Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois. The population is 46,013 as of the 2008 US Census population estimate.

History
Members of the Potawatomi Indian tribe, who settled along Salt Creek just south of where the city would develop, are the earliest known settlers of the Elmhurst area. Around 1836, European immigrants settled on tracts of land along the same creek. At what would become Elmhurst City Centre, a native of Ohio named Gerry Bates established a community on a tract of "treeless land" in 1842.

The following year, Cottage Hill Tavern opened where St. Charles Road and Cottage Hill Avenue presently intersect. In 1845, the community was officially named Cottage Hill when a post office was established. Four years later the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was given right-of-way through Cottage Hill giving farmers easier access to Chicago. The community changed its name to Elmhurst in 1869. Elmhurst was incorporated as a village in 1882, with a population of 1,050, and legal boundaries of St. Charles Road to North Avenue, and one half mile west and one quarter mile east of York Street. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital was founded in 1926 as the first hospital in DuPage County.

The Memorial Parade has run every Memorial Day since 1918, and the Annual Elmhurst St. Patrick's Day Parade continues to be the third largest parade of that sort in the Chicago area, following the more famous parades downtown and on the city's South Side.

The Keebler Company's corporate headquarters was in Elmhurst until 2001, when the Kellogg Company purchased the company. The city is home to the headquarters of Sunshine Biscuits and McMaster-Carr Supply Co. Famous Amos cookies are also distributed from Elmhurst.

Geography
Elmhurst is located at 41.89228°N, -87.94376°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.3 square miles (26.6 km²), all of it land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 42,762 people, 15,627 households, and 11,235 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,165.9 people per square mile (1,609.2/km²). There were 16,147 housing units at an average density of 1,573.1 per square mile (607.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.40% White, 0.94% African American, 0.06% Native American, 3.67% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.02% of the population.

There were 15,627 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $81,925, and the median income for a family was $97,975. Males had a median income of $57,193 versus $37,087 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,015. About 1.9% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

 * Elmhurst YMCA - Elmhurst YMCA
 * Theatre Historical Society of America - Theatre Historical Society
 * York Theater - York Theater
 * Spring Road Business Association
 * York & Vallette Business Association
 * Wilder Park Conservatory
 * Elmhurst Park District
 * Elmhurst Historical Museum
 * Elmhurst Art Museum
 * Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art
 * Elmhurst Public Library
 * Elmhurst City Centre
 * A 150 ft deep limestone quarry covering about 59 acre is located half a mile west of downtown along West Avenue and 1st St. A tunnel from Salt Creek diverts water into the quarry in case of a flood.
 * Illinois Windmills Fischer Windmill in Mount Emblem Cemetery.
 * Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare

Education

 * Colleges
 * Elmhurst College


 * High Schools
 * York Community High School


 * Middle Schools
 * Bryan Middle School
 * Churchville Middle School
 * Sandburg Middle School


 * Elementary Schools
 * Conrad Fischer Elementary School
 * Edison Elementary School
 * Emerson Elementary School
 * Field Elementary School
 * Hawthorne Elementary School
 * Jackson Elementary School
 * Jefferson Elementary School
 * Lincoln Elementary School
 * Washington Elementary School, demolished in 1978


 * Private Schools
 * Immaculate Conception High School
 * Timothy Christian School
 * Immaculate Conception Grade School
 * Immanuel Lutheran Grade School
 * Visitation Catholic Grade School

Transportation
Elmhurst is served by Pace buses, and there is also a commuter railroad station with service to downtown Chicago. The Union Pacific Railroad has freight service on the Metra line and Canadian National Railway serves the train line south of the Metra line. O'Hare International Airport is eighteen minutes from Elmhurst and Chicago Midway International Airport is 33 minutes from Elmhurst.

Notable people

 * Al Weis, former infielder, Chicago White Sox (1962–1967) and NY Mets (1968–1971).
 * Eugene V. Debs, presidential candidate and socialist leader.
 * Jody Gerut, outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers.
 * Fred Lorenzen, former NASCAR driver.
 * Keith McCready, professional pool player.
 * Jack O'Callahan, former Chicago Black Hawks hockey player.
 * Phillip Ramey, composer and pianist.
 * Steve Rushin, Sports Illustrated writer.
 * Carl Sandburg, poet, historian, and novelist.
 * Ian Michael Smith, star of Simon Birch.
 * Keenan Cahill, YouTube viral video star
 * Larry Stefanki, former tennis player.
 * Charles Tilly, sociologist.
 * Rachel Melvin, actress.
 * Jim Ryan, former Illinois Attorney General.
 * John Grochowski, author and radio personality.
 * Keenan Cahill, internet celebrity for lip-syncing
 * Jeff Hornacek, former NBA player.
 * Mark Sibley, former NBA player.
 * Daniel Keefe, president and founder of the International Longshoremen's Association.
 * Mark Wilson, pro golfer.
 * John Witt, author, sportswriter, actor and ballhawk.
 * Edwin Feulner, President of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington, D.C. think tank.