SKOKIE

village, Cook County, northeastern Illinois, U.S., northern suburb of Chicago. Called Niles Center until 1940, Skokie (renamed for the Potawatomi word for swamp) was settled in 1834 and attracted a colony from Luxembourg, Belg. A trading centre in its early years, it was known primarily for its greenhouse produce. In the late 1920s a development boom followed the extension of railroad services through the village from Chicago. After World War II there was an influx of light industry. Printing and publishing are important, and in 1952 Rand McNally & Company (mapmaker and publishers) moved its international headquarters there from Chicago. Hebrew Theological College, established in Chicago in 1922, moved to Skokie in 1958. Inc. 1888. Pop. (1990) 59,432.