Driving Around Chicago Suburb Waukegan, Illinois in 4k Video

Filmed on Wednesday, September 17 2025, I drive around Waukegan, IL to see what's going on.

Present day Waukegan was first recorded on a 1778 map as Wakaygagh.

The name Waukegan is derived from the Potawatomi word "wakaigin" meaning "fort" or "fortress".

During the middle of the 19th century, Waukegan was becoming an important industrial hub. Industries included ship and wagon building, flour milling, sheep raising, pork packing, and dairy farming. By 1855, nearly 1000 ships visited Waukegan harbor every year.

In the 1920s and 30s, African Americans began to migrate to the city, which caused racial strife. In June 1920, an African-American boy allegedly hit the car of an off-duty sailor from nearby Great Lakes Naval Base with a rock, and hundreds of white sailors gathered at Sherman House, a hotel reserved for African Americans. The sailors called for lynchings, but were kept back by the intervention of the police.

On Sunday, May 31, 2020, a peaceful protest against the murder of George Floyd turned violent when a portion of the protesters looted and damaged local businesses along Lewis Avenue from Glen Flora Street north into the Village of Beach Park.

Today, nearly 60% of Waukegans 90,000 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino.

#drivingtour #chicagovibes #waukegan