Naperville, Illinois

Naperville is a city located in DuPage County, Illinois and Will County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,358; a special census in 2003 estimated the population at 135,858. Approximately 95,000 Napervillians live in DuPage County, while about 40,000 reside in Will County.

History

Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. It briefly served as the DuPage county seat, before nearby Wheaton, Illinois appropriated that distinction one night in a bout of drunkenness (on the part of Naperville) and sign stealing (on the part of Wheaton)http://patsabin.com/dupage/courtrecords.htm. A predominantly rural community for most of its existence, Naperville experienced a population explosion in the 1980s and 1990s following the construction of the East-West (now known as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) and North-South tollways. In the past two decades, it has nearly quadrupled in size as Chicagoland's urban sprawl brought corporations, jobs, and wealth to the area.

Related Topics:
1831 - Joseph Naper - County seat - Wheaton, Illinois - 1980s - 1990s - Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway - North-South - Tollway - Chicagoland - Urban sprawl - Corporation - Jobs - Wealth

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Employers contributing to this population explosion include Bell Labs and Western Electric (both now owned by Lucent Technologies), Amoco Labs (now owned by BP), Nalco Chemical, NiCor, and more recently by Edward Hospital. Tellabs and Laidlaw have corporate headquarters in Naperville, and ConAgra's Packaged Meats and Deli division's offices are also in Naperville. Also, Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory are nearby.

Related Topics:
Bell Labs - Western Electric - Lucent Technologies - Amoco - BP - Tellabs - Laidlaw - ConAgra - Fermilab - Argonne National Laboratory

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Excellent schools (including two K-12 school districts, North Central College, and satellite campuses for Northern Illinois University, Robert Morris College and DePaul University), a 30-minute commute to the Chicago Loop via an express train, and a notably picturesque downtown centered on the Riverwalk (a promenade along the west branch of the DuPage River) have made it one of the most desirable suburbs of Chicago. In tandem with neighboring Aurora, it is often cited as the archetypal "edge city."

Related Topics:
North Central College - Northern Illinois University - Robert Morris College - DePaul University - Chicago Loop - DuPage River - Suburb - Chicago - Aurora - Edge city

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In 1999, Naperville was designated a White House Millennium Community, due to the construction of the Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon. The tower (not currently open to the public) is located just north of Aurora Road, and at the base of Rotary Hill within the Riverwalk Park complex. The Millennium Carillon is specially designated as a Grand Carillon, with 72 bells, and is one of only four worldwide that span six octaves. The Millennium Carillon was dedicated in an Independence Day event on June 29, 2000, with a reception of over 15,000 attendants, along with a performance by the Naperville Municipal Band and the Naperville Men's Glee Club and Festival Chorus. The Carillon is both manually and also computer-playable, with most performances being done by hand, but with half the bells played by a computer-controlled system at set times during the day. The design of the tower won an award for "Best Custom Solution" from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) http://www.pci.org/markets/markets.cfm?path=tanks&id=millennium.cfm.

Related Topics:
1999 - Carillon - Independence Day - June 29 - 2000

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By 2007, a DuPage River Trail will be opened for pedestrians and bicyclists, stretching from the DuPage River Sports Complex (at Naperville's boundary with Bolingbrook, Illinois) through Knoch Knolls Park (south of the DuPage/Will county line) to the Riverwalk in downtown Naperville. As of early July 2005, the trail can only be hiked from 87th Street to Hobson Road. This is due to continuing legal negotiations between the city and homeowners along the trail. From Hobson Road north to the Riverwalk, the path is fully open to both pedestrians and bicyclists.

Related Topics:
2007 - Bolingbrook, Illinois

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On April 26, 1946, Naperville was the site of one of the worst train accidents in Chicagoland history. Two Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad trains, the Advance Flyer and the Exposition Flyer, collided 'head to tail' on a single track. The accident killed 45 and injured more than 100. This event is commemorated in a metal inlay map of Naperville on the southeast corner of Nichols Library's sidewalk area.

Related Topics:
April 26 - 1946 - Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

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