A community of around 22,000, Roselle is in Chicago’s northwestern suburbs, a few miles west of O’Hare International. The village is named after the prominent businessman Rosell M. Hough, a Civil War colonel who led Lincoln’s funeral procession through Chicago. Hough was the first president of the nascent Chicago and Pacific Railroad Company, and the …
Incorporated as recently as 2001, Homer Glen is a new village east of Lockport and home to around 25,000. Although Homer Glen is ensconced in the suburbs, there’s still a lot of countryside all around, with rolling cornfields and many fruit and vegetable farms. Plenty of these sell delicious produce on their doorsteps, and open …
Around 18 miles from the Chicago Loop, Westmont is a village in the Western Suburbs, incorporated in the 1920s and developed mostly in the 70s and 80s. Two famous former Westmont residents are musician Muddy Waters, who spent the last ten years of his life here, and Beanie Baby entrepreneur Ty Warner, who funded his …
Although this green suburban village in the southwest of the Chicago area was developed in the 1970s, it has a history going back much further to the 1830s. What is now Darien first appeared at the intersection of Cass Avenue and 75th Street, and these two arteries are still home to much of the village’s …
This manufacturing city is in the Quad Cities, straddling the Mississippi River and Illinois/Iowa state line. East Moline is the site of the John Deere Factory Works, which is a cutting-edge facility on an almost unimaginable scale. You can take a free guided tour, and head for the brand’s museum at the John Deere Pavilion …
On the west side of the Illinois-Indiana line, Calumet City is a suburb bordered by Chicago proper to the north. The wider Calumet region has long been industrialized, but has a lot of green pockets where nature is taking hold once again. These spaces, like Green Lake Woods and Powderhorn Lake, are managed by the …
In 1895 the center of Libertyville was mostly destroyed by a fire and quickly reconstructed. One happy consequence is the rare architectural unity to the preserved downtown area today. Not only is downtown Libertyville attractive, it’s bursting with stores and dining establishments, and has a dynamic events calendar, especially during the summer. Many of these …
The seat of Kane County is a delightful city on the Fox River, featuring a downtown area brimming with beautiful Victorian architecture, and enticing independent stores and restaurants. In the early 20th century Geneva was home to the millionaire textile industrialist, George Fabyan, and his estate, Riverbank, is now encompassed by the Fabyan Forest Preserve. Geneva …
A leafy suburb on the north side of Chicago, Morton Grove is on the banks of the North Branch of the Chicago River. The river’s floodplain has been kept completely free of development, and the 20-mile North Branch Trail makes its way through a string of forest preserves with wildflower-rich prairie and oak woodland. A …
Over the last couple of decades this city opposite Peoria on the Illinois River has witnessed some big changes. In a kind of symbiosis with its immediate neighbor, East Peoria’s downtown has become a big shopping and dining destination along Interstate 74, with an improved waterfront for walks and bike rides. East Peoria’s modern history …