DuPage County, Illinois

DuPage County, Illinois
County
County of DuPage

Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve on the West Branch of the DuPage River

Seal
Motto: The Magnificent Miles West of Chicago
Map of Illinois highlighting DuPage County
Location in the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded February 9, 1839
Named for DuPage River
Seat Wheaton
Largest city Naperville
Area
  Total 336 sq mi (870 km2)
  Land 327 sq mi (847 km2)
  Water 8.9 sq mi (23 km2), 2.6%
Population
  (2010) 916,924
  Density 2,800/sq mi (1,081/km²)
Area code(s) 630 and 331
Congressional districts 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.dupageco.org
Footnotes: [1]
DuPage County at the time of its creation in 1839

DuPage County (/ˌdˈp/) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 916,924,[2] making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat is Wheaton.[3]

With a population nearing one million, DuPage County has become mostly developed and suburbanized, although some pockets of farmland remain in the county's western and northern parts. The county has a vast socioeconomic profile; residents of Hinsdale, Naperville, and Oak Brook include some of the wealthiest people in the Midwest. In 2010, Midwest Living voted Hinsdale the Midwest's second-wealthiest town, the first being Fairway, Kansas. In stark contrast, the large unincorporated area of Downers Grove Township is very blue collar, with many residents below the poverty line.[4]

History

DuPage County was formed on 9 February 1839 out of Cook County.[5] The county took its name from the DuPage River, which was, in turn, named after a French fur trapper, DuPage.[6] The first written history to address the name, the 1882 History of DuPage County, Illinois, by Rufus Blanchard, relates:[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 336 square miles (870 km2), of which 327 square miles (850 km2) is land and 8.9 square miles (23 km2) (2.6%) is water.[8] The DuPage River and the Salt Creek flow through DuPage County. According to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, the highest point in the county is located at the Mallard Lake Landfill, which at its highest point is 982 feet (299 m) above mean sea level.[9]

Climate

Wheaton, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.9
 
 
32
14
 
 
1.6
 
 
38
19
 
 
2.6
 
 
50
28
 
 
3.8
 
 
63
38
 
 
3.9
 
 
75
48
 
 
3.9
 
 
84
57
 
 
4
 
 
87
63
 
 
4.6
 
 
85
61
 
 
3.4
 
 
78
53
 
 
2.7
 
 
67
42
 
 
3.2
 
 
50
32
 
 
2.5
 
 
37
20
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[10]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Wheaton have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1995. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.56 inches (40 mm) in February to 4.60 inches (117 mm) in August.[10]

Adjacent counties

Counties that are adjacent to DuPage include:

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
18403,535
18509,290162.8%
186014,70158.2%
187016,68513.5%
188019,16114.8%
189022,55117.7%
190028,19625.0%
191033,43218.6%
192042,12026.0%
193091,998118.4%
1940103,48012.5%
1950154,59949.4%
1960313,459102.8%
1970491,88256.9%
1980658,83533.9%
1990781,66618.6%
2000904,16115.7%
2010916,9241.4%
Est. 2016929,368[11]1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14]
1990-2000[15] 2010-2013[2]

DuPage County's population's distribution by race and ethnicity in the 2010 census was as follows:[16]

Race / Ethnicity Percentage of
county population
White 77.9 %
Asian 10.1 %
Black or African American 4.6 %
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3 %
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.0 %
Two or more races 2.2 %
Hispanic or Latino 13.3 %
White, not Hispanic or Latino 70.5 %

DuPage County has become more diverse. The population of foreign-born residents increased from about 71,300 in 1990 to 171,000 by 2009 estimates.[17]

There were 325,601 households, out of which 37.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.00% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64 and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females, age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $98,441 and the median income for a family was $113,086.[18] Males had a median income of $60,909 versus $41,346 for females. The mean or average income for a family in DuPage County is $121,009, according to the 2005 census. The per capita income for the county was $38,458. About 2.40% of families and 3.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.90% of those under age 18 and 4.30% of those age 65 or over.[18]

Religion

DuPage County has several hundred Christian churches. Well-known churches include Community Christian Church of Naperville, College Church of Wheaton, Wheaton Bible Church, and First Baptist Church of Wheaton. There is also a large Catholic contingency, part of the Diocese of Joliet, and a Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Glendale Heights.

The Theosophical Society in America in Wheaton, the North American headquarters of the Theosophical Society Adyar, provides lectures and classes on theosophy, meditation, yoga, Eastern and New Age spirituality. Islamic mosques are located in Villa Park, Naperville (two mosques), Glendale Heights, Willowbrook, Westmont, Lombard, Bolingbrook, Addison, Woodale, West Chicago, and unincorporated Glen Ellyn.[19] There are Hindu temples in Bartlett, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Itasca and Medinah, and an Arya Samaj center in West Chicago. There is a Nichiren Shōshū Zen Buddhist temple in West Chicago[20] and a Theravada Buddhist Temple, called the Buddha-Dharma Meditation Center, in Willowbrook.[21] There is also a Reform synagogue, Congregation Etz Chaim, in Lombard and an unaffiliated one in Naperville.

Economy

DuPage County is the primary location of the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor. It is home to many large corporations, including:

Shopping malls in DuPage County include Oakbrook Center, which is the largest open-air mall in the nation, Westfield Fox Valley, Yorktown Center, Town Square Wheaton, and Stratford Square Mall. In addition, many of DuPage County's towns have prosperous and quaint downtown areas, especially in Naperville, Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Downers Grove and Hinsdale, which are mixed with boutiques, upscale chain stores and restaurants.

National Laboratories

Aerial view of the Tevatron particle accelerator at the Fermilab site.

Fermilab, which has the world's second-highest-energy particle accelerator,[22] is in Batavia, where it straddles the border between Kane and DuPage counties.[23] Argonne National Laboratory, one of the United States government's oldest and largest science and engineering research laboratories,[24] is in unincorporated, southeast DuPage County.[25] Both laboratories conduct tours of their facilities.

Arts and culture

Architecture

The 31-story Oakbrook Terrace Tower in Oakbrook Terrace, designed by Helmut Jahn, is the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago.[26] The Elmhurst Art Museum is housed in a Mies Van Der Rohe building. There is a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Elmhurst. Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a conservative Hindu sect, has built BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago, a large, intricately carved, marble temple in Bartlett. There are some Sears Catalog Homes in Downers Grove and Villa Park. The Byzantine-style clubhouse of the Medinah Country Club is also an architectural highlight of the county. Lombard is home to over thirty Lustron prefabricated steel homes.[27]

Museums and historical sites

DuPage museums include: the Naper Settlement and DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville; Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center, the Cantigny Estate and First Division Museum, on the former estate of Chicago Tribune magnate Robert R. McCormick, and the DuPage County Historical Museum in Wheaton; Elmhurst's Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art and Elmhurst Art Museum, which includes Mies Van Der Rohe's McCormick House;[28] Oak Brook's Mayslake Peabody Estate and Graue Mill; Glen Ellyn's Stacy's Tavern; West Chicago's City Museum; Westmont's Gregg House Museum; and Villa Park's Villa Park Historical Society Museum.

Music and theater

DuPage also plays host to a rich, local music scene. Some of the better-known bands to come out of the area include The Hush Sound, Lucky Boys Confusion, and Spitalfield.

Oakbrook Terrace's Drury Lane Theatre is an important live theatre in DuPage County. The Tivoli Theatre, one of the first theaters in the United States to be equipped with sound, is still in use in Downers Grove.[29] In addition to showing movies, the Tivoli is home to several local performing arts groups.[30]

Parks and recreation

A woodland ecosystem in the Morton Arboretum

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County owns and manages 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) of prairies, woodlands and wetlands. More than 4 million visitors each year enjoy 60 forest preserves, 145 miles of trails, and five education centers.[31]

Local urban parks include Lombard's Lilacia Park, Naperville's Centennial Beach, Woodridge's Cypress Cove Family Aquatic Park and Wheaton's Cosley Zoo. Privately funded attractions include Lisle's Morton Arboretum.

In the 1980s, DuPage County also had another major attraction, Ebenezer Floppen Slopper's Wonderful Water slides in Oakbrook Terrace, which today, stands abandoned and neglected.

The Illinois Prairie Path, a 61-mile (98 km) rail-to-trail multi-use path, runs through Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties. It intersects with the Great Western Trail at several points, as well as the Fox River Trail at a few points.

DuPage golf courses include: Wheaton's Chicago Golf Club, Arrowhead Golf Club and Cantigny Golf courses; the Medinah Country Club; the Village Links and Glen Oak Country Club of Glen Ellyn; Addison's Oak Meadows; Oak Brook's Oak Brook Golf Club, Butler National Golf Club, and Butterfield Country Club; Wood Dale's Maple Meadows; Westmont's Green Meadows; Lisle's River Bend (9 holes); West Chicago's St. Andrews Golf & Country Club and Winfield's Klein Creek Golf Club, among others.

Government and politics

Government

The powers of the County Board include managing county funds and business, levying taxes, and appropriating funds. The County Board exercises powers not assigned to other elected officials or other boards.[32]

The county is divided into six districts. Each district elects three members to the County Board in staggered two-year and four-year terms. The Chairman of the County Board is the chief executive officer of DuPage County, and is elected countywide every four years.

District Board Member Party
Chairman Daniel Cronin Republican
1 Paul Fichtner Republican
1 Donald Puchalski Republican
1 Sam Tornatore Republican
2 Elizabeth Chaplin Democratic
2 Pete DiCianni Republican
2 Sean Noonan Republican
3 John Curran Republican
3 Gary Grasso Republican
3 Brian Krajewski Republican
4 Grant Eckhoff Republican
4 Amy Grant Republican
4 Tim Elliott Republican
5 James Healy Republican
5 Tonia Khouri Republican
5 Janice Anderson Republican
6 Robert Larsen Republican
6 Kevin Wiley Republican
6 James Zay Republican

Politics

Presidential Elections Results[33]
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2016 38.6% 166,415 53.1% 228,622 8.3% 35,637
2012 48.6% 195,046 49.7% 199,460 1.6% 6,575
2008 43.9% 183,626 54.7% 228,698 1.4% 5,649
2004 54.4% 218,902 44.8% 180,097 0.9% 3,447
2000 55.2% 201,037 41.9% 152,550 3.0% 10,775
1996 50.7% 164,630 40.0% 129,709 9.3% 30,147
1992 48.1% 178,271 30.9% 114,564 21.1% 78,152
1988 69.4% 217,907 30.0% 94,285 0.6% 1,862
1984 75.7% 227,141 23.8% 71,430 0.6% 1,644
1980 64.0% 182,308 24.2% 68,991 11.8% 33,450
1976 68.8% 175,055 28.3% 72,137 2.9% 7,355
1972 75.0% 172,341 24.8% 57,043 0.2% 355
1968 66.6% 124,893 25.9% 48,492 7.5% 14,111
1964 59.9% 98,871 40.1% 66,229
1960 69.5% 101,014 30.4% 44,263 0.1% 168
1956 79.8% 91,834 20.1% 23,103 0.2% 207
1952 75.8% 71,134 24.0% 22,489 0.2% 217
1948 73.6% 45,794 25.0% 15,528 1.5% 916
1944 68.9% 41,890 30.8% 18,711 0.3% 174
1940 67.9% 40,746 31.5% 18,923 0.6% 380
1936 55.0% 28,380 42.0% 21,684 3.0% 1,568
1932 56.2% 25,758 40.5% 18,547 3.3% 1,504
1928 72.4% 28,016 27.1% 10,479 0.6% 217
1924 72.8% 16,917 8.2% 1,893 19.0% 4,423
1920 82.0% 12,280 13.9% 2,084 4.1% 612
1916 62.8% 9,610 31.5% 4,816 5.7% 868
1912 14.3% 1,136 28.1% 2,236 57.6% 4,589
1908 64.0% 4,530 27.9% 1,975 8.1% 575
1904 68.1% 4,078 23.5% 1,407 8.5% 506
1900 63.9% 3,869 32.2% 1,947 3.9% 237
1896 68.9% 4,115 26.6% 1,588 4.5% 268
1892 50.4% 2,478 43.8% 2,154 5.9% 290

Historically, DuPage County was a stronghold of the Republican Party, and was reckoned as a classic bastion of suburban conservatism, but like many suburban counties has trended Democratic in presidential years.

National Politics

The county supported Democrat Barack Obama, a Chicago resident, in 2008 and 2012 (albeit narrowly in 2012). Obama was the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the county since Franklin Pierce in 1852. The only time prior to 2008 that a Republican had failed to win the county was in 1912, when the GOP was mortally divided and former President and Progressive Party nominee Theodore Roosevelt won over half the county’s vote.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, DuPage County is in the 5th, 6th, 8th, 11th and 14th districts.

Local politics

Republicans have controlled local politics in DuPage County since the nineteenth century. Democrats have only held countywide office twice. In 1934 William Robinson was elected Circuit Clerk and Arthur Hellyer was elected Treasurer. That year also saw the only Democratic majority county board in DuPage history.[34][35] Robinson and Hellyer each served one term; Robinson lost his bid for a full term in 1936 and Hellyer left the Treasurer’s office to make a failed bid for probate judge in 1938.[36]

Democrats were sporadically elected at the county and township levels. In 1972, Don Carroll was elected to the County Board. In the Democratic wave of 1974, Jane Spirgel, Mary Eleanor Wall, and Elaine Libovicz were elected. All four were from the northeastern portion of DuPage, which at that time was the most Democratic.[37] Republicans regained all seats on the board when Jane Spirgel ran for Illinois Secretary of State with Adlai Stevenson III under the Solidarity Party banner.[38] In 2000, Linda J. Bourke Hilbert was elected. Like her 1970s counterparts, she was from the northeastern portion of the county.[39] During the 2008 Democratic wave, three Democrats were elected to the board.[40] As of 2016, Democrats hold only one of eighteen board seats.

In 1973, a slate of Democrats took eight of nine offices in Addison Township. This feat would not be replicated until 2015 when Democratic candidates won a majority of offices in Naperville and Lisle townships.[41] Between these two victories, Democrats only held two township offices. Mark Starkovich served as York Township Supervisor from 1989-1993 and Martin McManamon has served as Wayne Township Highway Commissioner since 2013.[42][43]

Education

Colleges and universities

The College of DuPage, in Glen Ellyn, is one of the largest community colleges in the United States. Wheaton College is one of the most well-known and respected evangelical Christian colleges in the country. Benedictine University, Elmhurst College and North Central College also have long and respected histories in their communities.

Other prominent colleges and universities include: Midwestern University in Downers Grove; National University of Health Sciences and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard; the Addison, Naperville and Oak Brook campuses of DeVry University; the Aurora campus of Robert Morris University; the Lisle campus of National–Louis University; the Naperville campuses of DePaul University and Northern Illinois University; the Wheaton campus of Illinois Institute of Technology; and the DuPage campus of Westwood College in Woodridge. Hamburger University, McDonald's global training facility, is located at its corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, on an 80-acre (32 ha) campus.

Secondary schools

Dupage County is home to many academically and athletically successful public high schools, such as:

Additionally, DuPage County is home to several private high schools, including:

School districts

The DuPage County Regional Office of Education provides regulatory and compliance oversight, quality services and support, and a variety of other services and information to the public schools within the forty-two school districts of the county that provide education to over 161,000 students in 245 schools.[45]

Infrastructure

Health care

DuPage hospitals include: Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield; Edward Hospital in Naperville; Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in Elmhurst; Adventist Hinsdale Hospital in Hinsdale; Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove; Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights; and Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital and Clinics in Wheaton.

Transportation

Aside from the part of O'Hare International Airport that is located inside the county, DuPage also has many railroads and several small airports, including DuPage Airport. DuPage is served by the Pace bus system.

DuPage County is served by four Interstate Highways, three US Highways, and nine Illinois Routes.

North–south roads (from west to east) include: IL 59 (Sutton Road), IL 53 (Rohlwing Road), I-355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway) and IL 83 (Kingery Highway). East–west roads (from south to north) include: I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) I-88 (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway), US 34 (Ogden Avenue), IL 56 (Butterfield Road), IL 38 (Roosevelt Road), IL 64 (North Avenue), Army Trail Road, US 20 (Lake Street), IL 19 (Irving Park Road) and IL 390 (Elgin–O'Hare Expressway), which begins at the Thorndale Avenue exit on I-290 and ends on Lake Street, in Hanover Park. I-294 partially enters DuPage County on its eastern border between Westchester, in Cook County, and Oak Brook, in DuPage County. Only the southbound lanes enter the county though.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Townships

DuPage County has nine townships:

Ghost towns

See also

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: DuPage County, Illinois
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. Slodyosko, Brian. "Poverty rate rising in Downers Grove Township". www.triblocal.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  5. White, Jesse (March 2010). "1837-1839 — Twenty-one New Counties" (PDF). Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties. Illinois Secretary of State. p. 10. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  6. Thompson, Richard A. "The French Connection". History of DuPage County: DuPage Roots. DuPageHistory.org. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  7. Blanchard, Rufus (1882). "History of DuPage County, Illinois". Illinois Digital Archives. Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  8. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  9. Forest Preserve District of DuPage County (2008). "Frequently Asked Questions about Environmental Services". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  10. 1 2 "Monthly Averages for Wheaton, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  11. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  14. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  16. "DuPage County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  17. Born, Molly (17 February 2011). "Diversity in DuPage is like a shift from vanilla to caramel fudge swirl, official says". Medill Reports Chicago. Northwestern University. Medill News Service. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  18. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  19. Islamic Center of Naperville
  20. Buddhists
  21. http://www.buddhistbmc.org/
  22. "About Fermilab". Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. 18 March 2004. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  23. "County Board District 6 map". DuPage County. 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  24. "About Argonne". Argonne National Laboratory. 2010. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  25. "County Board District 3 map". DuPage County. 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  26. Oakbrook Terrace Tower, Oakbrook Terrace
  27. "Lombard Lustrons". Scott Vargo. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
  28. "About the McCormick House". Elmhurst Art Museum. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  29. Max Grinnell, "Going to the Movies" The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005, Chicago Historical Society
  30. Tivoli Theatre history Archived 2 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  31. "Forest Preserve District Budget Approved for 2013-2014". Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  32. "County Board Overview". DuPage County. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  33. http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS
  34. "Democrats Hold Jubilee as New Officials Go In". Chicago Tribune. December 4, 1934.
  35. "Democrats Win Two DuPage Offices". Daily Herald. November 9, 1934. p. 15. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  36. "G.O.P. Banners Wave Over Five Nearby Counties: Democratic Office Holders Ousted by Voters". Chicago Tribune. November 9, 1938.
  37. Sherlock, Barbara; Shallwani, Pervaiz (November 8, 2002). "DuPage Democrats hope board exile short-lived". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois.
  38. Schmeltzer, John (May 6, 1986). "Spirgel one of a kind in Du Page". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois.
  39. Trebe, Patricia (May 6, 1986). "Linda J. Bourke Hilbert, 63 ; DuPage County Board's 1st Democrat since '80s". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois.
  40. Napolitano, Jo (November 5, 2008). "Democrats gaining a foothold". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois.
  41. Erin, Hegarty (April 5, 2017). "Dems unseat several incumbents in Naperville, Lisle township races". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  42. Young, Linda (April 22, 1993). "Democrats lose toehold and confidence in future". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois.
  43. Fleming, Tabitha (April 5, 2017). "Dust settles, Wayne Township highways chief emerges among DuPage victors". DuPage Policy Journal. Chicago, Illinois: Local Government Information Services.
  44. "Contact Us". Lombard, Illinois: College Preparatory School of America. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  45. "2008-2009 Annual Report" (PDF). DuPage Regional Office of Education. Retrieved 18 October 2010.

Coordinates: 41°50′N 88°05′W / 41.833°N 88.083°W / 41.833; -88.083

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