Woodstock, Illinois

Early days, Centerville Woodstock was originally known as Centerville because of its location at the geographic center of McHenry County. It was chosen as the county seat on September 4, 1843. Early settler Alvin Judd developed a plat for the town, which incorporated a two-acre public square, near which a 2-story frame courthouse and jail were constructed the following year by George C. Dean and Daniel Blair. Eugene V. Debs' prison stay In 1895, Eugene V. Debs served a short federal prison sentence in the Woodstock Jail following the 1894 Pullman labor strike in Chicago. Debs, the former president of the American Railway Union, was held in Woodstock instead of Chicago because federal officials feared that he would be surrounded with too many sympathizers in a Chicago prison and therefore could have still incited further unrest. Debs was instead assigned to a cell in the newly constructed Woodstock Jail, which occupied the lowest floor of the Woodstock Courthouse on the town square. During his time in the jail, Debs received several influential socialist visitors and encountered the works of Karl Marx. He is said to have considered the Woodstock Jail one of the "greatest school[s]," and passed his time reading and writing many letters from his cell. By the time he was released in November 1895 (to great fanfare and before crowds of onlookers assembled in the Woodstock Square), Debs had become a socialist and a national celebrity. "Typewriter City" During the early part of the 20th century, Woodstock had become "Typewriter City" and was home to factories of both the Emerson Typewriter Company and the Oliver Typewriter Company. Woodstock workers had built more than half the world's typewriters by 1922. In 1919, Emerson Typewriter became the Woodstock Typewriter Company. The city grew and flourished with increasing demand for Woodstock typewriters through and after World War II. Initially the company sold typewriters for use in the war effort both domestically and abroad, but after the war's end returning servicemen, now familiar with the Woodstock brand, chose these models for their households. The factory was in use until 1970, and has since been converted into lofts. At Todd School, the young Welles came under the positive influence and guidance of Roger Hill, a teacher who later became the school's headmaster. Hill provided Welles with an educational environment that supported his creativity, allowing Welles to concentrate on subjects that interested him. Welles performed and staged his first theatrical experiments and productions at Todd. He also performed at the downtown Woodstock Opera House, where the stage — the site of his American debut as a professional theatre director — is now dedicated to him. Welles returned to Woodstock periodically after leaving school. In July 1934 at the age of 19, he coordinated the Todd Theatre Festival, a six-week summer festival at the Woodstock Opera House that featured Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir of Dublin's Gate Theatre. His short film The Hearts of Age was shot on the Todd School campus during the festival. Todd School for Boys closed in 1954. Several original buildings were purchased at auction and reused by Marian Central Catholic High School and Christian Life Services. Welles' former dormitory was demolished in 2010. ==Geography==

In the 2010 census, Woodstock has a total area of , all land. ==Demographics==

Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Woodstock had a population of 25,630. The median age was 38.1 years. 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over. There were 9,807 households in Woodstock, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.5% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 20,151 people, 7,273 households, and 4,843 families in the city. The population density was . There were 7,599 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.48% White, 1.06% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 7.69% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.01% of the population. There were 7,273 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.30. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $47,871, and the median income for a family was $54,408. Males had a median income of $40,137 versus $27,264 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,210. About 5.3% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over. ==Local culture==

Local newspaper The Woodstock Independent is the award-winning local paper of record and is delivered weekly to subscribers. Published on Wednesdays, The Independent covers community news, events as well as local government and schools. The Independent also publishes The Torch, a feature-oriented magazine delivered free to all Woodstock residents 8 or 9 times a year. Music Woodstock has become an important destination for live music in McHenry County and the region with venues featuring local, national, and international artists. A number of organizations support and promote live music in Woodstock: • Liquid Blues • Jazz on the Square • Off Square Music • Woodstock Community Orchestra • Opera Woodstock • RIFF Productions • Woodstock Folk Festival • Woodstock City Band • Potts & Pans Steelband The historical Woodstock Opera House greeted Woodstock Mozart Festival until 2015. Religion Woodstock is home to many Protestant and Catholic churches, a Jewish congregation and The Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple since 2002. Roles in popular media Planes, Trains and Automobiles, 1987 Several scenes in the 1987 film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles were shot in Woodstock, including the scene in which the protagonists' rental car is towed in front of a building, the old Courthouse. The movie brought Woodstock to the attention of location manager Bob Hudgins, who later recommended the town to Harold Ramis for the filming of Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day, 1993 Woodstock is perhaps most famous for its role as the location for the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. Although the story is set in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the movie's producers preferred the quintessentially American, but non-specific backdrop of Woodstock Square and its surroundings. Outdoor and street scenes were filmed around the downtown and various side streets, and signs from stores and businesses are visible throughout the movie. In January 2020, several key actors, including Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray and Stephen Tobolowsky returned to Woodstock to film a Groundhog Day-themed commercial for Jeep. The commercial aired during the 2020 Super Bowl. Other Woodstock was the basis for the fictional town of Hawkins Falls in the 1950s television soap opera Hawkins Falls, Population 6200. The city was the site of primary filming for the movie Bored Silly, which was released in 2000. In August 2018, it was reported that filming had begun in and around the Square for the 2019 HBO series Lovecraft Country from producers J. J. Abrams, Jordan Peele, Misha Green and Ben Stephenson. A map of Woodstock can be seen on the splash screen for The Jackbox Party Pack 4 game Civic Doodle where the historic square and Illinois route 47 and 120 are clearly visible. In September 2021, a second commercial began filming in Woodstock, including the Woodstock Square and the surrounding areas, for Toyota, which began airing on television later that December. Woodstock was also a primary filming location for the Amazon series Night Sky doubling as the fictional Farnsworth, Illinois. ==Economy==

Top employers According to Woodstock's 2025 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: ==Transportation==

Public transit Woodstock station is the penultimate passenger stop on Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line, which originates from Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago and ends in Harvard, Illinois. At Woodstock, Metra offers passengers 14 daily trains to Chicago on weekdays, with 13 returning outbound. Between 400 and 500 passengers use the train daily for travel to Chicago or other suburban communities along the line. This direct link to the city was historically instrumental in Woodstock's growth as a city, and remains an attractive option for local commuters and residents to reach Chicago. As a result, Woodstock's use of the system is greater than that of nearly half of the Metra system's other outlying stations, many of which serve larger or geographically nearer communities. Other public ground transportation is limited to Pace Suburban Bus route 807, which connects downtown Woodstock with downtown McHenry. Major roads U.S. Route 14 once took drivers through the heart of downtown Woodstock, but a bypass now curves around the city's southwest border. Illinois Route 47 runs through the city in the north–south direction. Illinois Route 120's western terminus is in northwest Woodstock, and continues east past Woodstock's downtown and into rural McHenry County. ==Education==

Woodstock's public schools are part of Woodstock Community Unit School District 200, which was formed in 1969. The district operates 1 early learning center (Verda Dierzen), 6 elementary schools (Dean Street, Greenwood, Mary Endres, Olson, Prairiewood and Westwood), two middle schools (Northwood and Creekside) and two high schools (Woodstock High School and Woodstock North High School). The three newest buildings, Prairiewood, Creekside and WNHS, were approved in a March 2006 referendum to address crowding in schools due to the area's growth between the mid-1990s and 2008. Aurora University also operates its Woodstock Center downtown. ==Notable people==

• Jack Allen, professional baseball infielder for the Syracuse Stars and the Cleveland Blues • Jessica Biel, actress and model • Bob Bird, Alaskan pro-life and political activist, first Distinguished Alumnus of Marian Central. • Cyrus Allen Black, taxidermist, decoy-maker and minor league baseball player • Michael J. Brown, Illinois state representative and businessman • Bryan Bulaga, football player, University of Iowa and Green Bay Packers • Rick Fletcher, illustrator and cartoonist with Chicago Tribune • Gigi Goode, American drag queen and contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12) • Chester Gould, cartoonist and the creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip • Brad S. Gregory, Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame • Nikol Hasler, author, sexual educator, internet personality • Ann Hughes, Illinois state representative • Marcellus L. Joslyn, businessman • Rich Loiselle, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates • Dana Nafziger, football player • Doug Oberhelman, CEO, Caterpillar Inc. • Scott Sobkowiak, pitcher for the Atlanta Braves • Barbara Stcherbatcheff, best-selling author and economic commentator • Lynn D. Stewart, Illini star player from the 1960s • Johnny Stompanato, mob associate of Mickey Cohen • Michele Weiner-Davis, marriage therapist and author • Orson Welles, director, writer, actor, producer ==References==