McHenry County

McHenry County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 260,077. As of 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population to be 315,943. Its county seat is Woodstock, Illinois[1]. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in terms of population, in the state of Illinois. Long known as a center of agriculture and recreation, it has recently grappled with rapid rates of suburbanization and urbanization.

McHenry County was formed in 1836 out of Cook and LaSalle Counties. The County was named for Major William McHenry, an Indian fighter who died in Vandalia in 1835.

McHenry County originally stretched all the way east to Lake Michigan, with the county seat centrally in McHenry, but in 1839, the eastern townships of the county were carved out to form Lake County.

President Gerald Ford's mother Dorothy Ayer Gardner Ford and maternal grandfather Levi Addison Gardner and possibly his maternal grandmother Adele Augusta Ayer Gardner were born in the county (near Harvard, Illinois).

The southern portions of the county are within the scope of the Golden Corridor, the region of commerce along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway.

Several state highways run through McHenry County, including U.S. Route 20, U.S. Route 14, U.S. Route 12, Illinois Route 23, Illinois Route 173, Illinois Route 120, Illinois Route 176, Illinois Route 47, Illinois Route 31, and Illinois Route 62. Highly traveled county highways include Randall Road, Algonquin Road, and Walkup Road.

McHenry County is also the most populous county in the United States without direct access to an Interstate within its borders. As a result, most residents use nearby Interstate 90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway), a couple miles south in Kane County, to access the interstate highway system.

McHenry County is also served by Metra Rail, which provides daily commuter service to and from downtown Chicago. There are seven stations in the county, all of them located along the Union Pacific Chicago & Northwest line. The county is also served by Pace, which provides three regular bus routes, and dial-a-ride service for several communities.

Lake in the Hills Airport offers general aviation service, as do Dacy Airport and Galt Airport, in the northern part of the county. Chicago-O'Hare International Airport is approximately 30-40 miles from the county while Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport is approximately 50-60 miles.