Skokie, Illinois

Skokie, Illinois
Downtown Skokie in 2013
Location of Skokie in Cook County, Illinois
Skokie
Skokie
Skokie
Coordinates: 42°02′01″N 87°43′58″W / 42.03361°N 87.73278°W / 42.03361; -87.73278
Country United States
StateIllinois
CountyCook
TownshipNiles
Incorporated1888 (1888)
Government
  TypeCouncil–manager
  MayorAnn Tennes
Area
  Total
10.06 sq mi (26.07 km2)
  Land10.06 sq mi (26.07 km2)
  Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
67,824
  Density6,739.27/sq mi (2,602.03/km2)
 Up 2.27% from 2000
Standard of living (2011)
  Per capita income$32,169
  Median home value$297,900
ZIP code(s)
60076, 60077, 60203
Area code(s)847 & 224
Geocode70122
FIPS code17-70122
Websiteskokie.org

Skokie (/ˈskki/; formerly Niles Center) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of Chicago's downtown Loop. The name Skokie comes from a Potawatomi word for 'marsh'. For many years, Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Skokie's streets, like that of many suburbs, are largely a continuation of the Chicago street grid, and the village is served by the Chicago Transit Authority, further cementing its connection to the city.

Skokie was originally a German-Luxembourger farming community, but was later settled by a sizeable Jewish population, especially after World War II. At its peak in the mid-1960s, 58% of the population was Jewish, the largest proportion of any Chicago suburb. Skokie still has many Jewish residents (now about 30% of the population) and over a dozen synagogues. It is home to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, which opened in northwest Skokie in 2009.

Skokie has twice received national attention for court cases decided by the United States Supreme Court. In the mid-1970s, it was at the center of National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, in which a Nazi group, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, invoked the First Amendment in an attempt to schedule a Nazi rally in Skokie. At the time, Skokie had a significant population of Holocaust survivors. Skokie ultimately lost that case, though the rally was never held.