Town file
Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville, Illinois (Lake County, Illinois) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 505, "Murder Mansion Mystery" (27 June 2024). Bruce Rouse was born in 1936 into a Libertyville family that had been in the area since 1880; his grandfather had been mayor, and his father owned one of the first gas stations in Mundelein.
- Town
- Libertyville
- County
- Lake County
- State
- Illinois
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 505
- Approximate location
- 42.285, -87.967
Episode 505 / 27 June 2024 / 166 min / full
Murder Mansion Mystery
""We're going to Libertyville, Illinois", in northern Illinois, in Lake County, about an hour from Chicago" about 0:04:47
The case: Murders of Bruce and Darlene Rouse (June 5th and 6th, 1980); Murder of Robert Plummer at the Murder Mansion (May 1982). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- 20,616
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income
- $153,674
- Median home value
- $481,600
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $1,720
- Property crime
- ▼ about half the national average
- Violent crime
- ▼ about one-third of the national average
History, in brief
- Settlers began arriving in the 1830s; George Vardan settled with his family and the place was called Varden's Grove. about 0:07:09
- The town motto is "By endurance we conquer". about 0:06:46
- On Independence Day 1836 residents voted to rename the town Independence Grove. about 0:07:24
- The first post office was registered as Libertyville because an Independence Grove post office already existed in Illinois, so the name changed without a vote. about 0:07:57
- The town was also called Burlington for a while. about 0:08:22
- In the late 1800s the town expanded rapidly once the railroad came through from Chicago to Milwaukee. about 0:09:36
- The village was incorporated in 1882. about 0:09:43
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A very great town with awesome restaurants downtown, everything close together, connected communities, many things to do and other towns nearby; a very good place to be."about 0:10:07
3 stars
"A nice community that is very safe, but there is nothing to do; storefront rents are so high that businesses close within months."about 0:11:38
2 stars
"As the reviewer has always said, the people aren't very good; a "me first" area."about 0:12:19
2 stars
"There aren't many attractions, though it is nice because there is little traffic or noise."about 0:12:53
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Arlington Heights, Illinois13 miles
- McHenry, Illinois17 miles
- Spring Grove, Illinois18 miles
- Elk Grove Village, Illinois19 miles
- Streamwood, Illinois21 miles
- Bloomingdale, Illinois24 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.