Elmhurst is a city mostly in

DuPage County DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...

and overlapping into

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and a western suburb of Chicago. As of 2021, the city has an estimated population of 47,260.

History

Members of the Potawatomi Native American people, who settled along Salt Creek just south of where the city would develop, are the earliest known settlers of the Elmhurst area. Around 1836, European-American

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

settled on tracts of land along the same creek. At what would become Elmhurst City Centre, a native of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

named Gerry Bates established a community on a tract of "treeless land" in 1842. The following year, Hill Cottage Tavern opened where St. Charles Road and Cottage Hill Avenue presently intersect. In 1845, the community was officially named Cottage Hill when a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

was established. Four years later, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was given right-of-way through Cottage Hill giving farmers easier access to Chicago. The first Elmhurst railroad station was built in 1894. The community changed its name to Elmhurst in 1869. In 1871,

Elmhurst University Elmhurst University is a private university in Elmhurst, Illinois. It has a tradition of service-oriented learning and an affiliation with the United Church of Christ. The university changed its name from Elmhurst College on July 1, 2020. Hist ...

was organized and currently has 3,500 undergraduates and about 300 graduate students. Elmhurst was incorporated as a village in 1882, with a population between 723 and 1,050, and legal boundaries of St. Charles Road to North Avenue, and one half mile west and one quarter mile east of York Street. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital was founded in 1926 as the first hospital in DuPage County. The Memorial Parade has run every

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

since 1918. The annual Elmhurst St. Patrick's Day Parade continues to be the third largest parade of that sort in the Chicago area, following the more famous parades downtown and on the city's South Side. Since 1964, it has been home to Elmhurst CRC, one of the largest congregations of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The

Keebler Company The Keebler Company is an American cookie and former cracker manufacturer. Founded in 1853, it has produced numerous baked snacks, advertised with the Keebler Elves. Keebler had marketed its brands such as Cheez-It (which have the Sunshine Bisc ...

's corporate headquarters was in Elmhurst until 2001, when the

Kellogg Company The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toas ...

purchased the company. The city is home to the headquarters of

Sunshine Biscuits Sunshine Biscuits, formerly known as The Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company, was an independent American baker of cookies, crackers, and cereals. The company, which became a brand on a few products such as Cheez-Its, was purchased by Keebler Company ...

and

McMaster-Carr McMaster-Carr Supply Company is a private American supplier of hardware, tools, raw materials, industrial materials, and maintenance equipment. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Elmhurst, Illinois, with distribution centers in Rob ...

Supply Co.

Famous Amos Famous Amos is a brand of cookies founded in Los Angeles in 1975 by Wally Amos, a former talent agent with William Morris Agency. History Wally Amos, Wallace "Wally" Amos was born in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, on July 1, 1936. In 19 ...

cookies are also distributed from Elmhurst. In 2014, ''

Family Circle ''Family Circle'' was an American magazine that covered such topics as homemaking, recipes, and health. It was published from 1932 until the end of 2019. Originally distributed at supermarkets, it was one of the " Seven Sisters," a group of se ...

'' magazine ranked Elmhurst as one of the "Ten Best U.S. Towns for Families".

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Elmhurst has a total area of , of which (or 99.42%) is land and (or 0.58%) is water. The town also has a tendency to flood, and the city has tried preventing or suppressing this for the future.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 45,786 people, 16,808 households, and 12,110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,260 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 80.47%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 6.51%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 2.14%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 2.92% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 7.67% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 9.32% of the population. There were 16,808 households, out of which 67.66% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.37% were married couples living together, 6.49% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.95% were non-families. 24.44% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.61% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 2.70. The city's age distribution consisted of 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $123,869, and the median income for a family was $148,663. Males had a median income of $83,584 versus $46,935 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $59,911. About 2.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to Elmhurst's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

* The

Theatre Historical Society of America The Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) was founded in 1969 to promote the legacy of America's historic theatres and insure the documentation of the architectural, cultural and social history of those theatres. Through programs that include ...

is focused on the preservation of dance, opera, and movie theaters and includes a collection of objects from many theaters that are no longer in existence. Among the items on display is a scale model of the 1927 Avalon Theater (now known as the

New Regal Theater The Avalon Regal Theater (originally the Avalon Theater, and later the New Regal Theater) is a music hall located at 1641 East 79th Street, bordered by the Avalon Park and South Shore neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United ...

). * Wilder Park Conservatory * A

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

covering about is located half a mile west of downtown along West Avenue and 1st Street. A tunnel from Salt Creek diverts water into the quarry in case of a flood. The quarry is an important piece of DuPage County's stormwater management system, and can hold up to of stormwater. * Each spring, the company RGL Marketing for the Arts runs the event, Art in Wilder Park. The event takes place in centrally located Wilder Park, which is also home to the Wilder Mansion, the Elmhurst Public Library, the Wilder Park Conservatory and the

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art is a museum dedicated to the lapidary arts with displays of gemstones, jewelry and bejeweled objects, and exhibits on earth science. The museum was founded in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States, in 1962, but ...

. The event "features of a juried show of fine arts, crafts and original creations of over 100 artists, including jewelry, glass, ceramics, painting, wood, photography, sculpture, paper and mixed media." The event also hosts live music and entertainment and over 40 food vendors.

Government

Timeline for Elmhurst's leadership:Chronology of Elmhurst History
/ref> * 1882 - Incorporated as a village in June. * 1882 - Henry Glos elected as first village president. * 1887 - Peter Wolf elected as village president. * 1902 - Edwin Heidemann elected as village president. * 1905 - Henry C. Schumacher elected as village president. * 1908 - C. J. Albert elected as village president. * 1910 - Adopted city form of government. * 1910 - Henry C. Schumacher elected as first city mayor. * 1912 - F. W. M. Hammerschmidt elected as mayor. * 1919 - Otto Balgemann elected as mayor. * 1931 - Edward Blatter elected as mayor. * 1933 - Claude Van Auken elected as mayor. * 1945 - William S. Fellows elected as mayor. * 1951 - Ervin F. Wilson elected as mayor. * 1957 - Benjamin Allison elected as mayor. * 1961 - Charles Weigel elected as mayor. * 1973 - Ray W. Fick, Jr. elected as mayor. * 1977 - Abner Ganet elected as mayor. * 1985 - Robert J. Quinn elected as mayor. * 1989 - Charles H. Garrigues elected as mayor. * 1993 - Thomas D. Marcucci elected as mayor. * 2009 - Peter P. DiCianni elected as mayor. * 2013 - Steven Morley elected as mayor. * 2021 - Scott M. Levin elected as mayor.

Education

is a local college of the area. It is a four-year private liberal arts college affiliated with the United Church of Christ. School districts serving Elmhurst include:Education
" Elmhurst, Illinois. Retrieved on March 21, 2017. * Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 serves most of the city; its high school is

York Community High School York Community High School is a public secondary school in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States. It is a part of the Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205. Most of the students reside in Elmhurst; however, the district also draws a small num ...

* Salt Creek School District 48 *

DuPage High School District 88 DuPage High School District 88 (DuPage HSD 88) is a public high school district headquartered in Addison, Illinois. It serves portions of Addison, Villa Park, Illinois, Villa Park, Oakbrook Terrace and Lombard. The district has two schools. As of ...

* Hillside School District 93 serves the Cook County portion; in 1953 this portion had 45 houses * Students at Hillside 93 move on to

Proviso West High School Proviso West High School (PWHS) is a public high school located in Hillside, Illinois, United States. It is a part of Proviso Township High Schools District 209, and was opened in 1958. Its sister schools are Proviso East High School and Provi ...

of the

Proviso Township High Schools District 209 Proviso Township High Schools District 209, established in 1910, is located in western Cook County, Illinois, US, near Chicago. Its headquarters are in Forest Park.

Private schools: *

IC Catholic Prep IC Catholic Prep (ICCP) is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Elmhurst, Illinois, and located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois. When opened in 1936, it was the only co-educational secondary institution in DuPage County. T ...

, formerly Immaculate Conception High School * Timothy Christian School * Immaculate Conception Grade School * Immanuel Lutheran Grade School * Visitation Catholic Grade School

Infrastructure

Transportation

Elmhurst is served by

Pace Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US * Pace Airlines, an American charter airline *Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

buses, and the

Metra Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. I ...

Union Pacific/West Line The Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) is a Metra commuter rail line operated by Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the Union Paci ...

. The

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

has freight service on the Metra line and

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

serves the former Illinois Central line south of the Metra line.

O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, ...

is 18 minutes from Elmhurst, and

Chicago Midway International Airport Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...

is 33 minutes from Elmhurst. During the summers and December, Elmhurst also has the "Elmhurst Express Trolley". A free weekend trolley that connects downtown Elmhurst to the Spring Road businesses and the Elmhurst Public Library. It runs Friday-Saturday and the $40,000 cost comes out of visiting and tourism fund.

Notable people

References

External links

* {{authority control 1842 establishments in Illinois Chicago metropolitan area Cities in Cook County, Illinois Cities in DuPage County, Illinois Cities in Illinois Populated places established in 1842