Welcome to Waukegan ...
The city of Waukegan is located in Lake County<1> and is the County Seat for Lake County.
The pronunciation of Waukegan: wah-KEE-guhn<2>
Waukegan was established in 1829.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Waukegan has a population of 86,131 people<3> (see below for details).
The community of Waukegan is 710 feet [216 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Waukegan lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area codes for Waukegan: (847) & (224)<5>
The ZIP codes for Waukegan: 60079, 60085, 60087<6>
Websites for Waukegan ...
Official Website: www.waukeganweb.net/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Waukegan had an population of 86,131 people. This is a decrease of 3.31% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 2.01% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Waukegan had a population of 89,078 people (or 12.66% of the total population of Lake County). This makes Waukegan the county's most populous community.
The population of Waukegan represents 0.69% of the total population of Illinois (which has 12,830,632 people), making it the state's 9th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 89,078 people, the population of Waukegan increased 1.34% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 87,901 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Waukegan.
Communities Also Named Waukegan ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found another community named Waukegan - it's located in Texas.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Waukegan.
Communities near Waukegan ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Waukegan.
- Kenosha
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenosha
- Kenosha is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 99,570 people
- Palatine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palatine have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palatine
- Palatine is located in Cook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66,830 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palatine <8>
- Glenview
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenview
- Glenview is located in Cook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46,823 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glenview <8>
- Buffalo Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Grove
- Buffalo Grove is located in Lake County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40,161 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buffalo Grove <8>
- Wheeling
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeling have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeling
- Wheeling is located in Cook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 38,958 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheeling <8>
- Northbrook
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northbrook
- Northbrook is located in Cook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32,657 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Northbrook <8>
- Mundelein
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mundelein have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mundelein
- Mundelein is located in Lake County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 30,945 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mundelein <8>
- Highland Park
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
- Highland Park is located in Lake County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 29,427 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Highland Park <8>
- Round Lake Beach
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Lake Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Lake Beach
- Round Lake Beach is located in Lake County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,919 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Round Lake Beach <8>
- Vernon Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Hills
- Vernon Hills is located in Lake County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,425 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vernon Hills <8>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Waukegan. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Waukegan.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Waukegan. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Waukegan.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Waukegan. Our list includes 35 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Waukegan.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Waukegan ...
Looking for more information about Waukegan? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Waukegan, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Waukegan.
Adding Waukegan to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Waukegan in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Waukegan was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<9>
From that list, the Waukegan post office opened in 1849.
We also found Waukegan in the book titled Table of U.S. Post Offices in the United States (Jan. 1851).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Waukegan.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Waukegan: www.waukeganweb.net/
The official website for Lake County: www.co.lake.il.us
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Lake, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Waukegan. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Waukegan. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Waukegan - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | Area code (224) is an overlay for area code (847). |
| <6> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Waukegan). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Waukegan or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <9> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |