Naperville, Illinois


History

Before any settlement, Naperville was home to Native American tribes. In 1641, the first European contact with Native Americans in Illinois was made with members of the Iliniwek tribe. The Iliniwek was the predominant tribe throughout Illinois at the time. They were later forced off the land by the Potawatomi tribe. The Potawatomi inhabited Naperville when the first settlers arrived. There was a major Potawatomi village at the present site of downtown Naperville, reached from Chicago by a trail that became Ogden Avenue. A minor village was near where Bailey Hobson later built his mill in 1834. Bailey Hobson is credited as the first white settler in Naperville; he built a cabin across the DuPage River's West Branch from the mill in 1830, and built his home there in 1835.
In 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, his brother and his wife, his sister and her husband John Murray, and his mother. Their arrival followed a nearly two-month voyage from Ashtabula County, Ohio, in the Naper brothers' schooner, the Telegraph. By 1832, over 100 settlers had arrived at Naper's Settlement. After 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 stagecoach stop on the road from Chicago to Galena. The Pre-Emption House was the first hotel in DuPage county. After DuPage County was split from Cook County in 1839, Naper's Settlement became the DuPage county seat. In 1843, the Illinois General assembly passed an act to incorporate the Naperville Cemetery Association. In 1855, Sybil Dunbar came to Naperville as its first recorded black female resident; she died in 1868 and was buried in Naperville Cemetery.
Naper's Settlement was incorporated as the Village of Naperville in 1857, with a population of 2,000. The county seat distinction was lost in 1868 to Wheaton. On August 5, 1873, a train crashed on the CB&Q tracks about east of Naperville. Conductor Williams, who was operating a passenger train, was informed of a freight train occupying the line, but for some reason increased his speed, and upon rounding a curve, ran into a freight caboose. A conductor sitting in the caboose and a cattle drover were instantly killed. The passenger train fireman and engineer jumped out of the locomotive just in time to save their lives.
In 1887, Peter Edward Kroehler established the Kroehler Manufacturing Company's factory in Naperville along the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy tracks. In 1890, reincorporation as a city occurred. After Professor James Nichols donated $10,000, Nichols Library was built and dedicated in 1898. In January 1907, Edward Sanatorium was opened by Eudora Hull Spalding. It used the open air treatment for tuberculosis patients. In 1908, the Chicago YMCA stated that Naperville was too small for its own YMCA building, but Peter Kroehler led a campaign to build one. In January 1910, Kroehler was the mayor of Naperville and its richest resident, but rumors in Naperville relating to a relationship between him and his stenographer caused him to resign as mayor. After his resignation, he retreated to his Binghamton, New York factory. The YMCA was opened on March 26, 1911, and included the first swimming pool in DuPage County. In February 1920, Edward Sanatorium burned to the ground and cost $500,000 to rebuild.
On April 25, 1946, Naperville was the site of a train disaster. Two Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad trains 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. In the 1950s, the city limits were about six square miles, but by 1960, the city had its single largest year in geographical expansion in Naperville's history with over 1,500 acres annexed. In 1955, Edward Sanatorium was converted into a general hospital.
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. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, the city's population tripled. In 1996, Naperville was the site of a flood that also affected the majority of northeastern Illinois. Naperville received 14 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, and DuPage County was declared a disaster zone. The estimated damages were over $30 million. The YMCA in Downtown Naperville was announced to close in May 2020 after 109 years of operation, due to economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Geography

Naperville is a suburb of the city of Chicago, located in the northeastern region of Illinois. It exists in six townships and two counties. In DuPage County, the northwest portion is in Winfield Township, the northeast portion in Milton Township, the west-central portion in Naperville Township, and the east-central portion in Lisle Township. In Will County, the southwest portion is in Wheatland Township, and the southeast portion in DuPage Township. The largest number of Naperville residents live in Lisle Township, followed by Naperville Township.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Naperville has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Parts of Naperville drain to the West Branch of the DuPage River in DuPage County. The Forest Preserve District owns a large amount of property along the West Branch, minimizing development in floodplains and helping reduce damage from overbank flooding that has occurred in more developed watersheds. The DuPage River Trail runs along this river and accommodates both bicycles and pedestrians. Naperville was primarily flat prairie before settlement. Its main geographic anomalies are manmade hills, such as Greene Valley Hill, a former garbage dump. Naperville has experienced two major floods, one in 1996 and another in 2013.
Naperville's municipal boundaries are notably interrupted by multiple enclaves. In the west, Springbrook Prairie, a forest preserve managed by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, forms a major enclave. In the southwest, the Tamarack neighborhood is a significant unincorporated enclave. In the north, McDowell Grove Forest Preserve and a cluster of office complexes near Diehl Road also create a pronounced enclave within the city boundary.

Climate

Naperville has a typical Midwestern humid continental climate. There are four distinct seasons: winters are cold and snowy, springs are humid, summers are hot, and falls are cool. The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F, and the coldest was -29 °F. Like all Chicago suburbs, Naperville lies within USDA plant hardiness zone 5b.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 149,540 people, 52,648 households, and 39,443 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 55,348 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 63.39% White, 4.99% African American, 0.17% Native American, 22.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.23% from other races, and 6.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.94% of the population.
There were 52,648 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.65% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.08% were non-families. 20.35% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.33% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24 and the average family size was 2.76.
The city's age distribution consisted of 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $127,648, and the median income for a family was $150,075. Males had a median income of $94,340 versus $47,690 for females. The per capita income for the city was $58,075. About 2.6% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 106,386103,60392,60382.88%73.04%61.93%
Black or African American alone 3,8286,5047,3262.98%4.59%4.90%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 1341221040.10%0.09%0.07%
Asian alone 12,35121,09433,2699.62%14.87%22.25%
Pacific Islander alone 2332440.02%0.02%0.03%
Other race alone 1302246120.10%0.16%0.41%
Mixed race or Multiracial 1,3462,7005,2081.05%1.90%3.48%
Hispanic or Latino 4,1607,57410,3743.24%5.34%6.94%
Total128,358141,853149,540100.00%100.00%100.00%

As of April 2020, Naperville was the 181st most populous city in the United States.