The east part is known as the old part while the west part is known as the new part. Gurnee covers a total area of around 34.8 square kilometers. The village has a population of about 28,834 as per the 2000 census. Gurnee came into news in May 2004. The reason was not at all worth knowing. Gurnee suffered one of the worst floods that month breaking all records of the last eighteen years.

Gurnee saw the first settlement by the residents of the town of Warren in New York State. They came by foot, on horseback and by Prairie Schooners drawn by oxen. They came via the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. It was the year 1835-36, that a land company from New York State built a

Community House to accommodate families, which were locating and getting government land grants to their farms. This is the same place that had the old Gurnee Grade School.

The river near the Community House had a ford, which was used by the Indians at that time to cross it. After some time a stationary wooden bridge was constructed there. With the construction of an iron bridge on the river the actual development of the area started. Roads started to be constructed here and the area developed into a major hub of township. During this time the Milwaukee Road extended from west to east and then further in a northeasterly direction to eventually join Chicago to Milwaukee. Moreover, as time passed it grew into what we see as the Gurnee now.

Gurnee is a melting pot of different races and as of now, you can find people of diverse culture settled here. In addition to the majority whites, you can find Africans, Asians and other races living together. The median income for a household in Gurnee is about $75,742 and the median income for a family is around $88,932. You can have a fair inkling of the economic scenario of the village of Gurnee by having a look at these statistics. In addition to that, you can also have a look at the per capita income of the village.

It comes out to be $31,517. You will find though that two percent of the population of Gurnee lives below the poverty line. Gurnee Mills is one of the largest shopping malls in the United States. Gurnee also boasts of Six Flags Great America, one of the largest amusement parks. As far as education is concerned Gurnee is well served by the Warren Township High School. All in all Gurnee is a very good place to be at present because of its economic scenario and also because of its rich cultural heritage.