Wauconda (/ˌwɔːˈkɒndə/ or /wəˈkɒndə/) is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago.

Fremont School District 79 also serves students from communities from northern part of Wauconda.

Wauconda's local government consists of a Mayor, Clerk, and six member Board of Trustees who are elected to four-year overlapping terms of office.

The Administrator supervises the daily operations of the village with the assistance of staff, including the Chief of Police and the directors of Public Works, Finance, Human Resources/Risk Management, Information Technology, Environmental Quality, Building and Zoning, and Economic Development.

Many early settlers of Wauconda came from New England and New York by covered wagon or through the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes.

In 1840, members of the Winnebago tribe who did not leave the shores of the Fox River often went to the area to trade.

[8] Elder Joel Wheeler of McHenry built the first Baptist church in Wauconda in the autumn of 1838.

[8] In 1850, Wauconda had a population of around 200 residents, and the town had three goods stores, two public houses and various mechanics.

By the early 1900s, Wauconda was a popular resort village for Chicago residents and Bangs Lake was made suitable for beaches.

The Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad was completed and hauled agricultural products, delivered mail, transported local passengers, and brought vacationers and day-trippers out from Chicago.

Although the railroad did not help develop Wauconda, which remained a small town, it flourished as a resort, and residents depended on it for supplies and for mail.

Development continued into the 1990s and 2000s as individuals from the outlying Chicago suburbs sought cheaper land.

Large new subdivisions were developed north of the town center and small suburbs were established in the surrounding areas.

[20] A weekly farmers market is held on Main Street on Thursdays from July to September.