About

About City of McHenry The City of McHenry is located in east central McHenry County, Illinois and lies along the Fox River 50 miles northwest of the Chicago loop, 50 miles south of Milwaukee, 45 miles east of Rockford and 35 miles from O'Hare International Airport. The City is centered on two major State highways, Illinois Route 31 and Illinois Route 120. It consists of approximately 15 square miles. McHenry's population is 28,825 including 11,547 total households and an average household size of 2.4, median household income of $86,865 and the median age is 43.5. The three largest employment sectors in McHenry are Healthcare (20.4%), Retail Trade (14.6%) and Manufacturing (10.6%). Major employers in the City include Northwestern McHenry Hospital, McHenry School District #15, Follett Content, Medela, First Brands, McHenry Community High School District #156, City of McHenry, Jewel, Meijer and Pioneer Center for Human Services with numerous additional companies providing a diverse array of manufacturing and trade service uses. The City of McHenry is home to many additional retail, medical, office and service-oriented uses located along Elm Street (Illinois Route 120), Richmond Road (Route 31 North) and Front Street (Route 31 South). The north Richmond Road corridor has become a destination for shoppers in the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin with over 1.35 million square feet of retail space. One of the many distinctive features of the City of McHenry is its quaint downtowns, Green Street, Riverside Drive and Main Street, as well as the McHenry Riverwalk District and Riverwalk Shoppes. Stretching from the Fox River west just past the Union Pacific Railroad Tracks, downtown McHenry has a diversity of retail, restaurant, and service, residential and recreational uses and blends traditional architectural styles with newer ones. Recognizing the downtown is the economic heart of McHenry, City leaders have taken steps to maintain and enhance this asset, including establishment of a Tax Increment Financing District and construction of a Riverwalk which flows through the downtown shopping districts. The City of McHenry is also a recreation destination. Including areas such as the Fox River, Glacial Park Nature Preserve, Moraine Hills State Park, as well as the McHenry Riverwalk, the City has more than 36 parks and 650 acres of public open space. Additionally, McHenry boasts an 18,200-square-foot Recreation Center. This is the first of a multi-phased recreation and aquatic campus, which will be located immediately west of the City’s Municipal Center. Education is a key component in the best places to live and do business and McHenry has some of the best educational programs in the region. Coupled with a strong collaboration with McHenry County College, McHenry Community High School District 156 features a 70,000 sf Center for Science Technology and Industry building extension at its Upper Campus providing a modern educational environment for all its students. McHenry School District 15 was featured in The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) educational journal and recognized as a model school district for schools across the state of Illinois looking to capture best 21st Century learning practices.