Plano is a city near
Aurora
An aurora ( aurorae or auroras),
also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
in
Kendall County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 11,847 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...
, being about 55 miles (90 km) from Chicago. The city was home to the Plano Harvester Company in the late 19th century, as well as the Plano Molding Company more recently. In 2011, downtown Plano was used as a set for
''Man of Steel''.
History

In the early 1860s, the
Marsh brothers began producing their Marsh
Harvester in Plano. From 1863 to the beginning of the twentieth century the Plano Manufacturing Company, as it became known, provided the foundation for Plano's development. Because of this,
Plano High School has adopted the ''reaper'' as its mascot.
Plano was the one-time headquarters for the
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Joseph Smith III, son of slain LDS movement founder
Joseph Smith Jr., moved to Plano in 1866 and ran the church's printing operation from there. As the schism with the Utah branch of the Latter Day Saints deepened, he moved with the church headquarters to
Lamoni, Iowa in 1880 to be closer to what the Community of Christ believed to be the true church headquarters at
Temple Lot in Missouri rather than in Utah.
Community development has been centered around a strong agricultural setting, with the only inhabitants of the area before its incorporation being the owners of
grist mills.
This development was supported by the city's location along
US Route 34 and the ''
Illinois Zephyr''
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
passenger rail service.
The Plano Molding Company, manufacturer of fishing tackle equipment as well as other plastic domestic containment units, has its headquarters in Plano. Both of its original factories within Plano are still in operation, but the main bulk of production is now in nearby cities
Sandwich
A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...
and
Mendota.
Plano and Sandwich have developed a sibling-like relationship. Both deeply agricultural cities are situated along a major trading route and
rail artery. The two cities' high schools have developed a rivalry that has become known to the local press as the "War on 34", due to their location along US Route 34.
In the early twenty-first century, multiple new housing developments were constructed in Plano. Due to the following
economic downturn, however, many of the houses in both the new developments and older parts of town have experienced foreclosures. Nonetheless,
Waubonsee Community College opened a satellite campus in Plano in late 2011.
In the summer of 2011, the City of Plano was used for exterior filming for the Superman movie, ''
Man of Steel''. Various farms around the city were also used with one being used for the Kent family farm, and the downtown area was remodeled and turned into a set for downtown Smallville. Other areas used for filming were nearby, and part of
IL 56, north of
Sugar Grove was shut down for two days for filming despite being closed for "Road Repair". Plano declared itself Smallville during the filming. Signs have been erected at either end of town, as well as on the end of one building on Main Street, proclaiming a similar declaration. Additionally, a "Smallville Superfest" was organized the following summer, and has since been held annually in August.
The Farnsworth House
Master Architect
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had worked on a retreat for Dr. Edith Farnsworth, a doctor from Chicago, whose complicated relationship with the architect soured the project. Cost overruns as well as questions on the house's actual usefulness led to a lawsuit between the two parties, with van der Rohe winning the suit. In later years, the County Board decided to buy some of Farnsworth's land in order to straighten Fox River Drive (Ben Street in Plano), which would need a new bridge as well. Farnsworth pleaded her case to the County Board, citing evidence that the Board would be doing construction on an old Indian Site, but to no avail. The road was straightened and the new bridge built; however, to this day, the old bridge piers are still visible. Around the same time,
Silver Springs State Park and Wildlife Area was designated, down the road and across the river from
Farnsworth's house, forever protecting the land from development.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Plano has a total area of , of which (or 99.43%) is land and (or 0.57%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 10,856 people, 3,549 households, and 2,656 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 3,886 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 74.6%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 7.3%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 1.8%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 13.0% from
other races, and 3.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 31.2% of the population.
There were 3,549 households, from which 45.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 56.6% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families; 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.54.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 38.5% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% age 65 years or older. The median age was 29.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $58,132, and the median income for a family was $62,438. Males had a median income of $49,164 versus $37,933 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $24,336. About 4.9% of families and 6.94% 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 ...
, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
Media
In 1974, Plano residents Larry and Pam Nelson founded Nelson Multimedia, Inc. Its first radio station was
107.1 WSPY-FM. WSPY-FM broadcasts an
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
format, while its sister station
1480 WDYS (which is licensed in nearby
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, but is broadcast out of Plano) broadcasts an
adult standards format. WSPY-FM also covers local sports and news.
In addition to the AM and FM stations, Nelson Multimedia's Plano broadcast center also broadcasts a low-power television station,
WSPY-TV on analog channel 30 and digital channel 35. WSPY-TV currently broadcasts local events, such as sports, city council meetings, and musical events.
Plano news is covered by local newspapers, including:
* The ''Plano Record''
* The ''Kendall County Record''
* ''Valley Life'' (formerly the ''Valley Free Press'')
* The ''Beacon-News''
Film
Plano has been the home of at least two films, the most recent being the
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
film,
''Man of Steel'', where downtown Plano was a stand-in for Superman's hometown of
Smallville, Kansas. The other film was ''Witless Protection'', a film starring Jennie McCarthy and
Larry the Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally as Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, actor, and former radio personality. He was one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a ...
, which used the area around Plano as the site of Larry's character's hometown, and the Plano Train Station stood in for the Town Hall and Jail.
Plano was also the filming location for the music video for "
Nowadays" by Lil Skies and Landon Cube.
Education
Plano is served by Plano C.U.S.D. 88. The district consists of three elementary schools, P.H. Miller Elementary offers Pre-K-1st grade, Centennial Elementary offers 2nd and 3rd grade, and Emily G Johns Elementary which offers 4th-6th grade, as well as Plano Middle School, and
Plano High School.
Notable people
*
Arthur E. Andersen, founder of the
Arthur Andersen accounting firm; born in Plano (1885)
*
Cole Bennett, founder of Lyrical Lemonade, grew up in Plano
*
William Deering, businessman and philanthropist; moved to Plano in 1850
*
Harry J. Haiselden, surgeon; born in Plano (1870)
*
Dennis Hastert
John Dennis Hastert ( ; born January 2, 1942) is an American former politician, teacher, and wrestling coach who represented from 1987 to 2007 and served as the 51st speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. Hast ...
, former U.S. Speaker of the House, and convicted felon, lives in Plano
*
Trey Kerby, basketball blogger and NBA TV host; grew up in Plano
*
Lewis M. Long, U.S. congressman; attended Plano High School
*
Eduardo Lucero, fashion designer; lived in Plano from age 7 to 17
*
Lewis Steward, Plano town founder, U.S. congressman; businessman and philanthropist; Co-founder of
Marsh, Steward & Company;
See also
*
Albert H. Sears House
*
Farnsworth House (Plano, Illinois)
*
Plano (Amtrak station)
*
Plano Hotel
*
Plano Stone Church
References
External links
City of Plano, Illinois
{{authority control
Cities in Illinois
Populated places established in 1872
Cities in Kendall County, Illinois
1872 establishments in Illinois