Members of the PotawatomiNative American people, who settled along Salt Creek just south of where the city would develop, are the earliest known settlers of the Elmhurst area.[5] Around 1836, European-American 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.[5]
The following year, Hill Cottage 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 the community, giving farmers easier access to Chicago.[5] The first Elmhurst railroad station was built in 1894. The community changed its name to Elmhurst in 1869, and in 1871 Elmhurst University was organized.[1] The land for Elmhurst University was gifted by prominent resident Thomas Barbour Bryan.[6] Bryan (often referred to as the "Father of Elmhurst")[7] played an important role in the development of the town, and has been as the one responsible for renaming the town.[8][9]
Elmhurst was incorporated as a village in 1882,[1] with a population between 723 and 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.[5]
The Memorial Parade has run every Memorial Day since 1918. 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.[5]
In 2014, Family Circle magazine ranked Elmhurst as one of the "Ten Best U.S. Towns for Families".[11][12]
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Elmhurst has a total area of 10.28 square miles (26.63km2), of which 10.22 square miles (26.47km2) (or 99.42%) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16km2) (or 0.58%) is water.[13]
Due to local topography, the town has had a tendency to flood in the past after large rainfalls;[14] the city is currently undertaking a large effort to mitigate future flooding.[15]
As of the 2020 census[17] there were 45,786 people, 16,808 households, and 12,110 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,454.76 inhabitants per square mile (1,719.99/km2). There were 17,260 housing units at an average density of 1,679.32 per square mile (648.39/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 80.47% White, 6.51% Asian, 2.14% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.92% from other races, and 7.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.32% of the population.
There were 16,808 households, out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.37% were married couples living together, 6.49% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.95% were non-families. 24.44% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.61% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 2.70.
The city's age distribution consisted of 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $123,869, and the median income for a family was $148,663. Males had a median income of $83,584 versus $46,935 for females. The per capita income for the city was $59,911. About 2.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Elmhurst city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The Theatre Historical Society of America is focused on the preservation of dance, opera, and movie theaters and includes a collection of objects from many theaters that are no longer in existence. Among the items on display is a scale model of the 1927 Avalon Theater (now known as the New Regal Theater).[22]
Wilder Park Conservatory
A 150-foot-deep (46m)limestonequarry covering about 59 acres (240,000m2) is located half a mile west of downtown along West Avenue and 1st Street. A tunnel from Salt Creek diverts water into the quarry in case of a flood. The Salt Creek Trail is also accessible from the area. The quarry is an important piece of DuPage County's stormwater management system, and can hold up to 8,300 acre-feet (10million cubic meters) of stormwater.[23]
Each spring, the company RGL Marketing for the Arts runs the event, Art in Wilder Park. The event takes place in centrally located Wilder Park, which is also home to the Wilder Mansion, the Elmhurst Public Library, the Wilder Park Conservatory and the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art. The event "features of a juried show of fine arts, crafts and original creations of over 100 artists, including jewelry, glass, ceramics, painting, wood, photography, sculpture, paper and mixed media."[24] The event also hosts live music and entertainment and over 40 food vendors.[25]
During the summers and December, Elmhurst also has the "Elmhurst Express Trolley", a free weekend trolley that connects downtown Elmhurst to the Spring Road businesses and the Elmhurst Public Library. It runs Friday-Saturday and the $40,000 cost comes out of visiting and tourism fund.[30][31]
Former services
Elmhurst was previously served by the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad, an electric interurban rail line. The station opened in 1902 as "South Elmhurst"[32] until being renamed to "York St." The station closed in 1959 after the CA&E ceased operations. The Illinois Prairie Path now runs over the former line.[33] The Chicago Great Western also served Elmhurst. It had commuter rail between Grand Central Station and DeKalb until 1906.
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