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Village
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1873
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Illinois
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DuPage
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Downers Grove
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Lisle
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Milton
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York
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DuPage
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DuPage
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DuPage
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Council-manager
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Mayor
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Ron Sandack
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48,724
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up
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398
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1990
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1,3202
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3,4202
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9015
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192
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359
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571
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001
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011
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100
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60515, 60516
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630
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369
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143
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31,580
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20591
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65,539
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205,900 (2000)
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215,754
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wwwdownersus
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is an affluent
Suburb located west of
Chicago in
DuPage County ,
Illinois . The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census. The
United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2004 to be 49,302.
United States Census Bureau
Downers Grove was founded in 1832 by Pierce Downer, a settler from
New York . He established a dairy farm in the northwest section of the village. Its other early settlers included the Blodgett, Curtiss, and Carpenter families. The original settlers were mostly comprised of migrants from the Northeastern states and Northern Europe. The first schoolhouse was built in 1844.
During the
American Civil War , 119 soldiers from Downers Grove served in the Union Army; at least one of these was interred in the cemetery downtown. There was an abolitionist presence in the village, and some of the older homes are thought to have been stops on the
Underground Railroad .
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended from Aurora to Chicago through Downers Grove in 1862, boosting its growth. The town was incorporated in March 1873. Its somewhat unusual spelling ("Apostrophe-free since 1873") remains a minor historical mystery.
In April 1947, a
Burlington Railroad Nebraska Zephyr passenger train wreck killed two people, including the engineer. The eastbound streamliner struck a large piece of farm equipment which had become loosened from its flat car, and was protruding onto the adjoining track from a westbound freight. Part of the train crashed through a wall of the Main Street Station.
The construction of two major toll roads along the village's northern and western boundaries, and
Butterball .
]]
Downers Grove is located at (41.790730, -88.014855).
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the village has a total area of 36.9
Km&2 (14.3
Mi&2 ). 36.9 km&
2 (14.2 mi&
2) of it is land and 0.07% is water. Only the DuPage County communities of
Bartlett ,
Aurora ,
Naperville and
Bolingbrook have larger land areas. The town is bordered by two forest preserves: Lyman Woods
and Maple Grove Forest Preserve [http://ww.dupageforest.com/preserves/maplegrove.html . Downers Grove has been designated a Tree City USA for the past 22 years by the National Arbor Day Foundation http://forestry.about.com/cs/urbanforestry/a/tree_city_usa.htm.
Downers Grove borders the communities of
Oak Brook ,
Westmont ,
Darien ,
Lombard ,
Woodridge and
Lisle .
Downers Grove is in a
Humid Continental Climate zone.
1 On average, July is the warmest month, and January is the coldest month. August typically has the most
Precipitation , and February the least. The record high for Downers Grove was 105
°F (40.56
°C ) in July of 2005, and the record low of -26 °F (-32 °C) was set in January, 1985.
23
Begins-->{{Infobox Information
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Yes
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Downers Grove, Illinois
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32 Jan_REC_Hi_°F =65
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38 Feb_REC_Hi_°F =70
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50 Mar_REC_Hi_°F =85
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63 Apr_REC_Hi_°F =90
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75 May_REC_Hi_°F =95
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84 Jun_REC_Hi_°F =103
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87 Jul_REC_Hi_°F =105
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85 Aug_REC_Hi_°F =100
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78 Sep_REC_Hi_°F =100
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67 Oct_REC_Hi_°F =90
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50 Nov_REC_Hi_°F =78
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37 Dec_REC_Hi_°F =70
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105
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14 Jan_REC_Lo_°F =-26
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19 Feb_REC_Lo_°F =-21
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28 Mar_REC_Lo_°F =-10
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38 Apr_REC_Lo_°F =4
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48 May_REC_Lo_°F =25
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57 Jun_REC_Lo_°F =32
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63 Jul_REC_Lo_°F =41
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61 Aug_REC_Lo_°F =38
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53 Sep_REC_Lo_°F =27
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42 Oct_REC_Lo_°F =14
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32 Nov_REC_Lo_°F =-4
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20 Dec_REC_Lo_°F =-21
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-26
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185
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156
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262
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380
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394
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391
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397
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460
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338
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266
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320
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245
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2007-08-07
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Downers Grove offers a unique collection of homes that range from well over 100 years of age (primarily around the downtown area of the community) to homes characteristic of each succeeding generation. Although the last large scale housing developments ended in the 1980s, Downers Grove has witnessed one of the highest "teardown" rates in the Chicago area; small older residences are being demolished and replaced with much larger new houses. Teardowns have been the source of much controversy within the village.http://www.dgcmr.org Downers Grove Coalition for Managed Redevelopment. Downers Grove prides itself on the presence of one of the largest collections of
Sears-Roebuck Catalog Homes , which were erected between 1908 and 1940.
The main line of the
BNSF Railway (also used by
Metra commuter rail with three stops in Downers Grove), and Interstate Highways
355 and
88 all pass through the community. Downers Grove is served by the
Pace Bus Service , a system of suburban public transportation.
Downers Grove is also one of the only communities to run their own shuttle bus service. The Grove Commuter Shuttle runs four routes throughout the community to two of the three train depots that are in the village. The shuttle also operates for Heritage Festival from remote parking lots on the north and south sides of the village. http://www.downers.us/page/view/55
The village hosts the Pierce Downers Heritage Days festival each Junehttp://visitor.vil.downers-grove.il.us/fest/ Pierce Downers Heritage Fest. On Friday nights in the summer, antique and specialty cars park downtown in an informal car show. The Indian Boundary
YMCA sponsors a Saturday morning farmer's market from June to October, and an ice sculpture festival is held in January. An annual cycling event, the
National Criterium Championships , is hosted in August. The event draws racers and cycling enthusiasts from all over the country and the world.
The high school sporting events draw large crowds, especially the annual football game between
Downers Grove North and
Downers Grove South high schools, and the annual competition between the
Hinsdale Central High School and the Downers Grove North football teams for the Old Oaken Bucket. The rivalry is just as intense if not greater between the Downers Grove South and Hinsdale South High schools for the Old Wooden Cannon.
Downers Grove is home to 12 public elementary schools, 3 public middle schools and 2 public high schools, Downers Grove and
Woodridge .
The two high schools in Downers Grove,
North High and
South High , are part of
Community High School District 99 . They serve the entire community of Downers Grove, the majority of the village of
Woodridge , and parts of
Westmont ,
Darien ,
Lisle ,
Bolingbrook ,
Oak Brook and unincorporated Downers Grove and Lisle Townships.
Both high schools perform very well academically, with District 99 posting an average
ACT score of 22.4 in 2005.http://www.csd99.org/district/news/story.asp?site=district&ID=1064 The 2004 Illinois School Report Card http://www.isbe.state.il.us/research/htmls/report_card.htm Illinois School Report Card 2004 gave North High School an overall achievement rating of 73.4/100, while South High School received a score of 66.3, ranking them 7th and 13th respectively out of 22 DuPage County high schools.
Downers Grove is home to the
Avery Coonley School http://www.averycoonley.org/ The Avery Coonley School. Founded in 1906 and in its present location in Downers Grove since 1929, it is a highly prestigious private K-8 school, known for its math and science-oriented teaching as well as its focus on the arts and foreign language.
Downers Grove is also the home of
Midwestern University , which trains
Osteopathic Physicians And Surgeons , physician's assistants, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, and psychologists. Many residents attend the local junior college,
College Of DuPage in
Glen Ellyn, Illinois .
According to the 2000
United States Census , Downers Grove has one of the nation's most educated citizenry, with 46.4% of individuals over the age of 25 holding bachelor's or advanced degrees; the national average is 24.4%.
United States Census Bureau Fact Sheet
The community is the home to many different houses of worship. Christian traditions represented include the
Assemblies Of God , various
Baptist traditions, Bible Churches,
Churches Of Christ ,
The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints (Mormons),
Christian Science ,
Disciples Of Christ ,
Reformed Church In America ,
Jehovah's Witnesses ,
United Church Of Christ ,
Episcopal Church ,
Religious Society Of Friends (Quakers) ,
Full Gospel church,
Lutherans of various synods,
United Methodist s,
Roman Catholic s,
Orthodox Church In America ,
United Pentecostals ,
Presbyterians (both
Presbyterian Church USA and
Presbyterian Church In America ),
Unity Church and
Seventh-day Adventists .
The Village of Downers Grove operates under a
Council-manager Form Of Government . The Village Council is the policy-making body that authorizes a professional manager to oversee the daily operations of the village. In addition to the Municipal Code, which establishes many of the rules and regulations by which the Village operates, the Council has also adopted separate council policies on several matters related to municipal activities.
As of February 2007, the Village Council commissioners were Marilyn Schnell, Martin Tully, Ron Sandack, Stan Urban, William Waldack, and Sean Patrick Durkin. The new mayoral seat and three of the council positions were determined during the April 17, 2007 consolidated election. Ron Sandack won the election defeating the incumbent Brian Krajewski with 66% of the vote.
The elections for village positions in the village have traditionally been
Non-partisan ; the candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot, and direct party funding was not practiced. The local
Republican Party and
Democratic Party organizations have not, in the past, openly issued endorsements of the candidates. On January 12, 2007, the Downers Grove
Township Democratic organization issued a statement endorsing the non-partisan tradition
Downers Grove Democrats - Non-partisanship policy ; the statement made reference to a change in the corresponding Republican organization's bylaws, saying that "It has come to the organization’s attention that the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization has recently included in its bylaws the provision that it will henceforth officially endorse Republican candidates and commit funds to help elect these candidates".
Non-partisanship statement by Downers Grove Township Democrats
Downers Grove is within the 13th (Republican). It is part of the
Illinois Senate 's 21st Legislative District and the
Illinois House Of Representatives 's 42nd Representative District.
In the November 2004 general election, parade in Downers Grove featured both of the major Illinois gubernatorial candidates,
Judy Baar Topinka (R) and incumbent
Rod Blagojevich (D) http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=4334402 Blagojevich and Topinka both make appearances at the Downers Grove 4th of July parade.
Downers Grove drinking water comes from Lake Michigan, via agreements with the Chicago Water Department
Its electricity infrastructure is largely maintained by Commonwealth Edison Company[http://www.exeloncorp.com/ourcompanies/comed/comedres/ ; (ComEd); its natural gas infrastructure was built by Northern Illinois Gas[http://www.nicor.com].
Household waste pickup is contracted out by the village, as is yard waste pickup; these are paid for by household-purchased stickers. Curbside recycling is free.
Waste water is treated by the Downers Grove Sanitary District
{Link without Title} .
As of the
Census of 2000, there were 48,724 people, 18,979 households, and 13,019 families residing in the village. The
Population Density was 1,320.2/km&
2 (3,420.2/mi&
2). There were 19,477 housing units at an average density of 527.7/km&
2 (1,367.2/mi&
2). The racial makeup of the village was 90.15%
White , 1.92%
African American , 0.11%
Native American , 5.71%
Asian , 0.01%
Pacific Islander , 1.00% from
Other Races , and 1.09% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 3.59% of the population.
There were 18,979 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were
Married Couples living together, and 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $65,539, and the median income for a family was $80,604. Males had a median income of $56,422 versus $36,938 for females. The
Per Capita Income for the village was $31,580. About 1.3% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the
Poverty Line , including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
The city is affectionately referred to as "D.G." by locals.
The public Downers Grove Golf Course was founded in 1892 by
Charles Blair Macdonald and is the oldest golf course west of the
Allegheny Mountains .
Downers Grove is the home of the Tivoli Theaterhttp://www.classiccinemas.com/History/tivoli.asp The Tivoli Theater in Downers Grove, which opened in 1928 as only the second theater in the world designed and built for sound motion pictures. It features an ornate interior and an original
Wurlitzer organ that is played on most Friday and Saturday nights.
There are about a dozen automobile dealers in the city limits, part of one of the largest congregations of dealers in the state, along with Naperville and Westmont, called the "Ogden Avenue Strip." Between the three cities, every mainstream make and model of car available is found on or near Ogden Avenue Route 34. Some of the largest in the city are Bill Kay Auto Group, Pugi of Chicagoland, and Autonation, all of whom have multiple tickets. Ogden Avenue is one of the busiest automotive retail strips in the country, and second only to 159th street (Orland Park) in the state. Luxury Motors, located on Fairview Ave, is one of the largest online automobile dealers in the world.
Downers Grove is also home to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospitalhttp://www.advocatehealth.com/gsam/ Good Samaritan Hospital , a Level I
Trauma Center that serves the entire Chicago area.
In 1928, the powerful transmitter and three tower array for radio station . The 1930s era transmitter building still displays the distinctive WCFL lettering.
Comedian
Emo Philips , who grew up in the town, performs a humorous song entitled "Downtown Downers Grove" on his 1985 album ''E=mo&
2''. He has stated that "When I was ten, my parents moved to Downers Grove, Illinois... When I was twelve, I found them."
Downers Grove is also the property management headquarters for the Uniform-Foodservice-Real Estate company Aramark which is a Fortune 500 company.
In 2001, writer Michael Hornburg published a novel entitled ''Downers Grove'', set in the town.
http://www.yabookscentral.com/cfusion/index.cfm?fuseAction=books.viewBook&book_id=1671 About Michael Hornburg's novel ''Downers Grove''
