Naperville, Illinois facts for kids

Naperville, Illinois
City of Naperville
City
Jefferson Avenue in downtown Naperville.
Coat of arms
Motto: Great Service - All the Time
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Counties	DuPage, Will
Townships	Lisle (DuPage), Milton (DuPage), Naperville (DuPage), Winfield (DuPage), DuPage (Will), Wheatland (Will)
River	DuPage
Elevation	702 ft (214 m)
Coordinates	41°44′53″N 88°09′56″W
Area	39.32 sq mi (102 km²)
- land	38.77 sq mi (100 km²)
- water	0.55 sq mi (1 km²), 1.4%
Population	147,100 (2015 estimate)
Density	4,025.38 /sq mi (1,554 /km²)
Settled	1831
- Incorporated	1857 (Village) 1890 (City)
Government	Council–manager
Mayor	Steve Chirico (R)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60540, 60563-60565, and PO BOX Only Codes 60566-60567
Area codes	630 and 331

Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, and a suburb of Chicago. Naperville was voted the second-best place to live in the United States by Money magazine in 2006. It was rated 1st on the list of best cities for early retirement in 2013 by Kiplinger. In a 2010 study, Naperville was named the wealthiest city in the Midwest and eleventh in the nation with a population over 75,000. It was ranked among the nation's safest cities by USAToday and Business Insider. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 141,853, which was estimated to have increased to 147,100 by July 2015. It is the fifth-largest city in Illinois.

History

The Martin-Mitchell Mansion, within the Naper Settlement outdoor museum, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

In July 1831, Joseph Naper 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 Almeda Landon, his brother John with wife Betsy Goff, his sister Amy with husband John Murray, and his mother Sarah. Their arrival followed a nearly two-month voyage across three Great Lakes in the Naper brothers' schooner, the Telegraph. Also on the journey were several families who remained in the settlement that would become Chicago, including that of Dexter Graves who is memorialized in Graceland Cemetery by the well-known Lorado Taft statue "Eternal Silence" (also known as "the Dexter Graves Monument").

By 1832, over one hundred settlers had arrived at Naper's Settlement. Following the news of the Indian Creek massacre during the Black Hawk War, 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 stage-coach stop on the road from Chicago to Galena. Reconstructions of Fort Payne and the Pre-Emption House stand as part of Naper Settlement outdoor museum village, which was established by the Naperville Heritage Society and the Naperville Park District in 1969 to preserve some of the community's oldest buildings.

In 1855 Sybil Dunbar came to Naperville as its first recorded black female resident; she died in 1868 and was buried in Naperville Cemetery on Washington Street. A commemorative marker honoring her was placed in the cemetery in 2015.

After DuPage County was split from Cook County in 1839, Naper's Settlement became the DuPage county seat, a distinction it held until 1868. Naper's Settlement was incorporated as the Village of Naperville in 1857, at which time it had a population of 2,000. Reincorporation as a city occurred in 1890.

On April 26, 1946, Naperville was the site of one of the worst train disasters in Chicago history. Two Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad trains, the Advance Flyer and the Exposition Flyer, 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. This event is commemorated in a metal inlay map of Naperville on the southeast corner of the Nichols Library's sidewalk area. In 2012, author Chuck Spinner published The Tragedy at the Loomis Street Crossing which details the tragedy and gives the stories of the 45 persons who perished. On April 26, 2014, a memorial entitled Tragedy to Triumph was dedicated at the train station. The sculpture by Paul Kuhn is dedicated not only to the crash victims but also to the rescuers at the site.

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, following the construction of the East-West Tollway (now known as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) and Interstate 355 (originally known as the North-South Tollway, now the Veterans Memorial Tollway). It has nearly quadrupled in size as the Chicago metropolitan area's urban sprawl brought corporations, jobs, and wealth to the area.

The March 2006 issue of Chicago magazine cites a mid-1970s decision to make and keep all parking in downtown Naperville free to keep downtown Naperville "alive" in the face of competition with Fox Valley Mall in Aurora and the subsequent sprawl of strip shopping malls. Parking meters were taken down, parking in garages built in the 1980s and 1990s is free, and parking is still available on major thoroughfares during non-peak hours.

Naperville marked the 175th anniversary of its 1831 founding in 2006. The anniversary events included celebrations, concerts and a balloon parade.

Geography and climate

According to the 2010 census, Naperville has an area of 39.323 square miles (101.85 km²), of which 38.77 square miles (100.41 km²) (or 98.59%) is land and 0.553 square miles (1.43 km²) (or 1.41%) is water. Portions of the city of Naperville drain to the West Branch of the DuPage River within DuPage County. Specifically, in the flood of 1996, downtown businesses in the City of Naperville incurred significant damage. Overall, however, Forest Preserve District ownership of a large amount of property along the West Branch has minimized development in flood plains and has helped reduce the damages from overbank flooding that have occurred in the county's more developed watersheds.

Naperville borders the communities of Warrenville, Wheaton, Lisle, Woodridge, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, and Aurora.

Climate data for Naperville, Illinois
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	30 (-1.1)	35 (1.7)	47 (8.3)	60 (15.6)	71 (21.7)	80 (26.7)	83 (28.3)	81 (27.2)	75 (23.9)	63 (17.2)	48 (8.9)	34 (1.1)	58.9 (14.95)
Average low °F (°C)	15 (-9.4)	18 (-7.8)	27 (-2.8)	37 (2.8)	46 (7.8)	56 (13.3)	61 (16.1)	60 (15.6)	51 (10.6)	40 (4.4)	30 (-1.1)	19 (-7.2)	38.3 (3.52)
Precipitation inches (mm)	1.69 (42.9)	1.73 (43.9)	2.36 (59.9)	3.62 (91.9)	4.02 (102.1)	4.21 (106.9)	3.90 (99.1)	4.06 (103.1)	3.58 (90.9)	3.07 (78)	3.23 (82)	2.20 (55.9)	37.67 (956.8)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,713		—
1880	2,073		21.0%
1890	2,216		6.9%
1900	2,629		18.6%
1910	3,449		31.2%
1920	3,830		11.0%
1930	5,118		33.6%
1940	5,272		3.0%
1950	7,013		33.0%
1960	12,933		84.4%
1970	22,794		76.2%
1980	42,330		85.7%
1990	85,351		101.6%
2000	128,358		50.4%
2010	141,853		10.5%
Est. 2015	147,100		3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate

There were 141,644 people, 52,270 households, and 36,289 families residing in the city. As of July 2013, Naperville was the 176th most populous city in the United States.

According to the 2005 American Community Survery, the population density was 4,162.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,606.3/km²). There were 51,636 housing units at an average density of 561.3/km² (1454.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.00% White, 2.54% African American, 0.07% Native American, 12.65% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.23% of the population.

There were 48,655 households out of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the city, the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.9 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $105,585, and the median income for a family was $130,164. Males had a median income of $82,515 versus $46,533 for females. The per capita income for the city was $48,239. About 2.5% of the population was below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

In 2011, 14.9% of Naperville's residents were Asian, making it the Chicago suburb with the tenth highest percentage of Asians.

Culture

Nichols Library

The Naperville Public Library has been ranked number one in the United States each year from 1999 through 2010, for cities with populations between 100,000 and 249,999 by Hennen's American Public Library Ratings.

There are three public library locations within the city limits:

• The Nichols Library is in downtown Naperville, at 200 W. Jefferson Street. It opened at this location in March 1986. It is a 63,300 square feet (5,900 m²) structure and is pictured at right. 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 at 2035 S. Naper Boulevard and is the smallest of the three buildings at 32,000 square feet (3,000 m²)
• The 95th Street Library is near the intersection of 95th Street and Route 59, at 3015 Cedar Glade Drive (just west of Neuqua Valley High School). Opened in September 2003, it is the newest and largest of the three facilities at 73,000 square feet (6,800 m²) and features a modern, curving architectural style.

In May 2005, a local technology company was contracted to install fingerprint scanners as a more convenient access method to the libraries internet computers, provoking some controversy. After further testing, the technology was not implemented.

The three libraries are used heavily by the public, including around one and a half million visitors and a circulation of about five million items yearly.

Naperville is home of the Naperville Independent Film Festival, an annual film festival which features the work of independent filmmakers.

Moser Tower, containing the Millennium Carillon

Tourism

The Naperville Historic District is a set of 613 buildings in the older eastern section of Naperville and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon

In 1999, Naperville was designated a White House Millennium Community, due to the construction of the Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon. The tower is a bell tower just north of Aurora Avenue and at the base of Rotary Hill within the Riverwalk Park complex. The Carillon is designated as a Grand Carillon, with 72 bells, and is one of only four in the world that span six octaves. It was dedicated in an Independence Day event on June 29, 2000, with a reception attended by over 15,000, and a performance by the Naperville Municipal Band and the Naperville Men's Glee Club and Festival Chorus. The Carillon is both manually and also computer-playable, with most performances done by hand, but with half the bells played by a computer-controlled system at set times during the day. At present, the Carillon is operational and tours are available after concerts. Disputes over funding the completion of the tower were debated before the Naperville City Council during the fall of 2005 (and are still not resolved). The tower's design won an award for "Best Custom Solution" from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI).

Naperville River Walk

Dupage River in Naperville

This place is called as the "Crown Jewel" of Naperville. It is considered a place of beauty and tranquility on the side of Dupage River. It features 1.75 miles of brick paths, fountains, bridges, meeting and event places, outdoor sculpture and artwork, recreational facilities, and celebratory memorials. The Naperville Riverwalk was created in 1981 as a permanent commemorative to honor Naperville’s 150th anniversary.The Naperville Riverwalk was created in 1981 as a permanent commemorative to honor Naperville’s 150th anniversary.The Riverwalk has amenities along its path. To the east, visitors enjoy Fredenhagen Park with its landmark clock tower and Exchange Club Memories Fountain. Midway, the Dandelion Fountain, Paddleboat Quarry and unique bell tower can be found. Further west is historic Centennial Beach with its 6.2 million gallons of water that starts with zero depth and goes as deep as 15 feet. It is classified as a “beach” through the Illinois Department of Health and not as a swimming pool. The water itself is chlorinated, re-circulated and hand-skimmed to remove debris, but it is not filtered like a typical swimming pool. Further west is Centennial Park with its inline skating/skateboarding facility and the Jaycee Playground.

Sister cities

• Nitra, Slovakia since November 17, 1993.
• Pátzcuaro, Mexico since November 13, 2010.

Images for kids

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  Riverwalk Quarry in Naperville. Moser Tower is in the right-center background and Rotary Hill (serving as a sled hill) is in the left background.

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  Pace bus at the Naperville Amtrak/Metra station

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  Neuqua Valley High School

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  Businesses in Downtown Naperville