Algonquin is a village in McHenry and Kane counties, Illinois, in the United States. It is a suburb of Chicago, located approximately 40 miles (64 km) northwest of the Loop. As of the 2020 census, the village’s population was 29,700.

The village is known as “The Gem of the Fox River Valley”, referring to the location of its downtown.

Algonquin is located in southeastern McHenry County and northeastern Kane County at 42°9′46″N 88°18′9″W / 42.16278°N 88.30250°W / 42.16278; -88.30250 (42.162741, −88.302571). It is bordered to the north by Lake in the Hills, to the northeast by Cary, to the east by Barrington Hills, and to the south by Carpentersville.

As of the 2010 census, Algonquin had a total area of 12.41 square miles (32.14 km), of which 12.23 square miles (31.68 km²) (or 98.55%) were land and 0.18 square miles (0.47 km), or 1.45%, were water. Approximately 78% of the village area is in McHenry County, with the remainder in Kane County.

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census of 2010, there were 30,046 people, 10,247 households, and 8,170 families living in the village. The population density was 2,452.7 inhabitants per square mile (947.0/km). There were 10,727 housing units, of which 480, or 4.5%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the village was 87.2% White, 1.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.3% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.8% some other race, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.8% of the population.

Of the 10,247 households in the village, 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.3% were headed by married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93, and the average family size was 3.32.

29.0% of the village population were under the age of 18, 6.5% were from 18 to 24, 27.3% were from 25 to 44, 29.2% were from 45 to 64, and 8.1% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

For the period 2013-2017, the estimated median annual income for a household in the village was $103,291, and the median income for a family was $115,111. Male full-time workers had a median income of $77,443 versus $56,544 for females. The per capita income for the village was $40,155. About 2.5% of families and 3.7% of the total population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Long before Europeans settled in Algonquin, the Potawatomi Native Americans originally inhabited the land. Algonquin was the location of Indian burial mounds known in the 1800s as the Algonquin Mounds. By 1834 the first settler of Algonquin, Samuel Gillilan, came to the area from Virginia. Settlers Dr. Cornish, Dr. Plumleigh, Eli Henderson, Alex Dawson, and William Jackson arrived shortly thereafter. There was some dispute regarding the original name of Algonquin, and numerous other names were suggested including Denny’s Ferry, Cornish Ferry, Cornishville, and Osceola. But Samuel Edwards suggested the name Algonquin and on December 23, 1847, the name Algonquin became official.

The first signs of economic growth occurred in 1855 when the town saw the construction of the railroad, which enabled farmers in the neighboring area to have other means of getting their products to the markets in Chicago. Finally on February 25, 1890, the Village of Algonquin was formed.

The Village Hall of Algonquin was erected on January 31, 1907, at 2 South Main Street, and is still standing today, where it functions as a historical landmark and community gathering place. It served as the village hall of Algonquin until a new village hall was built at 2200 Harnish Drive in 1996.

From 1906 to 1913, the automobile companies began to go to the Algonquin Hill Climbs, which was an event where if an automobile was able to make it up a series of steep hills in the village, it would be given the stamp of approval. And because of that, the Algonquin Cup was formed which received national recognition at the time. The two hills used in the race were the Phillips Hill which extends from Illinois Route 31 to the cemetery and Perry Hill, located south of downtown, and which is now Lundstrom Lane. The village created a new hill for the race called Huntington Hill, which is now Huntington Drive. A park stands in place of the finish line of Huntington Hill at the intersection of Huntington Drive and Circle Drive which is called Hill Climb Park. The festival in recognition of the event continues to be held each year.

Algonquin road route 62 now, was once noted as the first bridge to be installed on an incline. The first bridge was level with a steep incline headed east. It was later replaced with a 4 lane bridge with an incline to reduce stress on vehicles headed east.

For much of the 20th century, Algonquin was a quasi-resort town and people from the Chicago area would visit the town in order to escape urban life. The Fox River offered immense recreational opportunities and several summer homes were constructed. Soon, more people began living in Algonquin year-round. Algonquin remained a small town for much of the 20th Century, growing steadily, until the 1980s, when the village’s population exploded with new residential construction. The development continued in earnest in the 1990s and 2000s. The village’s first shopping center, Algonquin Town Center, was constructed in the late 1980s on East Algonquin Road and numerous die & mold industries were established west of downtown. In the 1990s, development shifted to Randall Road, which saw the construction of numerous retailers, restaurants, and services, beginning in 1993. In 2004, the 80-store Algonquin Commons outdoor mall (the largest outdoor mall in Illinois) opened for business, followed by the Algonquin Galleria outdoor mall, which is under development and saw its first stores open in 2006. In the mid-2000s, development also began on the Algonquin Corporate Campus, which is slated to include industrial and office development spread over 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) on the southwest side of the village, bringing hundreds of high-paying jobs to the area.

Algonquin has a council-manager form of government, where an elected Board of Trustees, led by the Village President, establishes policy & vision and approves ordinances & resolutions, while an appointed Village Manager leads a team of professional staff that carries out the policies and daily operations of the village.

The Village President is Debby Sosine and the current Trustees are Laura Brehmer, Jerry Glogowski, Janis Jasper, Jerry Kautz, John Spella, and Jim Steigert. The Village Clerk, who handles village records, is Gerald Kautz. All officials are elected to four-year terms which are staggered to maintain consistency. The current Village Manager is Tim Schloneger.^{[citation needed]}

Algonquin’s fire protection and rescue services are handled by either the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District (ALITHFPD), the Huntley Fire Protection District (HFPD), or the Carpentersville Countryside Fire Protection District (CCFPD).

Community Unit School District 300, a large district generally along and east of Randall Rd. The District 300 schools serving Algonquin include:

Consolidated School District 158 is headquartered in Algonquin, and the schools on the Square Barn Road campus serve the village’s far western side, as well as portions of neighboring communities Huntley and Lake in the Hills. School District 158 schools serving far western Algonquin include:

St. Margaret Mary Catholic School, located in the heart of Algonquin, offer private K-8 education. On the west side of town is Foundations Montessori School.

The nearest community colleges are McHenry County College and Elgin Community College. Generally speaking, McHenry County College serves residents residing in District 158 boundaries, while Elgin Community College serves residents residing in District 300 boundaries.

The majority of the village is served by the Algonquin Area Public Library District which includes two facilities, the main branch on Harnish, just west of Randall Road, and a second branch on Eastgate, south of Algonquin Road. Both offer educational and reading programs.Huntley Public Library, Dundee Township Library, and the Barrington Area Library also serve certain sections of the village.

The village of Algonquin is a center for shopping activities, both regionally and locally. Most of the village’s retail is confined to Randall Road and, to a lesser extent, Algonquin Road.

The Randall Road corridor is a regional shopping, dining, and entertainment corridor that is home to a variety of shopping centers. The retail corridor also extends partially into nearby Lake in the Hills and Carpentersville. In addition to serving the needs of the local western Algonquin area, the corridor also functions as a major destination retail area serving a vast region that includes most of McHenry and northern Kane Counties.

The East Algonquin Road retail corridor is primarily a neighborhood retail area that serves the general needs of eastern Algonquin and also portions of nearby Carpentersville and Barrington. The area is centered on Algonquin’s first shopping center, Algonquin Town Center, which was constructed in the late 1980s.

Major retailers along the corridor include Dollar Tree, Goodwill Industries, Jewel-Osco, and Walgreens. Restaurants include Donkey Inn Bar and Grill, McDonald’s, Subway, China Dragon, Jimmy John’s, Starbucks, Chubby’s Gyros, Gourmet House, and Antigua Mexican Grill. Auto-related uses include Merlin Muffler, Super Wash, Goodyear Tires, Francen & Son, Marathon, and Phillips 66. The corridor also includes fitness centers Snap Fitness and Pro Fitness. Chase Bank, First Merit Bank, Algonquin State Bank, and Stop & Store Self Storage are also present along the corridor.

Like the East Algonquin Road Corridor, the West Algonquin Road Corridor is a neighborhood retail area, composed mostly of small retail shops, restaurants, and neighborhood services. This is a newer retail area, with most of the retailers having been constructed in the 1990s and 2000s. The corridor predominantly serves western Algonquin and Lake in the Hills.

A Walgreens at the corner of Algonquin and Square Barn Roads serves as an anchor in an area that features an abundance of small shops. Algonquin Bank & Trust is also nearby. Restaurants include Burrito, Buddyz Chicago Pizzeria, Aroma Tapas, Domino’s Pizza, China Bistro, Kosta’s Gyros, Subway, @Bangkok Thai, and Taylor Street Pizza. Auto-related uses include Jiffy Lube/Super Brite and Discount Tire.

The village’s Old Town District, focused primarily along Main Street/Illinois Route 31 includes dozens of independent retailers and franchises, offices, and fine restaurants. Other strip centers can be found nearby along Route 31 including the Fox River Center and Edgewood Plaza.

A growing number of businesses can be found in Algonquin. From a manufacturing corridor along Algonquin Road between Pyott Road and Route 31 to a planned corporate campus on the west side of Randall Road, industry is a significant part of the Algonquin area economy.

Just west of the village’s Old Town District is the Algonquin Industrial Park, located along Algonquin Road. Several major companies can be found in this area, including tool, die, and mold industries, plastics industries, and transportation-related businesses. Algonquin’s main Post Office is also located in this area. The post office also serves nearby Lake in the Hills, even though the two municipalities have separate zip codes.

Under development is the Algonquin Corporate Campus on the village’s west side along Randall Road. Set on over 1,000 acres (4.0 km) stretching from Randall Road west to Square Barn Road, and north of Huntley Road, the development is aimed at providing more jobs to the greater Algonquin area. As a result, any potential business or building in the park that brings high-paying jobs has the opportunity for incentives and to have the development review process expedited. Located in the park is Young Innovations, a company that specializes in oral healthcare supplies; and Advantage Moving and Storage, a moving and storage company. Two multi-tenant industrial/office buildings have also been constructed, Rothbart Building #1 and the Algonquin Corporate Condominiums, both of which already have tenants, including Progressive Solutions and DirecTV. Additional buildings are planned for construction. Businesses the village is targeting for the park include those specializing in healthcare, technology, and research and development. Located directly adjacent to the Algonquin Corporate Campus are the village’s outdoor malls Algonquin Commons and Algonquin Galleria. Also part of the park is the mixed-use Esplanade development, which currently includes 2nd and 3rd story office space for several companies.

Other major industries in Algonquin include Duro-Life, a manufacturer of machine parts located along Randall Road, and Meyer Material Service, a mining company located along Route 31.

There is also over 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m). of small office and medical office space located in various buildings throughout town, most heavily concentrated along Randall Road, Algonquin Road, and Illinois Route 31. The largest such series of office buildings is the Briarwood Center at the intersection of Randall Road and County Line Road.

The village does not have an actual park district, as park operations are run by the village itself. Nevertheless, the quality of parks, trails, and programs is nearly unmatched. In addition, the village’s scenic waterways remain a regional draw. Some noteworthy recreational opportunities in Algonquin include:

Algonquin is a center of transportation for McHenry and Kane Counties. Some of the major roadways include:

Churches in Algonquin include: