Naperville, Illinois
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Naperville is a city located in DuPage County, Illinois and Will County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,358; a special census in 2003 estimated the population at 135,858. Approximately 95,000 Napervillians live in DuPage County, while about 40,000 reside in Will County.
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History
Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. It briefly served as the DuPage county seat, before nearby Wheaton, Illinois appropriated that distinction one night in a bout of drunkenness (on the part of Naperville) and sign stealing (on the part of Wheaton)[1] (http://patsabin.com/dupage/courtrecords.htm). A predominantly rural community for most of its existence, Naperville experienced a population explosion in the 1980s and 1990s following the construction of the East-West (now known as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) and North-South tollways. In the past two decades, it has nearly quadrupled in size as Chicagoland's urban sprawl brought corporations, jobs, and wealth to the area. Employers contributing to this population explosion include Bell Labs and Western Electric (both now owned by Lucent Technologies), Amoco Labs (now owned by BP), Nalco Chemical, NiCor, and more recently by Edward Hospital. Also, Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory are nearby. Excellent schools (including two K-12 school districts, North Central College, and satellite campuses for Northern Illinois University, Robert Morris College and DePaul University), a 30-minute commute to the Chicago Loop via an express train, and a notably picturesque downtown centered on the Riverwalk (a promenade along the west branch of the DuPage River) have made it one of the most desirable suburbs of Chicago. In tandem with neighboring Aurora, it is often cited as the archetypal "edge city."
In 1999, Naperville was designated a White House Millennium Community, due to the construction of the Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon, located on Aurora Avenue in Riverwalk Park. The Millennium Carillon is specially designated as a Grand Carillon, with 72 bells, and is one of only four worldwide that span six octaves. The Millennium Carillon was dedicated in an Independence Day event on June 29, 2000, with a reception of over 15,000 attendants, along with a performance by the Naperville Municipal Band and the Naperville Men's Glee Club and Festival Chorus. The Carillon is both manually and also computer-playable, with most performances being done by hand, but with half the bells played by a computer-controlled system at set times during the day.
By 2005, a DuPage River Trail will be opened for pedestrians and bicyclists, stretching from Knoch Knolls Park (south of the DuPage/Will county line) to the Riverwalk in downtown Naperville. As of late March 2005, the completion of this project is certain to be delayed due to court litigation stemming from residents of two town home/condominium complexes along the DuPage River along Washington Street and just south of Bailey Road.
On April 26, 1946, Naperville was the site of one of the worst train accidents in Chicagoland history. Two Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad trains, the Advance Flyer and the Exposition Flyer, collided 'head to tail' on a single track. The accident killed 45 and injured more than 100. This event is commemorated in a metal inlay map of Naperville on the southeast corner of Nichols Library's sidewalk area.
Geography
Naperville is located at 41°44'59" North, 88°9'21" West (41.749826, -88.155719)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.0 km² (35.5 mi²). 91.6 km² (35.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.39% water.
Downtown Naperville is located within DuPage County, Illinois, but the city has stretched south, into Will County, Illinois, since at least the early 1980s.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 128,358 people, 43,751 households, and 33,644 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,400.8/km² (3,628.3/mi²). There are 45,651 housing units at an average density of 498.2/km² (1,290.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 85.19% White, 3.03% African American, 0.12% Native American, 9.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 3.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 43,751 households out of which 47.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% are married couples living together, 5.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% are non-families. 18.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.89 and the average family size is 3.37.
In the city the population is spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $88,771, and the median income for a family is $101,590. Males have a median income of $75,905 versus $40,295 for females. The per capita income for the city is $35,551. 2.2% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.2% of those under the age of 18 and 5.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The city has been named "Most Kid-Friendly City in America" by Zero Population Growth, and continues to be rated very highly at their website Population Connection (http://www.kidfriendlycities.org/2001/city49.html). In addition, CNN Money Magazine has rated the city as one of the best places to live in the country and best city over 100,000 population in the Central U.S. (see CNN Money Hottest Towns page (http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/cities_table/)).
Services
Naperville Fire and Police Departments
There are eight Fire Department stations within city limits, and a ninth being planned. The central Naperville Police Department station, on Aurora Avenue at River Road, is located next to Fire Station #7 (the same location was also considered for a potential site for Naperville City Hall in the early 1990s, but a location on Naperville's Riverwalk was chosen instead).
- Fire Station #1 is on Chicago Avenue, east of downtown.
- Fire Station #2 is at the intersection of Bailey Road and Naper Boulevard.
- Fire Station #3 is at the intersection of Washington Street and Diehl Road
- Fire Station #4 is on Brookdale Road.
- Fire Station #5 is at the intersection of 87th Street and Naperville-Plainfield Road
- Fire Station #6 is on 103rd Street.
- Fire Station #7 and the Administrative Offices are on Aurora Avenue
- Fire Station #8 is on Modaff Road, just south of the intersection of Modaff and 75th Street
- Fire Station #9 (planned) will open near the intersection of 5th Avenue and Ogden Avenue (US Route 34).
Naperville Public Libraries
There are three public library locations within city limits. The Public Libraries have been ranked #1 in the United States for six straight years, from 1999-2004, for cities with populations between 100,000 and 249,999.
- The Nichols Library is located in downtown Naperville, at 200 W. Jefferson Street
- The Naper Boulevard Library is located at 2035 S. Naper Boulevard
- The 95th Street Library is located near the intersection of 95th Street and Cedar Glade Drive
Naperville Public Schools
Two K-12 public school districts serve the city of Naperville (along with a number of private, parochial schools). Within the state of Illinois, school districts are numbered by their county.
District 203 is the Naperville Community Unit School District, serving central Naperville. District 203 schools within the City of Naperville include two high schools (grades 9-12), Naperville Central and Naperville North, four junior high schools (grades 6-8; despite using 'junior high school' within the names, District 203 uses the Middle School Philosophy, including team teaching, within these schools), Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Madison (a fifth, Kennedy, is actually in neighboring Lisle) and 14 elementary schools (K-5): Beebe, Ellsworth, Elmwood, Highlands, Kingsley, Maplebrook, Meadow Glens, Mill Street, Naper, Prairie, Ranch View, River Woods, Scott and Steeple Run. The current District 203 school buildings were constructed between 1928 (Ellsworth) and 1929 (Naper) on through 1990 (Kingsley). According to a recent TIIMS survey, District 203 ranks among the top school districts in the nation.
District 204 is the Indian Prairie School District, serving western Naperville (and the eastern edge of Aurora). District 204 schools within the City of Naperville include one of the district's two high schools, Neuqua Valley (comprised of two buildings, a blue campus for grades 10-12, and a gold building, a former middle school, for grade 9). The other District 204 High School, Waubonsie Valley (also comprised of two buildings, a green campus for grades 10-12, and a gold building, a former middle school, for grade 9), is located in nearby Aurora, but serves a significant number of students residing in the northern half of Naperville. Other District 204 schools within the City of Naperville include four middle schools: Crone, Gregory, Hill and Scullen (grades 6-8) and 14 elementary schools (grades K-5): Brookdale, Clow, Cowlishaw, Fry, Graham, Kendall, Longwood, Owen, Patterson, Spring Brook, Watts, Welch, Wheatland and White Eagle.
Transportation
As a typical American suburb, the main mode of transportation is via automobile. The Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway runs near the north edge of Naperville, and Interstate 55 runs south of the city, through Bolingbrook and Romeoville. Naperville also has three tracks belonging to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway that run through the north end of town, with passenger rail service provided by Metra and Amtrak. Limited bus service to and from the main Naperville train station is also available through the PACE system.
There is also one private airport, the Naper Aero Club field, designation LL-10, on the western edge of town. The field is notable for being the home of the Lima Lima Flight Team.
A brief explanation of street names: From 75th Street south (including 83rd Street, 87th Street, etc.) Naperville east-west streets and their names roughly follow the same grid layout as the City of Chicago. In other words, if 75th street continued east past its terminus at Illinois Route 83, in Willowbrook, it would eventually be the same 75th Street as found in Chicago city limits. However, the older part of Naperville has a second numerical grid, starting downtown, with 4th and 5th Avenues just north of the BNSF tracks, and continuing through 15th Avenue. The difference is that the numbers in the older system go up from downtown, traveling south to north, and the other grid's numbers go up as you travel north to south. See the Chicago Streets & Highways article for more information. There is also a geographical based naming system, with West Street and North Street defining the older boundries of the city. Along with these are streets named after the city they lead to, i.e, Plainfield Road heads towards Plainfield, while Aurora Avenue leads to Aurora and Chicago Avenue to Chicago.
External links
- The Official Site of the City of Naperville, IL (http://www.naperville.il.us/)
- Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce (http://www.naperville.net/)
- Naperville Businesses and Organizations (http://www.naperville-il.com/)
- Visit Naperville - The Naperville Convention and Visitor's Bureau (http://www.visitnaperville.com/)
- Naperville Public Libraries (http://www.naperville-lib.org/)
- Naperville Community Unit School District 203 (http://www.ncusd203.org/)
- Indian Prairie School District 204 (http://www.ipsd.org/)
