DuPage County, Illinois

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DuPage County, Illinois
Warrenvillegrove.jpg
Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve on the West Branch of the DuPage River
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, Aurora (part)
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)
Congressional districts 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.dupageco.org
Footnotes: [1]

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DuPage County at the time of its creation in 1839

DuPage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 916,924,[2] making it the second-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Wheaton.[3]

Dupage County is one of the collar counties of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The majority of DuPage County is in the 630 and 331 area codes. However, the areas of the county that are in the city of Chicago are in area code 773, primarily part of O'Hare International Airport.[4]

Farmland and rolling plains cover most of DuPage County, while urban development thrives in some of the eastern parts of the county. Although the agricultural county is known mostly for its prosperous bean farming operations, residents (mostly in Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, and Oak Brook) include some of the wealthiest people in the Midwest. In 2010, Hinsdale was voted the 2nd wealthiest town in the Midwest by Midwest Living, the first being Fairway, Kansas.

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]

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The DuPage River had, from time immemorial, been a stream well known. It took its name from a French trader who settled on this stream below the fork previous to 1800. Hon. H. W. Blodgett, of Waukegan, informs the writer that J. B. Beaubien had often spoken to him of the old Frenchman, Du Page, whose station was on the bank of the river, down toward its mouth, and stated that the river took its name from him. The county name must have the same origin. Col Gurden S. Hubbard, who came into the country in 1818, informs the writer that the name DuPage, as applied to the river then, was universally known, but the trader for whom it was named lived there before his time. Mr. Beaubien says it is pronounced Du Pazhe (a having the sound of ah, and that the P should be a capital). This was in reply to Mr. Blodgett’s inquiry of him concerning the matter.

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)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
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

2000 census age pyramid for DuPage County
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 3,535 —
1850 9,290 162.8%
1860 14,701 58.2%
1870 16,685 13.5%
1880 19,161 14.8%
1890 22,551 17.7%
1900 28,196 25.0%
1910 33,432 18.6%
1920 42,120 26.0%
1930 91,998 118.4%
1940 103,480 12.5%
1950 154,599 49.4%
1960 313,459 102.8%
1970 491,882 56.9%
1980 658,835 33.9%
1990 781,666 18.6%
2000 904,161 15.7%
2010 916,924 1.4%
Est. 2014 932,708 [11] 1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14]
1990-2000[15] 2010-2013[2]

As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population. Asian Americans made up 10.1% of the population (4.5% Indian, 1.6% Filipino, 1.4% Chinese, 0.7% Pakistani, 0.5% Korean, 0.4% Vietnamese, and 0.1% Japanese). Pacific Islander Americans made up just 0.0% of the population. Individuals from other races made up 4.9% of the population; people from two or more races made up 2.2% of the county's population. Hispanics and Latinos (of any race) made up 13.3% of Dupage County's population.

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 904,161 people, 325,601 households and 234,432 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,710 inhabitants per square mile (1,050/km2). There were 335,621 housing units, at an average density of 1,006 inhabitants per square mile (388/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.05% White, 3.05% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 7.88% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.12% from other races and 1.71% from two or more races. 9.00% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.3% were of German, 11.8% Irish, 11.0% Italian, 9.8% Poles and 5.1% English ancestry according to the Census. 79.3% spoke only English at home, while 7.7% spoke Spanish, 1.5% Polish and 1.2% Tagalog at home.

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 $77,441 and the median income for a family was $93,086.[16] 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.[16]

Religion

The First Church of Lombard is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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.[17] 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[18] and a Theravada Buddhist Temple, called the Buddha-Dharma Meditation Center, in Willowbrook.[19] 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,[20] is in Batavia, where it straddles the border between Kane and DuPage counties.[21] Argonne National Laboratory, one of the United States government's oldest and largest science and engineering research laboratories,[22] is in unincorporated, southeast DuPage County.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25]

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;[26] 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; Spitalfield; and The Plain White T's.

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.[27] In addition to showing movies, the Tivoli is home to several local performing arts groups.[28]

Parks and recreation

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Main article: Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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.[29]

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.

Politics

Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democrat
2012 48.7% 193,333 49.7% 197,411
2008 43.9% 183,626 54.7% 228,698
2004 54.4% 218,902 44.8% 180,097
2000 55.2% 201,037 41.9% 152,550
1996 50.7% 164,630 40.0% 129,709
1992 48.1% 178,271 30.9% 114,564
1988 69.4% 217,907 30.0% 94,285
1984 75.7% 227,141 23.8% 71,430
1980 64.0% 182,308 24.2% 68,991
1976 68.8% 175,055 28.3% 72,137
1972 75.0% 172,341 24.8% 57,043
1968 66.6% 124,893 25.9% 48,492
1964 59.9% 98,871 40.1% 66,229
1960 69.5% 101,014 30.4% 44,263

DuPage County has long been a stronghold of the Republican Party. However, 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; hence, the last time before Obama that any Republican failed to win the county was before the Republican Party existed.

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

Education

Colleges and universities

Blanchard Hall at Wheaton College is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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:

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

School districts

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Main article: List of school districts in DuPage County, Illinois

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.[31]

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

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For a more comprehensive list, see List of County Highways in DuPage County, Illinois.

Aside from the part of O'Hare International Airport that is located inside the county,[4] DuPage also has many railroads and several small airports, including DuPage Airport. DuPage is served by the Pace bus system.

North-south roads (from west to east) include: Illinois Route 59 (Sutton Road); Illinois Route 53 (Rohlwing Road); Interstate 355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway) and Illinois Route 83 (Kingery Highway). East-west roads (from south to north) include: Interstate 55 (Stevenson Expressway); Interstate 88 (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway); U.S. Route 34 (Ogden Avenue); Illinois Route 56 (Butterfield Road); Illinois Route 38 (Roosevelt Road); Illinois Route 64 (North Avenue); Army Trail Road; U.S. Route 20 (Lake Street); Illinois Route 19 (Irving Park Road) and Illinois Route 390 (Elgin-O'Hare Expressway), which begins at the Thorndale Avenue exit of I-290 and ends on Lake St. (U.S. Rte 20), in Hanover Park. Interstate 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

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Villages

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Unincorporated communities

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Townships

DuPage County has nine townships:

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See also

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: DuPage County, Illinois
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Islamic Center of Naperville
  18. ↑ Buddhists
  19. ↑ http://www.buddhistbmc.org/
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Oakbrook Terrace Tower, Oakbrook Terrace
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Max Grinnell, "Going to the Movies" The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005, Chicago Historical Society
  28. ↑ Tivoli Theatre history
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

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