McHenry County, Illinois
McHenry County boasts a wide range of hospital systems. Currently located in the county are Mercy Harvard Hospital and adjacent Mercy Harvard Care Center in Harvard, Centegra Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry, and Centegra Memorial Medical Center in Woodstock. There is also the Centegra Specialty Hospital in Woodstock. Specialized services by Centegra include the Centegra Heart Failure Center, the Centegra Sage Cancer Center in McHenry, the Centegra Diabetes Center in Crystal Lake, and the Centegra Primary Care Obstetrics and Gynecology Center in Woodstock.
With so many hospital and medical centers, choosing one can be confusing. Health Grades lists all of the hospitals in Illinois with ratings for specific procedures. To find a doctor practicing in a specific community in McHenry County, UCompare Health Care lists Illinois doctors by their practice location. The United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois website provides a wealth of information on disabilities and prevention of certain disabilities. You can also refer to the Illinois Hospital Directory for contact and medical information.
McHenry County, Illinois is located approximately 50 miles northwest of Chicago, and the county offers a distinct change of pace from Chicago’s urban environment. McHenry County’s character is defined by the many farms, nurseries, and farm stands that dot the local landscape. Growth is coming to McHenry County; the 2008 U.S. Census estimates McHenry’s population at 320,961, a whopping 23.4% increase from 2000 compared to Illinois’s 4% average increase.
Woodstock, home to the historic Woodstock Opera House and and the Old McHenry County Courthouse, has the distinction of being the county seat for McHenry County. Built in 1889, the Woodstock Opera House is a fully modernized venue for performing arts, yet it retains historical character. The Old McHenry County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the key structures in the Woodstock Square Historic District.
McHenry County College, a community college, serves Madison County’s residents with campuses in Crystal Lake and McHenry, the one-time county seat of McHenry County.
McHenry County is accessible from Interstate 90, but McHenry County is the most populous county in the United States without direct access to an interstate within its borders. Many residents travel south to Kane County to access Interstate 90, also known as the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. McHenry is traversed by U.S. Highway 12, U.S. Highway 14, and U.S. Highway 20, plus State Routes 23, 31, 47, 62, 120, 173 and 176. Since nearly half of McHenry County’s residents are employed outside of the county (2003 U.S. Census ACS), this volume of travel places a real burden on these roadways.
In trade-off, McHenry County boasts over 20,000 acres of open land including three state parks and natural areas. The beautiful Fox River winds a path through the eastern portion of the county, so residents of McHenry County enjoy abundant outdoor recreation opportunities year-round.
