Downers Grove, IL

Downers Grove is a growing village in the western suburbs of Chicago, located a little more than 20 miles west of the metropolis. The almost 50,000 residents have access to the Windy City and its surrounding suburbs with the help of a vast transportation network. First incorporated in 1873, the village was named after one of the early families to settle in the area, the Downer family. The unique spelling of the village's name, without the apostrophe, remains a historical oddity.

GETTING AROUND

In the late 1800s, the first rail line found its way into the now-Downers Grove area. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was established, which spurned the quick official incorporation of the village. Today, rail commuters can travel by Metra Rail, a passenger line with three Downers Grove stops. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe line has stops on Fairview Avenue, Main Street and Belmont Road. Interstate 355, also called the North-South Tollway, runs to the west of Downers Grove. Easy access to and from the tollway is available from Downers Grove because it maintains five direct and full interchanges: Butterfield Road (also known as Illinois Route 56), Ogden Avenue (also known as Illinois Route 34), Maple Avenue, 63rd Street and 75th Street. Interstate 355 also connects to Interstate 88, which is known as the East-West Tollway or the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, just north of Route 34 (Ogden Avenue).

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Downers Grove has a population of more than 48,000. The city accommodates around 19,520 houses, with 19,000 houses occupied. Renters occupy around 4,075 houses, and owners occupy around 14,920.

This decidedly white-collar community is made up of residents in the sales and office worker professions. The most expensive homes are located around Illinois Route 56 and Midwest Road in the far north part of the village. The most inexpensive homes are on the west part of Downers Grove, around U.S. Route 34 and Belmont Road.

Downers Grove prides itself on possessing numerous Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog homes; there are about 200 of these homes in the area, giving the village the largest concentration of Sears kit homes in the world. These catalog homes were popular during the early to mid-1900s, especially because Downers Grove was near Chicago and its railroad siding.

Downtown Downers Grove completely renovated its downtown, winning the "National Award for Historic Restoration/Preservation" from the American Public Works Association in 2001. This warm and quaint pedestrian-friendly area offers more than 70 shops and eateries.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The unemployment rate of Downers Grove is low compared to the national average. Some of the leading industries in the city are manufacturing, health-care services, and social assistance.

Downers Grove's top employers include Good Samaritan Hospital, GCA Services School, Unique Mailing Services, Midwestern University, Sara Lee Corp., Acxiom Corporation, First Health Group Corp., Donnelley & Sons Co., FTD. Incorporated, and Tricon Industries, Inc.

SHOPPING

The broad and varied business community in Downers Grove features several Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller boutique-type shops. A majority of the retail shops dot the historic downtown district along Burlington Avenue and Main Street. Other notable shops include the Butterfield/Finley Road shopping district, which is near the Interstate 355 and 88 interchange. On the southern edge of the village is the 75th Street andLemont Road shopping district, where many big-name retailers have stores. Downers Plaza, located in the northern part of the village, offers auto sales, retailers and restaurants.

EVENTS

Downers Grove Heritage Festival: Voted one of the best festivals in the Midwest, this four-day event is held the last weekend of June, and more than 100,000 spectators come to enjoy it. It is held at Main Street at Maple Avenue, and visitors can sing their way into the Downers Grove Idol competition, view the cars on display or just enjoy the plethora of food available.

Ice Sculpture Festival: Downtown Downers Grove plays host to the national ice carving championships in late February. More than 50 decorative ice sculptures line the streets of Burlington Avenue and Mochel Drive.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Tivoli Theater: One of the first theaters in the country to show "talkies," the Tivoli opened in 1928. On the corner of Warren and Highland avenues in the heart of the Downers Grove downtown, it currently is one of the longest-running, continually operating movie theaters in the Chicago area. It shows bargain-price movies daily with matinees on weekends and school holidays.

Downers Grove Park District Museum: Located downtown on the grounds of Wandschneider Park off Maple Avenue, the museum is in the historic Blodgett House. Visitors can view the Victorian structure, built in 1892.

HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital: This hospital is part of the nation's largest health-care system, Advocate Health Care. The hospital is on Highland Avenue right off Interstate 88 and serves many patients in DuPage County. The facility has a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which is the highest level of care. It also has one of the Midwest's leading cardiac care units.

SPORTS TEAMS

More than 800 Olympics-bound cyclists compete in Downers Grove for the USA Cycling Professional Criterium Championships. The event is held in the village in mid-August and enrolls riders from numerous countries. More than 10,000 spectators have watched the races and enjoyed the nearby sports expo, which includes information about cycling, food and health.

EDUCATION

Midwestern University: This university is a private graduate school of medicine. The Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Chicago College of Pharmacy make up the campus that was moved to Downers Grove in 1986; it had its prior home in Hyde Park, Ill. With another campus in Glendale, Ariz., Midwestern offers several two-year programs; a majority of the programs at the Downers Grove campus are four-year programs.