Source: Compiled by the Illinois Housing Development Authority as "Ranking of places by population (20,000 + ) (including any special census). 1981-1986 and Comparative 1984 Population Estimates" from Special Census Information. Index Division. Illinois Secretary of State, and from 1980 Population Statistics and 1984 Estimates by the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, Chicago Office.

Why is Arlington Heights still a village?

It isn't the size that counts; it's the form of government. It is still governed as a village with a president and an eight-person board of trustees elected at large. Arlington Heights has home rule and is 10th largest of all Illinois municipalities. In 1887, when Arlington Heights was incorporated it had three churches, a school, some potato farms owned by pioneer Germans from Hanover and only 1,424 people (1890 census).

Wards v. at-large (an aside). Municipalities with 2,500 people can opt to incorporate as cities or villages. Fairly homogenous farm settlements where at-large representation was no problem tended to incorporate as villages. Settlements with lots of ethnic and economic diversity were more likely to incorporate as cities with a mayor and with aldermen elected from districts to assure each group of representation. Under current Illinois law village and cities can chose by referendum among several different forms of government with representation at large or by districts. So whether you're a city or a village doesn't make too much difference.

The birth of Arlington Heights

First settled 1836. Along the old Indian trail (now known as Arlington Heights Road). The village got a headstart in 1853 when the son of a New York stone cutter named William H. Dunton persuaded the I & W railroad to divert slightly west. (He donated his house and land for a right of way, thus becoming an early forerunner of Department of Commerce and Community Affairs). Dunton did this about a year after the Klehm family stopped potato farming and started a nursery business, which is still "growing its own plant material" today. Dunton wanted to name the new village Bradley, but there already was a town in Illinois called Bradley, so he changed it to Dunton. In 1874 real estate developers convinced the voters that "Arlington" is a name with more pizzazz. But there already was a town in Illinois called Arlington, so the word "Heights" was added on the basis of the village being 704 feet above sea level and 104 feet above Chicago — where it remains to this day.

What Arlington Heights got

Honeywell Computers, light manufacturing, some new R&D firms and lots of car dealerships and shopping centers. Also a fair amount of karate studios.

A median family income of over $36,000 in the 1980 census

Approximately 64,124 white residents, 288 black residents, 1,255 Asian and 1,322 Hispanic residents

A 190-unit court-ordered subsidized housing complex. Built in 1982 and doing all right.

A global village future.

A new Arlington Park Race Track. The old one was built in 1927 by a California millionaire on the same land where the pioneer potato farms used to be and developed in the 1960s by the dynamic Marje Everett. It burned down on July 31, 1985, and turned into a political baseball in Springfield.

Arlington Heights is happy the General Assembly and the horse racing people figured out what to do before the end of the village Sesquicentennial Celebration, which started in 1986 and will go on all this year.

Source: Local Community Fact Book, Chicago Metropolitican Area. 1980. edited by The Chicago Fact Book Consortium.

Siss Boom Bah

Illinois is not doing its fair share in producing big-time football players. Back in the glory days between 1958 and 1966 a total of 439 top college players came from Chicago alone. Good as that sounds, it was only average when you figure in the population density.

Today we are doing worse. Pro football is being overrun by people from Lousiana, Mississippi and Texas — places where they'd red shirt you as soon as look at you — and, of course, California. Illinois' productivity index for professional football players is only .58. Compare that with 2.57 for Louisiana. At least we beat Maine. It has an index of 0.

Our output of top college players gives us an index of .81. Louisiana has 2.89, Texas 2.07. And look at Utah — 1.36. Ohio with an index of 1.24 is probably the only true grit place left in the Midwest.

Source: "The Pigskin Cult and Other Sunbelt Sports." by John F. Rooney Jr. American Demographics, September 1986.

General funds up (sort of)

The general funds balance at the end of November was $79,698 million. The average daily available balance in November was $75,819 million.

Source: Office of the State Comptroller.

Unemployment drops again

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped a 10th of a percent in November to 7.4 percent. In November 1985 it was 9.5 percent. The national unemployment rate held steady at 7.0 percent.

Unemployment in Illinois dropped by 8,000. The reason was fewer jobseekers in the work force in November and no major layoffs. Total nonfarm employment was the highest since 1979 but most of the upswing was seasonal — holiday retail and eating and drinking trade. At the same time there were fewer jobs in outdoor recreation and construction.

In November there were 5.639 million people in the state's civilian labor force; 5.222 million Illinoisans had jobs, and 417,000 were looking for work.

Final September unemployment rates in the state's major metro areas were:

Aurora-Elgin, 6.1 percent.
Bloomington-Normal, 4.6 percent.
Champaign-Urbana-Rantoul, 4.3 percent.
Chicago, 7.4 percent.
Davenport-Rock Island-Moline (Illinois sector), 12.0 percent.
Decatur, 11.1 percent.
Joliet, 7.0 percent.
Kankakee, 8.6 percent.
Lake County, 4.7 percent.
Peoria, 9.4 percent.
Rockford, 8.9 percent.
Springfield, 5.6 percent.
St. Louis (Illinois sector), 8.8 percent.

Source: Department of Employment Security.

January 1987/Illinois Issues/27