Naperville River Walk
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Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage and
Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by
Joseph Naper Joseph Naper, also known as "Joe Naper" and "Captain Joseph Naper" (1798–1862), was an early Illinois pioneer, ship captain, shipbuilder, businessman, surveyor, state militia officer, soldier, politician, and city planner. In 1831, Naper an ...
. The city was established by the banks of the DuPage river, and was originally known as Naper's Settlement. By 1832, over 100 residents lived in Naper's Settlement. In 1839, after DuPage County was split from Cook County, Naperville became the county seat, which it remained until 1868. Beginning in the 1960s, Naperville experienced a significant population increase as a result of Chicago's urban sprawl. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,540, making it the state's fourth-most populous city. Naperville's largest employer is Edward Hospital with 4,500 employees. Naperville is home to Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon, one of the world's four largest carillons. It is also home to an extensive parks and forest preserve network, including Centennial Beach. Naperville has two school districts,
203 Year 203 ( CCIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Plautianus and Geta (or, less frequently, year 956 ''Ab urbe condit ...
and
204 __NOTOC__ Year 204 (CCIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cilo and Flavius (or, less frequently, year 957 ''Ab urbe co ...
. It also has media outlets, like NCTV17. Naperville has a train station served by Amtrak and Metra.


History

Before any settlement, Naperville was home to Native American tribes. In 1641, the first Caucasian contact with Native Americans in Illinois was made with members of the Iliniwek tribe. The Iliniwek was the predominant tribe throughout Illinois at the time. They were later forced off the land by the
Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
tribe. The Potawatomi inhabited Naperville when the first settlers arrived. There was a major Potawatomi village at the present site of downtown Naperville, reached from Chicago by a trail that became Ogden Avenue. A minor village was near where Bailey Hobson later built his mill in 1834. In 1831,
Joseph Naper Joseph Naper, also known as "Joe Naper" and "Captain Joseph Naper" (1798–1862), was an early Illinois pioneer, ship captain, shipbuilder, businessman, surveyor, state militia officer, soldier, politician, and city planner. In 1831, Naper an ...
arrived at the west bank of the DuPage River with his family and friends to found what would be known as Naper's Settlement. Among those original settlers were Naper's wife, his brother and his wife, his sister and her husband John Murray, and his mother. Their arrival followed a nearly two-month voyage from Ashtabula County, Ohio, in the Naper brothers'
schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
, the ''Telegraph''. By 1832, over 100 settlers had arrived at Naper's Settlement. After the news of the
Indian Creek massacre The Indian Creek Massacre occurred on May 21, 1832 with the attack by a party of Native Americans on a group of United States settlers in LaSalle County, Illinois following a dispute about a settler-constructed dam that prevented fish from reach ...
during the
Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...
, these settlers were temporarily displaced to Fort Dearborn for protection from an anticipated attack by the Sauk tribe. Fort Payne was built at Naper's Settlement, the settlers returned and the attack never materialized. The Pre-Emption House was constructed in 1834, as the Settlement became a
stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
stop on the road from Chicago to
Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...
. The Pre-Emption House was the first hotel in DuPage county. After DuPage County was split from Cook County in 1839, Naper's Settlement became the DuPage county seat. In 1843, the Illinois General assembly passed an act to incorporate the Naperville Cemetery Association. In 1855, Sybil Dunbar came to Naperville as its first recorded black female resident; she died in 1868 and was buried in Naperville Cemetery. Naper's Settlement was incorporated as the Village of Naperville in 1857, with a population of 2,000. The county seat distinction was lost in 1868 to Wheaton. On August 5, 1873, a train crashed on the CB&Q tracks about east of Naperville. Conductor Williams, who was operating a passenger train, was informed of a freight train occupying the line, but for some reason increased his speed, and upon rounding a curve, ran into a freight caboose. A conductor sitting in the caboose and a cattle drover were instantly killed. The passenger train fireman and engineer jumped out of the locomotive just in time to save their lives. In 1887, Peter Edward Kroehler established the
Kroehler Manufacturing Company Kroehler Manufacturing Company was a furniture company and was originally incorporated as the Naperville Lounge Company, on March 9, 1893. It was founded by ten original stockholders. In 1896, Peter Kroehler, an employee, offered to purchase the ...
's factory in Naperville along the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy tracks. In 1890, reincorporation as a city occurred. After Professor James Nichols donated $10,000, Nichols Library was built, and dedicated in 1898. In January 1907, Edward Sanatorium (now Edward Hospital) was opened by Eudora Hull Spalding. It used the " open air" treatment for tuberculosis patients. In 1908, the Chicago YMCA stated that Naperville was too small for its own YMCA building, but Peter Kroehler led a campaign to build one. In January 1910, Kroehler was the mayor of Naperville and its richest resident. But rumors in Naperville relating to a relationship between him and his stenographer caused him to resign as mayor. After his resignation he retreated to his
Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
factory. The YMCA was opened on March 26, 1911, and included the first swimming pool in DuPage County. In February 1920, Edward sanatorium burned to the ground, and cost $500,000 to rebuild. On April 26, 1946, Naperville was the site of a train disaster. Two
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...
trains collided "head to tail" on a single track just west of the Loomis Street grade crossing. The accident killed 45 and injured approximately 127 passengers and/or crew members. In the 1950s, the city limits were about six square miles, but by 1960, the city had its single largest year in geographical expansion in Naperville's history. That year saw over 1,500 acres annexed. In 1955 Edward Sanatorium was converted into a general hospital. A predominantly rural community for most of its existence, Naperville experienced a population explosion beginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1980s and 1990s. Throughout the 1990s and '80s the city's population tripled. In 1996, Naperville was the site of a flood that also affected the majority of northeastern Illinois. Naperville received 14 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, and DuPage County was declared a disaster zone. The estimated damages were over $30 million. The YMCA in Downtown Naperville was announced to close in May 2020 after 109 years of operation, due to economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.


Geography

According to the 2010 census, Naperville has an area of , of which (or 98.59%) is land and (or 1.41%) is water. Parts of Naperville drain to the West Branch of the DuPage River in DuPage County. The Forest Preserve District ownership of a large amount of property along the West Branch has minimized development in floodplains and has helped reduce the damage from overbank flooding that has occurred in the county's more developed watersheds. The DuPage River Trail also runs along the DuPage River, which serves bikes and pedestrians. Naperville was primarily flat prairie before its settlement. Its main geographic anomalies are manmade hills, such as the Greene Valley Hill, a former garbage dump. Naperville has had two major floods, one in 1996 and one in 2013. Naperville is in six townships and two counties. In DuPage County, the northwest portion is in Winfield Township, the northeast portion in Milton Township, the west-central portion in Naperville Township, and the east-central portion in Lisle Township. In Will County, the southwest portion is in Wheatland Township and the southeast portion in DuPage Township. The largest number of Naperville residents live in Lisle Township, followed by Naperville Township. Naperville's municipal boundaries are cut in noticeably by many places. In the west, Springbrook Prairie, a forest preserve run by The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, is a major enclave. In the southwest, the Tamarack neighborhood is a major unincorporated enclave. In the north, McDowell Grove Forest Preserve and various office complexes around Diehl Road form a major enclave into the boundary.


Climate

Naperville has a typical Midwestern humid continental climate ( Köppen ''Dfa''). There are four distinct seasons: winters are cold and snowy, springs are humid, summers are hot, and falls are cool. The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F. The coldest was -29 °F.


Demographics


2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.'' The
2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
said that there were 149,540 people, 52,238 households, and 38,347 families residing in the city. As of April 2020, Naperville was the 181st most populous city in the United States. The population density was 3708.8 inhabitants per square mile. There were 55,348 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 68.1% White, 5.4% African American, 23.9%
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 ...
and 6.9% Hispanic or
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 ...
. The 2019 American Community Survey says that there were 52,238 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.35. In the city, the age distribution consisted of 24.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. The median income for a household in the city was $140,061, and the median income for a family was $153,250. Males had a median income of $76,850 versus $71,558 for females. The per capita income for the city was $59,115. About 3.7% of the population was below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Naperville is within the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor. Employers contributing to the population explosion of the 1980s and 1990s included: Bell Labs and
Western Electric The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company officially founded in 1869. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph for most of its lifespan, it served as the primary equipment ma ...
(once Alcatel-Lucent, now Nokia), Amoco (now BP and Ineos), Nalco, Calamos,
Nicor Nicor Gas is an energy company headquartered in Naperville, Illinois. Its largest subsidiary, Nicor Gas, is a natural gas distribution company. Founded in 1954, the company serves more than two million customers in a service territory that en ...
, and Edward Hospital. and ConAgra's Grocery division branch office employs approximately 400 workers. Kraft Foods (now Mondelez International) opened their Naperville site in 1968, and employs over 200 individuals at the plant, which supplies all Triscuit products for North America. Naperville is also home to the headquarters of Dukane Precast and its double-wall precast concrete manufacturing plant. Naperville was one of the nation's ten fastest-growing communities during the 1990s. It was home to the
Office Max OfficeMax is an American office supplies retailer founded in 1988. It is now a subsidiary of The ODP Corporation, which is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. As of December 2012, OfficeMax operated 941 stores in 47 states, Puerto Rico, the U. ...
headquarters until the 2013 merger between Office Max and
Office Depot The ODP Corporation is an American office supply holding company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The company has combined annual sales of approximately $11 billion, and employs about 38,000 associates with businesses in the United States. ...
. The former Office Max headquarters in Naperville was sold, as the merged company moved to
Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
. The Naperville area is home to many retailers, restaurants and shopping centers, such as Downtown Naperville, Freedom Commons, Springbrook Prairie Pavilion, and the Route 59 and Ogden Avenue corridors. Naperville has over 11
automobile dealership A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and service (motor vehic ...
s, and in October 2006, the city opened the country's first public–private partnership automobile test track, situated on a course, at a cost of $1.5 million. According to the 2019 American Community Survey, 77% of commuters drove, 11% took public transportation, and 8.6% worked from home. 22.1% of workers were employed in educational services, and health care and social assistance, 20.4% were employed in professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services, 10.3% in arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services, 9.7% in retail trade, and 9.5% in finance, insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing. According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's top ten employers are:


Arts and culture


Library

The Naperville Public Library has three library branches within city limits. In 2020, there were 61,476 active cardholders, there were 728,147 total library visits, and there were 2,973,939 checkouts. The Naperville Public Library was founded when James Nichols, a Naperville resident, bequeathed $10,000 to the City Of Naperville, to establish a library after his passing. On September 22, 1898, the Nichols Library formally opened. Its collection comprised over 700 books. With the population of Naperville growing, the original location was running out of space. In 1983 a referendum was passed to build a new library, and the new Nichols Library opened on March 11, 1986. As the population increased, the need for a new branch was evident. Land was acquired, and the upper floor of the Naper Boulevard Library opened to the public on December 29, 1992. South Naperville still had a gap in the Library's coverage, so the 95th Street Library was opened on September 21, 2003. The Nichols Library is in downtown Naperville, on Jefferson Street. It opened at this location in March 1986. It is a structure. The previous library building still stands on Washington Street, just south of the YMCA building, at Washington and Van Buren. The Naper Boulevard Library was dedicated in December 1992 and underwent internal renovations in 2015. It is situated on Naper Boulevard, south of Scott Elementary School. It is the smallest of the three buildings at . The 95th Street Library is near the intersection of 95th Street and Route 59 (just west of Neuqua Valley High School). Opened in September 2003, it is the newest and largest of the three facilities at and features a modern architectural style. In 2022, ''Library Journal'' rated the Naperville Public Library the best in the nation in its expenditure range.


Art

Naperville is home of the Naperville Independent Film Festival, an annual film festival which features the work of
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
makers. The Naperville Municipal Band is a nonprofit organization founded in 1859. They perform a summer concert series in Naperville's Central Park, as well as several other concerts around the city, and are made up of over 90 volunteer musicians. The Naperville Art League hosts the Riverwalk Fine Art Fair annually, and the event has been running since 1984. The Riverwalk Fine Art Fair hosts artists who work in forms such as painting, ceramic, wood, jewelry, fiber, photography, glass, and metal. The Century Walk Corporation, founded in 1996, is a nonprofit organization who commissions sculptures, murals and mosaics to be placed throughout the city. As of February 2021, the organization has placed 51 statues, and over $4 million worth of art. Notable statues include the 9 foot tall statue of comic book figure
Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...
, Laughing Lincoln, a life size statue of 30 year old Abraham Lincoln, and the Dan Shanower Sept. 11 Memorial, which includes a steel beam from the World Trade Center and rubble from the Pentagon.


Historical preservation

The
Naperville Historic District The Naperville Historic District is a set of 613 buildings in Naperville, Illinois. Of these 613 buildings, 544 contribute to the historical integrity of the area. The district represents the town as it was originally platted and a few early add ...
is a set of 573 buildings in the older eastern section of Naperville and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed on the NRHP on September 29, 1977, and It was granted local district designation by the Naperville City Council in 1986. The buildings represent significant examples of local architecture and are among the city's most important cultural and historical heritage. The
Old Nichols Library The Old Nichols Library is a historic building on Washington Street in Naperville, Illinois. The building was designed by Mifflin E. Bell in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The building served as the original public library for Naperville from ...
building, which served as Naperville's original public library, was designated a local landmark in 2017. Naper Settlement is an outdoor history museum representing the era of Naperville's founding. Naper Settlement was established by the Naperville Heritage Society and the
Naperville Park District The Naperville Park District is an independent, special taxing district, providing parks and recreation to its residents that has been in operation since 1966. The Naperville Park District serves a population of more than 140,000. Its boundaries ...
in 1969 to preserve some of the community's oldest buildings. Reconstructions of Fort Payne and the Pre-Emption House stand as part of the museum.


Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon

The 158-foot-tall Moser Tower is just north of Aurora Avenue and at the base of Rotary Hill, just west of Downtown Naperville. The Millennium
Carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...
is designated as one of the four largest carillons in the world, with 72 bronze bells weighing from 10 pounds to the 6-ton "Captain Joseph Naper Bell". It was dedicated in an
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
event on June 29, 2000, with a reception attended by over 15,000 people. The carillon is manually or computer-playable, with most performances played by hand, but with half the bells played by a computer-controlled system at set times during the day.


Other Museums

The DuPage Children's Museum was founded in 1987; and moved from Wheaton to its Naperville location in 2001. The Museum was rebuilt and redesigned in 2015.


Parks and recreation


Naperville Park District

The
Naperville Park District The Naperville Park District is an independent, special taxing district, providing parks and recreation to its residents that has been in operation since 1966. The Naperville Park District serves a population of more than 140,000. Its boundaries ...
manages and provides leisure and recreational activities for Naperville and nearby residents. The District was established by referendum in 1966, but a current park, Centennial Beach, was founded in 1932. As of 2021, the Park District manages over of open space, including over 136 parks, two golf courses, 73 playgrounds, and 70+ miles of trails.


Riverwalk

The Park District is responsible for the Naperville Riverwalk, construction of which began in 1981, marking the 150th anniversary of the first Joseph Naper's settlement. The Naperville Riverwalk is miles long and runs along the West Branch of the DuPage River. It consists of brick paths, fountains, and covered bridges. In addition, the Riverwalk features fountains, art pieces, and nearby resuraunts. The Naperville Riverwalk Commission has started a plan to expand the riverwalk greatly, in the "Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan". Some of the details of this plan includes extending the riverwalk to Edward Hospital, building a new park, and creating an east bank Riverwalk path from the Highlands subdivision.


Other facilities

The Naperville Park District also manages other properties. Centennial Beach is a former quarry redeveloped into a beach. Springbrook and Naperbrook are the two golf courses managed by the Park District. There are two parks dedicated to skateboarding and in-line skating, Frontier Sports Complex and Centennial Park. Commissioners Park, includes Naperville's first official
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
pitch, opened in 2006. Ron Ory Community Garden Plots offers garden plots to lease for a fee during the summer. Knoch Knolls Park includes a small mountain biking trail and eighteen-hole frisbee golf course. It is located south between Ring Road and 95th Street. Naperville Sportsman's Club is a public trap shooting range, the fees are $15.50 for club members, $16.75 for residents, and $18.00 for nonresidents.


Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County manages several forest preserves and parks that are within Naperville. Springbrook Prairie is acres of land, it contains of trails, Greene Valley Forest Preserve is a former
landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...
and farm, it is composed of , and has of trails. Herrick Lake Forest Preserve is composed of and has trails.
McDowell Grove Forest Preserve McDowell Grove Forest Preserve, located in Naperville, state of Illinois, is a preserve on the West Branch of the DuPage River. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County purchased the first tract of land for this preserve from Alexander McDo ...
is composed of , and has of trails. Pioneer Park is the location of the Hobson Monument and grist mill. A section of the DuPage River Trail runs through the park, and is used for walking, running, and cycling. Access to the DuPage River for fishing, canoeing, and kayaking is also available at the park. The Forest Preserve District of Will County manages Whalon Lake Forest Preserve, where trails and lake access is available.


Government

The City of Naperville operates under the council-manager form of government. The City Council consists of the Mayor and eight Council Members elected for four-year terms. No person can serve in the office of mayor or council member for excess of three consecutive terms. The city council can select and appoint a city manager, adopt, amend, and repeal ordinances, and can approve the city's annual operating budget. The mayor acts as a member of the city council, with extra responsibilities. The Mayor presides over city council meetings, they function as the local Liquor and Tobacco Control Commissioner, they can declare emergencies, and can select members for City boards and commissions. The city manager enforces all laws and ordinances of the city, they recommend courses of action to the council, and controls all departments throughout the city. Mayor
Steve Chirico Steve Chirico (born April 15, 1960) is an American politician and the Mayor of Naperville, Illinois. He was elected as George Pradel's successor on April 7, 2015, being sworn in on May 3, 2015. He is a past member of the Naperville City Council, ...
(R) is the current mayor of Naperville, and has been serving since 2015. His predecessor was former Mayor George Pradel (also known as "Officer Friendly"). Pradel served for 20 years, making him the longest serving mayor in Naperville History. In 2021, a $540 million budget was approved for 2022. The budget was a 7.6% increase from the previous year. Roughly $32 million of the $38 million went towards infrastructure improvements. In 2020, the City employed 933 employees.


Taxes

In 2020, the equalized assessed value for the city was $137,000, and the city property tax was 0.6949%, this resulted in a $875.11 average property tax paid. Naperville collects a local gas tax at the price of four cents per gallon. A Retail Sales Tax is in place, with a .75% tax applying on general merchandise, and food for immediate consumption. Naperville has a 1% tax on all food and beverages that can be consumed at the location purchased. In addition to the citywide tax, a .75% percent tax is added onto the existing 1% when the food or beverage is purchased within Downtown Naperville. All Real Estate Transfers are subject to a tax, but are exempt to for owners making deed changes. The tax is $1.50 per $500 of the purchase price, rounding the purchase price up in increments of $500. All uses of hotel and motels are subject tax of the rate of 5.50% of the room rate. State collected Income Taxes, Sales Taxes, and the State Motor Fuel Tax proceeds are doled out to municipalities on a per-capita basis. The total State Use Tax rate is 6.25%, and the State of Illinois collects $0.392 cents per gallon of gasoline sold, and $0.467 per gallon of diesel fuel sold. All funds from the Gas Tax are only meant to be used on roads and bridges.


State and Federal Representation

Naperville is represented by two U.S. Senators, three U.S. Representatives, four Illinois Senators, and six Illinois Representatives. U.S. Senators: * Dick Durbin (D) * Tammy Duckworth (D) U.S. Representatives: * Bill Foster, 11th District (D) *
Sean Casten Sean Thomas Casten (born November 23, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for . The district covers portions of five counties in Chicago's western suburbs, including Wheaton, Palatine, and Barringt ...
, 6th District (D) * Lauren Underwood, 14th District (D) Illinois Senate: *
Laura Ellman Laura Ellman is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate for the 21st district. The district, located in the Chicago metropolitan area includes all or parts of Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Lisle, Naperville, Warrenville, West Chicago, Winf ...
, 21st District (D) * John Curran, 41st District (R) * Linda Holmes, 42nd District (D) * Karina Villa, 25th District (D) Illinois Representatives: *
Janet Yang Rohr State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, represents the 41st District, serving the Naperville and Warrenville., Illinois communities in the Illinois House of Representatives. She began her first term in January 2021 as a part of the 102nd Gene ...
, 41st District (D) * Amy Grant, 42nd District (R) *
Barbara Hernandez Barbara Hernandez is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 50th district. The district, located in the Chicago metropolitan area, includes portions of Aurora, North Aurora, and Batavia. In the House, Hernandez r ...
, 83rd District (D) * Maura Hirschauer, 49th District (D) *
Stephanie Kifowit Stephanie Kifowit (born November 2, 1971) is the Illinois state representative for the 84th district, which includes all or parts of Aurora, Boulder Hill, Montgomery, Naperville, and Oswego. Kifowit is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, a fo ...
, 84th District (D) *
Anne Stava-Murray Anne Stava-Murray is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 81st district. She took office on January 9, 2019. The 81st district, located in DuPage and Will counties, includes all or portions of Downers Grove, L ...
, 81st District (D)


Education


Colleges and universities

Naperville has multiple colleges and universities within its city limits. North Central College is on a campus in Downtown Naperville on Chicago Avenue. It was founded by a predecessor to the United Methodist Church in 1861 and has been in Naperville since 1870. The college remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church. In fall 2020, it had 2,832 students enrolled. Northern Illinois University maintains a satellite campus on Diehl Road offering several courses. The College of DuPage, Dupage County's Community College, operates the Naperville Regional Center which offers several classes. DeVry University has their administrative headquarters, and classrooms on Diehl Road in Naperville. Governors State University maintains a satellite campus on West 95th Street in Naperville.
Indiana Tech Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech) is a private university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was founded in 1930 as Indiana Technical College by John A. Kalbfleisch, who was also the school's first president. The university today is organ ...
maintains a satellite campus on North Aurora Road.


Primary and secondary schools

Two K-12 public school districts serve the city of Naperville (along with a number of private, parochial schools). Naperville Community Unit School District 203 serves central and northern Naperville as well as portions of the neighboring Lisle and
Bolingbrook The village of Bolingbrook is a southwest suburb of Chicago in Will and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 73,922. As of 2010, it is the 17th largest incorporated place in Illinois and the sta ...
. The oldest District 203 building still in use is Ellsworth Elementary, constructed in 1928, while the newest is the Ann Reid Early Childhood Center, opened in 2010. District 203 has two high schools:
Naperville Central High School Naperville Central High School (Naperville Central or NCHS) is a four-year public high school located in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. The school, which enrolls students in grades nine through twelve, is a part of the Naper ...
and
Naperville North High School Naperville North High School is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ogden Avenue and Mill Street in the northern-central part of Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the coun ...
, five junior high schools and fifteen elementary schools within Naperville city limits. Additionally, the school district has one junior high and one elementary school in Lisle. Indian Prairie School District 204 (IPSD) was also formed through merged districts in 1972. Neuqua Valley High School, along with three middle schools and 19 elementary schools from this district, are located within southern Naperville. In total, IPSD runs four high schools (
Neuqua Valley High School Neuqua Valley High School (NVHS) is a public four-year high school located near the corner of Illinois Route 59 and 95th Street in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Neuqua Valley is the counterpar ...
,
Metea Valley High School Metea Valley High School is a high school in Aurora, Illinois that opened in August 2009 in DuPage County. The school is one of four high schools operated by the Indian Prairie School District. Waubonsie Valley High School is also in Aurora, whil ...
, Wheatland Academy and
Waubonsie Valley High School Waubonsie Valley High School (WVHS) is a public four-year high school in Aurora, Illinois, United States. It was established in 1975 and it is one of 3 high schools in Indian Prairie School District 204, along with Neuqua Valley High School and M ...
), seven junior high schools, 21 elementary schools, and one preschool. The district serves western and southwestern Naperville, along with eastern Aurora and parts of Bolingbrook and Plainfield. Naperville is home to numerous private schools, including, All Saints Catholic Academy, Bethany Lutheran School, Calvary Christian School, Covenant Classical School, Naperville Christian Academy, St. Raphael School, and Saints Peter and Paul School.


Media

Naperville has a community access TV station, Naperville Community Television, (NCTV17). The station airs community-based programming that includes news, sports, talk shows, and community event coverage. It broadcasts on Channel 17 in Naperville and online a
NCTV17.org
The ''
Daily Herald Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' is a daily newspaper serving suburban Chicago. It was started in 1872 and founded by Hosea Paddock. The ''
Naperville Sun The ''Naperville Sun'' is a newspaper based in Naperville, Illinois, USA. It is published three days a week, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It is owned by Tribune Publishing's Chicago Tribune Media Group, a group that also includes the ''Aurora Be ...
'' is a local newspaper serving Naperville, Illinois. It is published three days a week, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It was founded in 1935 and now is owned by Chicago Tribune Media Group. Naperville has multiple radio stations, including 1610-AM WPFP 929, AM 1610, which broadcasts emergency, city and road information.
WONC WONC (89.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an album-oriented rock format. Licensed to Naperville, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Chicago area. The station is currently owned by North Central College. History The station h ...
(89.1 FM) broadcasts in an album oriented rock format, and is owned and operated by North Central College. WCKG (1530 AM) broadcasts local news, talk shows, and weather reports.


Infrastructure


Health systems

Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois, was first established in 1907 as Edward Sanitarium, and became Edward Hospital in 1955. It merged with Elmhurst Hospital in 2013 to create Edward-Elmhurst Health. Edward Hospital is a full-service hospital with 352 private patient rooms. For many years, Edward Hospital and others have tried to introduce a new hospital into Naperville only to have their request turned down. Thus, Naperville remains the only large Illinois city with only one hospital. Edward Hospital tried to open a hospital in nearby Plainfield to help Naperville citizens with travel times to Edward Hospital. Duly Health and Care, formerly DuPage Medical Group, has 16 locations in Naperville. The University of Chicago Medical Center has two Naperville locations providing pediatric and ENT services.


Transportation


Roads

The
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway Interstate 88 (I-88) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Illinois that runs from an interchange with I-80 near Silvis and Moline to an interchange with I-290 and I-294 in Hillside, near Chicago. I-88 is long. This route is no ...
(the tolled portion of Interstate 88) passes through northern Naperville.
US Route 34 U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches elevation ...
(Ogden Avenue) enters Naperville in the west at
Illinois Route 59 Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfo ...
. A diverging diamond interchange, the first in Northeast Illinois, was completed in 2015 at the junction of Route 59 and Interstate 88.


Train service

Naperville's first rail link to Chicago was established in 1864 by the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...
. Naperville now has three tracks belonging to the
BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
that run through the north end of town, with passenger rail service provided by Metra and Amtrak. Amtrak's four daily trains through Naperville are the ''
Illinois Zephyr The ''Illinois Zephyr'' and ''Carl Sandburg'' are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. As ''Illinois Service'' trains, they are partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transporta ...
'' and '' Carl Sandburg'' (both destined for
Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...
), the '' California Zephyr'' (destined for Emeryville, California), and the ''
Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and Southwest via Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff ...
'' (destined for Los Angeles). A third Metra station was planned on the Suburban Transit Access Route ("STAR") at Wolf's Crossing. The project is no longer active since 2012.


Bus service

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 ...
provides rush hour bus service to the Metra stations, and previously, through 2008, had provided for local midday service. Both services have always been operated under contract; First Student, a national transportation management firm, is the current contract operator. In addition, Pace directly operates bus route 530 from Naperville to Aurora (which serves Aurora's
Fox Valley Mall Fox Valley Mall, formerly Westfield Fox Valley, is a shopping mall in Aurora, Illinois. The mall's anchor stores are JCPenney, Macy's. Some larger non anchor stores include H&M and Forever 21. A Round One Entertainment is located in the former S ...
) and bus route 714 from Naperville to Wheaton (which serves the College of DuPage), both through its Fox Valley division. Pace also directly operates route 888, a rush hour express route named the "Tri-State Flyer", from Homewood and
South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
to corporate employment sites in the western suburbs, including those in the northern part of Naperville; this route is operated by Pace through its South division. Intercity bus service in Naperville consists of a route from Chicago and Naperville to
Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...
, and points further west, operated by both Burlington Trailways and
Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...
. The Burlington Trailways buses stop at the Naperville Metra and Amtrak station, downtown on Fourth Avenue; the Greyhound Lines buses stop at the Route 59 Metra station.


Airport

The
DuPage Airport DuPage Airport is a general aviation airport located west of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago in West Chicago, Illinois, West Chicago, DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is owned and operated by the DuPage Airport ...
, a general aviation airport serving private and charter jets, designation DPA, is 14 miles from downtown Naperville. Clow Airport in
Bolingbrook The village of Bolingbrook is a southwest suburb of Chicago in Will and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 73,922. As of 2010, it is the 17th largest incorporated place in Illinois and the sta ...
is about 1.5 miles from Naperville's southeastern border. There is also a private airport, the Naper Aero Club field, designation LL10, on the western edge of town. The field is notable as the home of the
Lima Lima Flight Team The Lima Lima Flight Team is a precision formation flying demonstration team based in Naperville, Illinois. The name derives from the FAA identifier of the field where the team originated. Naper Aero Club (LL-10) is located in the western suburbs ...
.


Electricity

Naperville’s electric system is owned and operated by the City of Naperville, which obtains electricity through the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, a nonprofit government entity.


Notable people


Sister cities

* Nitra, Slovakia since November 17, 1993. * Pátzcuaro, Mexico since November 13, 2010. * Cancun, Mexico since May 27, 2021.


EF-3 Tornado

On June 20, 2021, an EF3 tornado tore through southeast Naperville, uprooting trees, injuring eight people, and damaging 231 homes.


References


Further reading

* *


External links

*
Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce

Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA)
{{Authority control 1831 establishments in Illinois Chicago metropolitan area Cities in DuPage County, Illinois Cities in Illinois Cities in Will County, Illinois Populated places established in 1831