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{{cquote|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.}}
{{cquote|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.}}

==Life==
DuPage County has the fastest paces of life in the country. Also, be warned; DuPage locals are not nice people and are known to call police on anyone who does not live on their block.


==Notable features==
==Notable features==

Revision as of 22:56, 20 October 2007

DuPage County
County
Official seal of DuPage County
Seal
Map of Illinois highlighting DuPage County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°51′07″N 88°05′08″W / 41.85195°N 88.08567°W / 41.85195; -88.08567
Country United States
State Illinois
Founded1839
SeatWheaton
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
904,161
Websitewww.co.dupage.il.us

41°50′N 88°06′W / 41.833°N 88.100°W / 41.833; -88.100 DuPage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Its county seat is Wheaton. According to the 2000 census, the population is 904,161, making it the second most populous county in Illinois after Cook County, which borders it to the north and east; the two counties account for half the state's population. As of 2005, the estimated population is around 930,000. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The county is divided into nine different townships: Downers Grove, Lisle, Naperville, York, Milton, Winfield, Addison, Bloomingdale and Wayne. The majority of DuPage is in the 630 area code; however, the areas of the county that are in the City of Chicago are in area code 773, although the part of the county within Chicago is primarily part of O'Hare International Airport.

The most populous municipality within DuPage County is Naperville. Wheaton and Downers Grove are the next largest communities, respectively. A small portion of the City of Chicago is located within the county limits, however the area is primarily commercial and as of recent census estimates, only has 230 residents.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 872 km² (337 mi²). 864 km² (334 mi²) of it is land and 8 km² (3 mi²) of it (0.88%) is water. The DuPage River and the Salt Creek flow through DuPage County.

Counties that are adjacent to DuPage include:

History

Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve on the West Branch of the DuPage River

DuPage County was formed in 1839 out of Cook County. It is named after the DuPage River, which flows through it. The first written history to address the name, the 1882 History of DuPage County, Illinois relates:

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.

Life

DuPage County has the fastest paces of life in the country. Also, be warned; DuPage locals are not nice people and are known to call police on anyone who does not live on their block.

Notable features

Long known as one of the nation's wealthiest counties, DuPage County has transformed itself from a primarily agricultural economy to one rich in many different types of commerce. Today, DuPage County boasts a personal per capita income which is highest in the state, with Lake County a close second. The county's personal per capita income is the highest in the midwest (of counties with population under 1 million) and 24th highest in the nation.[citation needed] Over twenty of the county's towns have median (single family) house values of over $400,000. The median household income for Dupage county is $66,000[1], approximately 50% higher than the US median household income.

Much of the county has been incorporated into municipalities.[2]

Architecture

The 31-story Oakbrook Terrace Tower in Oakbrook Terrace, designed by Helmut Jahn, is the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago[3]. The Elmhurst Art Museum is housed in a Mies Van Der Rohe building. There is a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Elmhurst. BAPS, a conservative Hindu sect, has built a large, intricately carved, marble temple in Bartlett. There are many Sears Catalog Homes in Downers Grove. The Byzantine-style clubhouse of the Medinah Country Club is also an architectural highlight of the county. Lombard is home to over 30 Lustron prefabricated steel homes[4]

Commerce

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, Westfield Fox Valley, Lombard's Yorktown Mall, and Bloomingdale's Stratford Square.

File:Hamburger University.jpg
The campus of McDonald's Hamburger University.

Education

DuPage County contains many colleges: Benedictine University, College of DuPage, the Naperville campus of DePaul University, the Addison campus of DeVry University, Elmhurst College, the Wheaton campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Lisle campus of National-Louis University, the National University of Health Sciences (formerly the National College of Chiropractic), the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, North Central College, Midwestern University, and Wheaton College. McDonald's has a training facility in Oakbrook called Hamburger University.

It is also home to several private high schools, including Montini Catholic High School,Timothy Christian High School, Benet Academy, Wheaton Academy, St. Francis High School, Driscoll Catholic High School, College Preparatory School of America, Marmion Academy, and the Islamic Foundation School. Dupage County is also home to many academically and athletically successful public schools such as Downers Grove South High School, Downers Grove North High School, Glenbard West High School, Naperville North High School, Naperville Central High School, Willowbrook High School, Hinsdale South High School, Hinsdale Central High School, York High School, Wheaton North High School and Wheaton Warrenville South High School.

Hospitals

Dupage hospitals include: Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, in Elmhurst, Advocate Good Samaritan in Downers Grove, and Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights.

Museums

DuPage museums include the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville, Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center, the Cantigny Estate and War Museum on the former estate of Chicago Tribune magnate Robert R. McCormick, the DuPage County Historical Museum, Hinsdale's Graue Mill, Elmhurst's Lizzadro Lapidary Museum, Oak Brook's Mayslake Peabody Estate, Naperville's Naper Settlement, the Elmhurst Art Museum (housed in a Mies Van Der Rohe building)[5], and Glen Ellyn's Stacy's Tavern.

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 Material Issue, The Hush Sound, Lucky Boys Confusion, Spitalfield, and The Plain White T's. DuPage County is commemorated in the tongue-in-cheek tribute song, "DuPage Reprazent" by Suburban Murda.[6]

Oakbrook Terrace's Drury Lane Theatre is the most important live theatre in DuPage County.

A woodland ecosystem in Morton Arboretum.

Parks, trails, golf courses

Main article: Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

37.5 square miles of DuPage County (9.0%) consists of forest preserves[7]. DuPage parks include Lisle's Morton Arboretum; Westmont's Ty Warner Park; Lombard's Lilacia Park; and Naperville's Centennial Beach.

The Illinois Prairie Path, a 116-mile rail-to-trail multi-use path runs through the center of DuPage County. It intersects with the Great Western Trail at several points.

DuPage golf courses include Wheaton's Chicago Golf Club, the Medinah Country Club, Glen Ellyn's Village Links and Glen Oak Country Club, Wheaton's Cantigny Golf Course, Addison's Oak Meadows, Wood Dale's Maple Meadows, Westmont's Green Meadows, Lisle's River Bend (9 Holes) and West Chicago's St. Andrew's to name a few.

Religion

DuPage county has hundreds of Christian churches. Community Christian Church of Naperville was named the 13th most influential church in the nation by The Church Report[8], and College Church of Wheaton was ranked #37. Other well-known churches include Wheaton Bible Church and Oakbrook Church of Christ. There is also a large Catholic contingent led by the Diocese of Joliet.

The Theosophical Society in Wheaton provides lectures and classes on Theosophy, meditation, yoga, and on Eastern and New Age spirituality. Islamic mosques are located in Villa Park, Naperville and Glendale Heights[9]. There are Hindu temples in Bartlett, Medinah, Itasca, Bloomingdale, and Aurora. There is a Nichiren Shoshu Zen Buddhist temple in West Chicago[10], and a Theravada Buddhist Temple called Buddha-Dharma Meditation Center in Willowbrook[11]. There are reform synagogues in Lombard and Naperville. There is a Sikh gurdwara in Carol Stream.

Aerial view of the Tevatron particle accelerator at the Fermilab site.

Science

Fermilab, which has the highest-energy particle accelerator in the world,[12] is in Batavia, though Fermilab straddles the border between Kane and DuPage counties.[13] Argonne National Laboratory, one of the United States government's oldest and largest science and engineering research laboratories, is in an unincorporated area in southeast DuPage County.[14] Both laboratories conduct tours of the facilities.

Transportation

See also: List of County Highways in DuPage County, Illinois

Aside from the part of O'Hare International Airport that lies in the county, DuPage 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 (North-South Tollway), and Illinois Route 83 (Kingery Highway). East-west roads (from south to north) include Interstate 55 (Stevenson Expressway), Interstate 88 (East-West 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 the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway (which begins at the Thorndale Ave exit of I-290 and ends on Lake St. (U.S. Rte 20) in Hanover Park.

Demographics

DuPage County
Population by year

2000 - 904,161
1990 - 781,666
1980 - 658,835
1970 - 491,882
1960 - 313,459
1950 - 154,599
1940 - 103,480
1930 - 91,998
1920 - 42,120
1910 - 33,432
1900 - 28,196
1890 - 22,551
1880 - 19,161
1870 - 16,685
1860 - 14,701
1850 - 9,290
1840 - 3,535

2000 census age pyramid for DuPage County.

As of the census² of 2000, there were 904,161 people, 325,601 households, and 234,432 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,046/km² (2,710/mi²). There were 335,621 housing units at an average density of 388/km² (1,006/mi²). 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.

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 $67,887, and the median income for a family was $79,314. Males had a median income of $52,372 versus $35,450 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,315. 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.

Townships by population

DuPage County has nine townships:

Finance

The Primary revenue sources for DuPage County are Sales and Use tax, user fees, and Property tax. From a consolidated point of view, the three revenue sources are about equal.

Fiscal year 2007 will be the last year of the DuPage Water Commission intergovernmental transfer, meaning that the County budget will lose approximately $15 million in revenue. The County is working with other counties and community groups to offset the loss with a Cigarette Tax, but there is no current legislative authority for such a tax. In order to prepare for the anticipated revenue loss, the county has already started to cut services such as community programs.

Cities and towns

Median house values

The United States Census Bureau reported the 2000 median house values of each municipality in DuPage County as the following, ranked in order alphabetically. In parenthesis is the per capita income for each community as stated in the 2000 Census:

References

  1. ^ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17043.html
  2. ^ http://www.co.dupage.il.us/generic.cfm?doc_id=809
  3. ^ http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=126138
  4. ^ "Lombard Lustrons" (HTML). Scott Vargo. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=105103
  7. ^ http://www.dupageforest.com/info/info.html
  8. ^ http://www.thechurchreport.com/mag_article.php?mid=672&mname=July
  9. ^ http://www.islamiccenterofnaperville.org/
  10. ^ http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/176.html
  11. ^ http://www.buddhistbmc.org/
  12. ^ http://www.fnal.gov/pub/about/faqs/index.html
  13. ^ http://www.dupageco.org/cobrd/generic.cfm?doc_id=1100
  14. ^ http://www.dupageco.org/cobrd/generic.cfm?doc_id=1097

Further reading

  • Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
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