The McHenry County Department of Transportation has tons of interesting information in its draft 2040 Transportation Plan.
Look at the image below about who works where.
How commuting patterns changed from 2002 to 2010.
Almost 10,000 more people were leaving McHenry County for their jobs in 2010 than in 2002.
6,000 more people were driving into McHenry County to get to their jobs over the same eight year period.
And, the stunner, 3,000 fewer local residents had jobs in McHenry County that eight years before 2010.
And a whole bunch more of us are sitting at home because we LOST our jobs!
Now is the time for all government entities (municipality, township, school boards, county, state, and even federal) take ownership to work with business to look at statistics like this one as a key indicator to help solve problems.
Not the time to say it’s “other guys fault”, we are fine.
Even the extra drive time for commute is a big detraction for us all.
This is why suburbs are going to become extinct and cities will become mega cities in the near future.
35 years ago when we moved here they were going to build a toll road and it still isn’t in McHenry.
People are tired of commuting.
Also since local citizens give tax breaks to business like Hobby Lobby and Gary Lang why don’t they hire local McHenry citizens first before going outside to the rest of McHenry County and the rest of the state.
How many people from Wisconsin cross the border to work at Target or Meijer?
I am a commuter to Lake County, my job is moving to downtown Chicago, so my commute will be a 2 hr train ride…
Fortunately I love my job, still I would prefer to have a local job in McHenry.
How to create good jobs in McHenry?
hmmmm…I suggest this is a long term issue requiring strategic actions.
One such action would be to support a thriving technology education center like MCC.
This would attract and sustain a skilled workforce that could partner with private companies.
Another would be to support companies expansion plans providing things only localities can provide.
These include attractive lifestyle, good schools, rich thriving culture, recreational/nature assets, and of course competitive tax structure and business environment.
Being the 27th or so highest property tax county in the USA can’t help.