Get news and event invitations.
Though traditionally included in discussions of the Chicago region, Lake County is not included in this discussion of the Chicago area. For the purposes of this paper, the Chicago area is comprised of eight counties: Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, and Will. The area covers approximately 5,000 square miles. The region has an estimated population of 7,929,775 and encompasses urban, suburban, and rural communities.