment of a 200-acre farm in 1851. Use of the land remained relatively static until the 1950s, when part of it was purchased for a residential community and golf course; the development was the first use of the name "Vernon Hills." In 1958, the village officially incorporated with 123 residents. It saw steady but slow growth until the annexing of a plot of land near the corner of IL-60 and IL-21 in 1971, which led to the building of 1,200,000-square-foot Hawthorn Center. The addition of this significant commercial hub reduced the tax burden of private residents and helped facilitate growth. By 1980, the village's population had grown to almost 10,000 residents, and by 2000, it had surpassed 20,000.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, the village grew geographically through the annexation of surrounding areas. This included land that would become the Corporate Woods business park and Centennial Crossing residential development, a 1,200-acre section of Hawthorne-Mellody Farms, and part of the village of Half Day. In 2000, the village acquired land that had belonged at different times to the U.S. Army as a Nike missile base, the U.S. Navy as a naval training center, and the Curtiss Candy Company; it was converted to what is now the 184-acre Vernon Hills Athletic Complex.
Learn more about this city.
City of Vernon Hills, IL official site
City of Vernon Hills, IL Chamber of Commerce
City of Vernon Hills, IL newspaper
County of Vernon Hills, IL official site
State of Illinois official site