Officially a village, this upscale northwest suburb sits around 15 miles from the Chicago Loop. When Glenview was incorporated in 1899 it had a population of just 399, and this has risen to close to 50,000 at the most recent estimate. Glenview has some high-profile visitor attractions within its borders, as well as wonderful shopping …
This Chicago suburb has a multicultural feel thanks to a large Asian population, and even has its own highly successful cricket team. As you might expect from an affluent community, Streamwood has exceptional public facilities, while a massive Cook County forest preserve offers many miles of hiking and equestrian trails on the village’s north side. …
Found 20 miles west of the Chicago Loop, Lombard is a village with plenty of history and a preserved downtown area surrounding the train station. It’s impossible to talk about Lombard without mentioning lilacs. Lombard’s park district was born when a long-term resident donated his lilac-rich estate to the village in 1927. Within a few …
The green and peaceful Village of Carol Stream is in Chicago’s western suburbs, and is often named among the country’s most livable places. One of many things in Carol Stream’s favor is the quality of public facilities, which include a water park, hundreds of acres of parks and even a mini golf course. The community …
The origins of this village in Chicago’s northwest suburbs can be traced back to the 1830s, as an overnight stop for people heading off into the Wisconsin Territory from Chicago. Almost 200 years later people travel to Wheeling for Restaurant Row, a long line of mostly independent restaurants along Milwaukee Avenue (Illinois Route 21). Wheeling …
Some 15 miles west of the Chicago Loop, the city of Elmhurst is a well-heeled suburb at the boundary of DuPage and Cook Counties. Rather than another shapeless suburb, Elmhurst brims with character thanks to a bustling downtown, full of intriguing little shops, major visitor attractions, entertainment amenities and great places to eat and drink. …
The largest city in the county of the same name, DeKalb is a university town with a lively and well preserved downtown. DeKalb came to the fore in the 1870s when resident Joseph Glidden invented modern barbed wire, teaming up with entrepreneur Isaac Ellwood. Later Glidden donated his homestead and land, which today makes up …
This village in the Chicago suburbs grew up in the late 19th century around a stop on the Chicago and Pacific Railway. People who donated the land for these railroad depots were allowed to have the depot named after them, which is how Bartlett got its name from one Luther Bartlett. Bartlett is also at …
Contiguous with its sister city, Champaign, Urbana is the tenth most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago area. Urbana’s history hinges on the arrival of an agricultural school that opened in 1868 and would eventually evolve into the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Physically, and in terms of the city’s culture, entertainment, demographics …
First settled by Euro-Americans almost 200 years ago, Plainfield is a village in Chicago’s Southwest Suburbs. This is a fast-growing community, with a population that has increased ten-fold to 44,000 since 1990. Yet in the center of Plainfield is an amiable downtown with preserved old buildings, adjacent parks, diverse restaurants and enticing little shops. People …