Geneva, Illinois

Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois.^[1] It is an affluent suburb located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs.^[2][3] As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652^[4]. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia. The area is currently experiencing a high level of population growth as Chicago's urban sprawl spreads farther west.

Geneva is a popular tourist destination with its scenic location along the Fox River and numerous shops and restaurants. There is an extensive bike trail system in Geneva including portions of the Fox River Trail and the Illinois Prairie Path. Geneva has an active historical society, the Geneva History Center, located in downtown Geneva as well as the Fabyan Windmill, an old Dutch windmill dating back to the 1850s. The city is home to the Kane County Cougars baseball club of the Midwest League.

Geography

Geneva is located at 41°53'9" North, 88°18'42" West (41.885722, -88.311771),^[5] 36 miles (58 km) west of downtown Chicago.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.2 km²), of which, 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.10% water.

History

Geneva was first settled in the 1830s on an important route from Chicago. A local's connections with Col. Richard Hamilton, a prominent Cook County politician, led to the naming of Geneva as county seat in 1836. The town was platted a year later and was probably named after Geneva, New York. A courthouse and jail were among the first major works. Geneva was incorporated as a village in 1858. While its site as a county seat attracted attention, the village's location on the Fox River provided the most economic opportunities. Early goods manufactured in Geneva included cheese, butter, milled grains, and packed meat. The connection of the railroad in 1853 provided increased demand for industry, and by 1900, Appleton Manufacturing, Howell Foundry, Bennet Milling Co., and Pope Glucose Co. became major employers. This resulted in major civic improvement projects such as a pumping stations and water mains in 1896. Geneva was particularly noted for its flux of Swedish immigrants, who comprised half of the population by 1900. A year later, Geneva was connected to other Fox Valley communities through the Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company.

Historical sites

• Fabyan Windmill
• Riverbank Laboratories
• Campana Factory
• Elizabeth Place

Transportation

Geneva is served by Midway International Airport (IATA code MDW), O'Hare International Airport (IATA code ORD) and Dupage Airport (DPA). The city also benefits from highways running through the city, including State Routes 25, 31, 38 with easy access to Interstate 88.

Bus

Geneva is also serviced by the PACE bus system run by Chicago's suburbs. The following bus routes run through this city:

• Route 529 - Randall Rd / 5th Street^[6]
• Route 801 - Elgin / Geneva^[7]
• Route 802 - Aurora / St. Charles^[8]

Train

As a part of the Chicago metropolitan area, Geneva has a station on the Union Pacific/West line of the Metra commuter rail system; it provides frequent service to downtown Chicago, 36 miles (58 km) away.

Demographics

As of the census^[9] of 2010 there are 26,652 people, 6,718 households, and 5,186 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,321.4 people per square mile (895.9/km²). There are 6,895 housing units at an average density of 820.2 per square mile (316.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 96.50% White, 1.02% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 2.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,718 households out of which 45.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% are married couples living together, 6.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% are non-families. 19.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.85 and the average family size is 3.31.

In the city the population is spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.2 males.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, Geneva has a population of 26,652. The median household income of the city is $97,515 and the median income for a family is $105,779 ^[10].

Education

Geneva School District 304 Includes the Following Schools:

Elementary education schools

• Harrison Street Elementary School (built in 1929)^[11]
• Williamsburg Elementary School (built in 2008)^[12]
• Heartland Elementary School (built in 2002)^[13]
• Mill Creek Elementary School (built in 1996)^[14]
• Fabyan Elementary School (built in 2008)^[15]
• Western Avenue Elementary School (built in 1964)^[16]

Middle schools

• Geneva Middle School South (built in 1994), Principal: Mr. Terrance Bleau^[17]
• Geneva Middle School North (built in 2006), Principal: Mr. Lawrence Bidlack^[18]

High schools

• Geneva High School (built in 1958), Principal: Mr. Thomas Rogers

Former schools

• Third Street School (closed 1922) was torn down in 1938 to open a Post Office
• Fourth Street School (closed 1994) is now Geneva CUSD 304 Central Office
• Sixth Street School (closed 1977) is now Kane County Regional Board of Education Offices. Potentially could be torn down for a new library.
• Coultrap School (closed 2009) was used as a high school (1922–1958), then middle school (1958–1994) and then an Elementary School (1994–2008); plans for the building after June 2009 are uncertain, as of yet.

Parks and recreation

The following fitness/recreation centers are part of the Geneva Park District

• Sunset Racquetball and Fitness Center
• Stephen D. Persinger Recreation Center
• Peck Farm Interpretive Center

Also containing over 30 parks for recreation use.^[19]

Media and entertainment

• Harry and Tonto (1974) starring Art Carney and directed by Paul Mazursky. Partly filmed outside of the Geneva Courthouse and the Geneva Motel.
• The Road to Perdition (2002) starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, and Jude Law was partly filmed in downtown Geneva.
• Novacaine (2001) starring Steve Martin was partly filmed at the Geneva Motel on the East Side of Geneva.

Shopping

• Geneva Commons - is an outdoor shopping experience with many high-end retailers and restaurants.
• Geneva Shopping - find more about Geneva shopping at this website

Notable people

• Varney Anderson, 19th Century MLB player for the Indianapolis Hoosiers and the Washington Senators
• Sid Bennett, a former football player, played two seasons in the National Football League^[20]
• Gower Champion, theater director, choreographer, and dancer^[21]
• Phil Esposito, is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.
• George Fabyan, (1867) wealthy cloth merchant and inventor of Riverbanks Laboratories^[22]
• James Graham Fair, Bonanza King, raised^[23]
• Otto Hahn, On 15 November 1945 the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that Hahn had been awarded the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his discovery of the fission of heavy atomic nuclei, born in Geneva March 8 1879
• Stu Linder, Academy Award-winning film editor of Grand Prix and Rain Man^[24]
• Michael J. Nelson, head writer and star of cult TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000, and current leader of Rifftrax^[25]
• Mike Nelson, Jeopardy! champion^[26]
• John W. Scherer, the founder and face of the software tutorial company Video Professor^[27]
• Brad Pitt, Lived in Geneva for 5 years from 1968 to 1973
• Edmund Beecher Wilson, America's first cell biologist and the discoverer of the chromosomal XY sex-determination system^[28]
• Bob Woodward, author, investigative reporter for the Washington Post^[29]
• Bob Zeman, a former football defensive back, played six seasons in the American Football League^[30]
• Cameron Mitchell, actor in hit television show Glee
• Luca Dirtbike Hansen, the beholder of the largest beatoff muscle on the planet.

Sister cities

• Croissy-sur-Seine (Western Suburb of Paris, France)

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ Geneva, IL
3. ^ 60134 Zip Code in Geneva, IL - Neighborhoods, Schools, Real Estate, Demographics and Relocation Tools
4. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=04000US17&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US17&_street=&_county=geneva&_cityTown=geneva&_state=04000US17&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=040&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2009_5YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
6. ^ http://www.pacebus.com/sub/schedules/route_detail.asp?RouteNo=529
7. ^ http://www.pacebus.com/sub/schedules/route_detail.asp?RouteNo=801
8. ^ http://www.pacebus.com/sub/schedules/route_detail.asp?RouteNo=802
9. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
10. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=04000US17&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US17&_street=&_county=geneva&_cityTown=geneva&_state=04000US17&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=040&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2009_5YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
11. ^ https://www.geneva304.org/hss/
12. ^ https://www.geneva304.org/wes/
13. ^ https://www.geneva304.org/hes/
14. ^ https://www.geneva304.org/mcs/
15. ^ https://www.geneva304.org/fes/
16. ^ https://www.geneva304.org/was/
17. ^ https://www.geneva304.org/gmss/
18. ^ https://www.geneva304.org/gmsn/
19. ^ http://www.genevaparks.org/_map/index.php
20. ^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BennSi20.htm
21. ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/gower-champion
22. ^ http://dees2.blogspot.com/2008/06/george-fabyan-eccentric.html
23. ^ "EX-SENATOR FAIR IS DEAD; His Fatal Illness of But Very Brief Duration. AN ESTATE OF FORTY MILLIONS One of the Earliest Victims of the Gold Fever, He Turned His Attention to Silver and Made a Fortune.", The New York Times (New York, New York), 1894-12-30, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E03E2DD143EEF33A25753C3A9649D94659ED7CF, "He came to this country with his parents in 1843, and lived for a time at Geneva, Ill., where he obtained a rudimentary education..." 
24. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0511742/bio
25. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0625621/bio
26. ^ http://triblocal.com/geneva/2011/02/28/geneva-man-to-appear-on-jeopardy/
27. ^ http://www.johnwscherer.com/
28. ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/wilson-edmund-beecher
29. ^ http://bobwoodward.com/full-biography
30. ^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/Z/ZemaBo00.htm

External links

• Official Site of the City of Geneva, Illinois
• Geneva Chamber of Commerce
• Geneva Public Library District
• Geneva History Center
• Education Primary Website for Geneva, IL District 304