Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Elk Grove Village is a municipality located in northeastern Illinois adjacent to O'Hare International Airport and the City of Chicago. Elk Grove Village encompasses 10.9 sqmi in land area with 10.5 sqmi located in Cook County and 0.4 sqmi located in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 32,745 at the 2010 census. As the name suggests, Elk Grove Village is home to a small herd of elk kept in a grove at the eastern edge of the Busse Woods forest preserve. However, elk are not native to the area, and the name "Elk Grove" actually comes from a mispronunciation of the Native American name for the place. Furthermore, the original elk herd was brought from Montana by an early resident, Busse, in the 1920s.

Overview
Elk Grove Village is home to the largest consolidated business park in North America. Over 3,600 businesses are located in its 5.4 sqmi business park adjacent to O'Hare International Airport. The community is served by several Interstate highways including I-90, I-290/I-355/Route 53 combination, and the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway.

It also boasts Alexian Brothers Medical Center (ABMC) hospital, which is the largest employer in the community with over 2,200 workers. There are a number of well known corporations as well including Apple Vacations, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Illinois Tool Works (ITW), ADP, CitiGroup, Symons, and Pepsi Cola Distribution. The headquarters of United Airlines were in the unincorporated area of Elk Grove Township until it moved to downtown Chicago; the Elk Grove office is still in use as United's Operations Center.

History
Elk Grove Village, incorporated in 1956 in Elk Grove Township, was originally founded as a planned suburban community. The majority of homes were constructed by Centex Corporation. As part of the original planning concept, the Village was to be home to separated residential and industrial areas (the latter of which would later become the largest contiguous industrial park in North America).

Prior to its development as a residential community, Elk Grove was home to many farmers and their families (mostly German immigrants), including Biesterfeld, Rohlwing, Landmeier, Cosman, Beisner, Wiese, and Busse. Many of the major streets in and around the Village are named for these farmers, and many of the farmers can be found buried in Elk Grove Cemetery, located in unincorporated Elk Grove Township near Interstate 90. The Busse Farm remains as the final undeveloped agricultural property in the Village, located between Higgins Road and Oakton Street, and was at one time considered as a location for a new Chicago Bears stadium (to replace the aging Soldier Field).

The original boundaries of Elk Grove Village's residential area were Higgins Road (Illinois Route 72) on the north, State Road (now Arlington Heights Road) on the West, Landmeier Road on the South, Wildwood Road on the East. The Village's original "Downtown" area was centered around the Park 'N' Shop Center at Higgins and Arlington Heights Road. Downtown consisted of Elk Grove Bowl, Jarosch Bakery, Bank of Elk Grove, a Centex development office, and several other small shops. The Elk Grove Bowl and Jarosch Bakery remain today, and the Bank of Elk Grove is now a Chase Bank.

The village easily doubled in size during the 1960s. By the end of the decade, most of the land between O'Hare International Airport and I-290/IL-53 was developed. As the village expanded to the south and west, new roads, schools, and parks were added to the community. Rupley Elementary was the first school to be constructed in Elk Grove Village and it was named after the president of Centex. The Grove Mall was built on the southwest corner of Arlington Heights and Biesterfield Roads to serve residents in that area. Grove Mall thrived for decades with Jewel Foods, Ace Hardware, the Elk Grove Lounge, a pet store, a barber shop, clothing stores, and, later, Walgreens. The Grove Mall would be closed and demolished in the 1990s to make way for a new "Downtown" development. The 1960s also saw the opening of Elk Grove High School, part of Township High School District 214.

In the 1970s, the village developed land west of the expressway in Schaumburg Township along with industrial development into Addison Township. New apartment communities were also constructed in Elk Grove along Tonne Road and Ridge Avenue. These developments have since been sectioned, and some converted to condominium homes. The village saw continuous residential, commercial, and industrial growth during the 1980s. However, Lively Junior High School was no longer necessary and saw fast-declining enrollment numbers. It was shut down by the School District, sold to Elk Grove Park District, and remodeled to become the new Jack E. Claes Pavilion Recreation Facility.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the Village embarked on a series of beautification and redevelopment programs which included the installation of a Clock Tower at Village Hall, installation of brick-paved crosswalks in residential areas, new landscaping in boulevards and other public lands, and installation of retro-themed street lights.

From 2006 to 2010, the Elk Grove High School Co-Ed Cheerleading team has won 5 straight IHSA State Championships. In 2010 the Grenadiers scored a 90.67 to defeat runner up Palatine who scored an 85.30. They were coached by Jeff Siegal.

In 2006, Elk Grove became one of the first municipalities in Illinois to enact a public smoking ban, and in 2008 became one of the first Chicago suburbs to use Red Light Cameras.

50th anniversary celebration
In 2006, the village celebrated its 50th anniversary with a full year of special events and celebrations. One specific day was almost named Bart Dill Day (for the 2006 celebration) in honor of late village Trustee Bart K. Dill. Events included the Alexian Brothers International Tour of Elk Grove (an international bicycle race featuring some of the world's best riders), a weekly raffle with prizes ranging from $25 to $100, a giveaway of a $400,000 home built by Centex Corporation), and a full concert featuring REO Speedwagon (held in the Robert Haskell Memorial Stadium at Elk Grove High School). The village plans to continue to hold the bicycle race annually.

Top employers
According to the Village's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Geography
Central Elk Grove Village is located at 42.00306°N, -87.99639°W (42.003178, -87.996418) but the geographic confluence point of 42°N and 88°W exactly is also located within the village, on Brantwood Avenue.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 11.1 square miles (28.7 km²), of which, 11.0 square miles (28.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.54%) is water.

Education
Residents of Elk Grove Village enjoy a high quality of education. Areas east of I-290 are served by Elk Grove High School (which is a part of Illinois High School District 214) and Elk Grove Township Elementary School District 59. Areas west of I-290 are served by James B. Conant High School which is part of Township High School District 211 and Mead Junior High which is part of Community Consolidated School District 54. Queen of the Rosary Catholic School serves all residents of Elk Grove Village, and was recently named by Chicago Magazine as one of the top 25 private elementary schools in the Chicago area. Elk Grove is home to many other national and state award winning schools and instructors.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 32,745 people, 13,278 households, and 9,294 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,145.8 people per square mile (1,214.5/km²). There were 13,513 housing units at an average density of 1,224.1 per square mile (472.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 86.03% White, 1.41% African American, 0.10% Native American, 8.79% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.23% of the population.

Ancestries: German (25.6%), Polish (19.4%), Irish (17.1%), Italian (14.7%), English (6.8%), Swedish (4.6%).

There were 13,278 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $62,132, and the median income for a family was $71,834 (these figures had risen to $71,581 and $86,006 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $50,141 versus $34,054 for females. The per capita income for the village was $28,515. About 1.5% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Downtown
The Downtown area of Elk Grove Village, located in the Biesterfield Road corridor east of Interstate 290 and west of Arlington Heights Road, is home to the Charles J. Zettek Municipal Complex (Village Hall), which was renovated in 2009 and is a LEED Certified structure, the Elk Grove Public Library, Jack A. Claes Pavilion Recreation Facility, Alexian Brothers Medical Center, and St. Julian Emyard Catholic Church. It is also the home to Veterans Memorial Park, Elk Grove Theatre, and the headquarters for Elk Grove Park District.

The Downtown area is also the main shopping district within the Village, and is home to Jewel-Osco, Dominick's, and several fast-food restaurants and small shops including Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald's, Jimmy Johns, and Pizza Hut.

Culture
Elk Grove Village has two distinct cultures, specifically those of the East and West sides of the Village. The East side of the Village, which is home to the oldest (and some of the most expensive) properties and holds the vast majority of the Village's government offices, recreation facilities, industiral developments, and shopping centers, is different from the West side, which is home to less dense development, with larger (but not necessarily more expensive) homes, larger parks, spread out shopping centers and has far less exposure to the Village's industrial park. Residents of the West side of the Village typically identify themselves as being more similar to, and more a part of, neighboring Schaumburg. This ideology is reinforced by the fact that students in the West side are under a completely different school district from the East side, and that parts of the West side are not a part of Elk Grove Park District.

Notable residents

 * Billy Corgan - The Smashing Pumpkins Lead Singer/Guitarist - Born in Elk Grove Village
 * John McDonough - President of the Chicago Blackhawks Ice hockey team, which won the Stanley Cup in 2010.
 * James Iha - The Smashing Pumpkins Guitarist - Lived in Elk Grove Village
 * Tim Rogner - Allister Lead Singer/Guitarist (Works at Taylor St Pizza in Elk Grove Village - Lived in Elk Grove Village
 * Jerry B. Jenkins - Co-author of the "Left Behind" series
 * Bill Kelly - Screenwriter - Born and raised in Elk Grove Village, Elk Grove High School alumnus
 * John Loprieno - plays Cord Robertscon character on "One Life to Live"
 * Dave Otto - Former Major League Baseball player and Chicago Cubs broadcast analyst, Elk Grove High School Class of 1982
 * Johnny Weissmuller - Tarzan - Lived in Elk Grove Village as a child
 * Les Grobstein - Sportscaster in Chicago area - Has lived in Elk Grove Village since 1991
 * Robert Maday - Escaped from County officials and led police on a two-day manhunt through Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, and Elk Grove Village. Also resided in the 500-block of Biesterfield Road, in the Village's downtown area.

Sister Cities

 * 🇮🇹 Termini Imerese, Sicily, Italy