
Located just 20 miles west of Chicago, DuPage County has been one of the most dynamic growth centers in northeastern Illinois. At the threshold of the twenty-first century, the County today is both a population and an economic center that continues to offer the benefits of urbanized living, high quality educational systems, extensive recreational resources and a safe, attractive environment for living and visiting.
DuPage County contains portions of 39 different municipalities, 20 of which lie wholly within the County:
Village of Addison
City of Aurora
Village of Bartlett
City of Batavia
Village of Bensenville
Village of Bloomingdale
Village of Bolingbrook
The modern Village of Bolingbrook got its start in the first half of the 1960s when the first builder laid out a housing tract in the farm fields just north of old U.S. 66 and beside Illinois Route 53. The young families, for the most part, were lured out to model homes by advertisements, and they came out via the Stevenson Expressway, as the new and improved Route 66 had been renamed. It was the long umbilical cord that stretched out from the city of Chicago to the far west farmlands. The three original home tracts were sold from 1961 to 1965, and it was these homes, and the families in them, that officially formed the Village of Bolingbrook in 1965 with incorporation. Today, Bolingbrook is home to over 69,000 residents.
Village of Burr Ridge
Village of Carol Stream
City of Chicago
Village of Clarendon Hills
City of Darien
Village of Downers Grove
Village of Elk Grove Village
City of Elmhurst
Village of Glendale Heights
Village of Glen Ellyn
Village of Hanover Park
Village of Hinsdale
Village of Itasca
Village of Lemont
Village of Lisle
Village of Lombard
Originally known as Babcock's Grove and later named after Josiah Lombard, the Village of Lombard was incorporated in 1869. But it was William R. Plum, the first town clerk, who unknowingly laid the foundation of a community with his outstanding collection of lilacs that became the nucleus of Lilacia Park, a horticultural gem that attracts visitors from out of state and around the world. The 40,000-plus residents of the "Lilac Village" enjoy their reputation for having perhaps the nation's finest collection of lilacs, as well as being home to celebrities like Little Orphan Annie, Morris the Cat, artist Sheldon Peck, Astronaut Daniel Tani, and most recently, "Veggie Tales" stars Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber.
City of Naperville
Village of Oak Brook
Incorporated in 1958 as the brainchild of millionaire industrialist and developer Paul Butler, Oak Brook personifies the "new" Western Suburbs--those that grew up not around the railroads, but the crisscrossing interstate highways. Mr. Butler began purchasing property from local farmers in 1937, and eventually accumulated about 3,600 acres. The area which is now Oak Brook had fewer than three hundred families when World War II began. Today, Oak Brook is home to a number of international corporate giants, including McDonald's, a world-class shopping center, and polo field, and upscale residential living. Nearly 9,000 people live in Oak Brook.
City of Oakbrook Terrace
On June 24, 1958, the city of Utopia was incorporated. By referendum vote, the name of the city was changed to Oakbrook Terrace in 1959, but the City's history began long before incorporation. In 1873, a combination creamery and cheese factory was built by Albert Knapp at "the corners", an area now bounded by Butterfield and Summit Roads. Farmers in nearby areas began to move closer to the consumers of their products and the community gradually grew. Oakbrook Terrace has developed from a primarily rural community into a strong business area, while still keeping its warm neighborhood feel with 2,300 residents.
Village of Roselle
Village of Schaumburg
City of St. Charles
Village of Villa Park
City of Warrenville Village of Wayne
City of West Chicago
Village of Westmont
The area known as Westmont was inhabited by the Pottawatomie Indians until the year 1833, when the U. S. Government persuaded them, under coercion, to vacate their land. A big step toward the incorporation of Westmont took place when the Joe Haller family of Chicago purchased 80 acres of land, rented it as farm land, and then sold the lease to Arthur McIntosh who started laying streets and sidewalks with the intention of making it into a town. Westmont was incorporated as a village in 1921 with a population of about 400. It was not until the 1960's and 70's that growth began to force itself upon Westmont. Today, Westmont is home to approximately 25,000 people.
City of Wheaton
Village of Willowbrook
In 1959, a homeowners' group decided to incorporate as a village in order to be able to guide the development of the farmland that surrounded their homes. While the case for incorporation was before the court, the attorney for the homeowners association called the association's president frantically asking for a name of the new village. The president looked out his window, saw the willow trees along the creek at the back of his property, and promptly gave the village its name. With a population of 167, Willowbrook became one of the state's smallest villages on January 18, 1960. Today, there are over 9,100 residents of Willowbrook.
Village of Winfield
City of Wood Dale
Village of Woodridge
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