Come along to McHenry. Nestled between the Fox River and McCullom Lake, it is a friendly, welcoming city with a rich history. It was designated as the first county seat of the newly formed McHenry County in 1837. Its surrounding farmland provided both food from its crops and milk from its cows to the Chicagoarea. Diverse businesses such as boatbuilders, ice cutters, lumber companies, flour mills, brick makers, and cigar makers chose to make McHenry their home. It is a unique city that grew as three separate business districts: along the river, along the railroad, and one in between. Known as the gateway to the Chain of Lakes, tourism thrived in the early 1900s as visitors from Chicago made McHenrytheir recreational destination. In McHenry and McCullom Lake, one will meet the people who helped change McHenry from a collection of log cabins on theriverfront to a bustling city with a population of 24,000.