Skokie, IL is a suburb located north of Chicago with a population of nearly 67,000 people. It was founded in 1888 as Niles Center, but was renamed in 1940 in order to avoid confusion with the neighboring suburb of Niles. It enjoys easy access to Chicago by public transport as Chicago's famous elevated railway, or El, branches into the city. Unfortunately, however, it also shares Chicago's harsh winters and hot summers, experiencing average highs of 85 degrees Fahrenheit in July and 16 degrees Fahrenheit in January.The Skokie, IL yellow pages contains many Jewish names, and for good reason. Following the Second World War, Skokie came to be occupied by a large Jewish population, peaking at 40% of the population of Skokie the mid-1960s. This large Jewish population was a major factor in an important and dramatic legal precedent in which the National Socialist Party of America, or neo-Nazis, announced a plan to march through Skokie in 1977. The Village of Skokie refused to permit this as it believed that such a demonstration would cause widespread disruption in the town, as at this time nearly 1 in 6 Skokie residents was a Holocaust survivor.
The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, represented the National Socialist Party in a lawsuit that claimed that Skokie's decision to block the march infringed upon the National Socialists' right to peaceably assemble.The lawsuit reached the Supreme Court and was decided in favor of the National Socialists. The drama of the situation was amplified by the fact that the ACLU lawyer representing the National Socialists was himself Jewish. In the end, however, the National Socialists marched through Chicago rather than Skokie when Chicago removed some of its own restrictions on assembly.Partly in response to this controversy, the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois founded the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in 1981. While originally a small operation, the museum was reopened at a new location in 2009 with Bill Clinton as the keynote speaker.Even a quick look at the Skokie, IL business directory will demonstrate its robust economy. Skokie is home to map maker Rand McNally and the online grocer Peapod as well as to many successful small businesses. It is also the location of Old Orchard mall, a major shopping complex for the North Chicago area.
Written by Lyndsey Morgan
