Darien, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Darien is a city in DuPage County
, Illinois
, USA
. The population was 22,086 at the 2010 census.
A suburb of Chicago
, Darien was named after a town
in Connecticut
.
movies.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²), of which, 6 square miles (15.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (1.14%) is water. Darien's City Hall used to be totally underground until 1994, when it was lifted up. Now only 75% is underground. Darien's City Hall is surrounded on three sides by the village of Downers Grove
.
Darien is bordered by the cities of Downers Grove, Westmont
, Woodridge
, and Willowbrook
,and it has easy access to the three major thoroughfares crossing Chicago's southwest suburbs: Interstate 55
, Interstate 355
, and Interstate 294
.
via the Erie Canal
and Great Lakes
. Among the first to arrive was the Thomas Andrus family. They settled along an old stagecoach
line in 1835. Andrus served as Justice of the Peace, Town Clerk, Assessor, and County Commissioner. He also established the Andrus Inn, near what is currently the intersection of Lemont Road and I-55; the inn served the 15 stage coaches that traveled the stagecoach line, and included a tavern and a post office. Andrus named the area "Cass."
Andrus and Father Beggs built the First Cass Church, which was a log cabin design. The church's cemetery, located west of where the church stood (west of Baily Road and north of Frontage Road), can still be seen today. The church was also used as a school house.
Elisha and Eliza Smart settled here in 1838 with their 10 children. Elisha got gold fever and left for California
, returning seven years later as a very rich man. He bought more land and the Smart family donated the land on which a new Cass Church was built in 1870.
John and Hannah Oldfield came to Cass in 1850. Mr. Oldfield raised cattle and increased his land holdings to 2000 acres (8.1 km²).
Franklin Blanchard opened his cheese factory in 1881 — the location of the cheese factory being where McDonalds is today.
Martin Madden was an Irish
immigrant who arrived at the Cass area during the late 19th century. He became a member of the Chicago City Council and later was elected to the House of Representatives
and served in the United States Congress. In 1903, Mr. Madden built a home to look like the White House
in Washington D.C. he called it Castle Eden. Today Castle Eden is part of the Aylesford Retreat Center of the Carmelite Fathers.
A group of German
Lutherans
from Europe came to the area near 67th and Clarendon Hills Road in 1859. They built the first St. John Lutheran Church and laid out the cemetery behind the church. Today the cemetery is still located at 67th and Clarendon Hills Road. In 1899, a new church was built on the northeast corner of Cass and 75th Street. The Church was located where the Taco Bell and Buona Beef Restaurant now stand. In 1969, the second church was torn down and the present St. John's Lutheran Church was built west of Cass and north of 75th Street.
A school was built on the northwest corner of Cass and 75th street in 1860. It was the first Lace School. It is now a museum which is open on the first Sunday of each month from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.
By 1890, the Village of Lace was established. The important location at that time was the triangle bordered by Cass Avenue, Plainfield Road and 75th Street. It was called "The Point". The Point included the Town Hall, General Store, Blacksmith Shop and the office of Dr. Roe. A Post Office had been established at The Point in 1884.
The future city of Darien was originally part of the Lace and Cass communities. Residents of the Marion Hills, Brookhaven, Farmingdale and Hinsbrook subdivisions
wanted to incorporate as a single city; this finally happened in 1969. When the incorporation committee reached an impasse on an acceptable name for the new city, acting mayor Sam Kelly suggested the name "Darien". He had visited Darien, Connecticut
, and found it to be a very pleasant and attractive community. Today, Darien is known as "A Nice Place to Live". Darien in Illinois is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable; Darien in Connecticut is pronounced with the accent on the last syllable.
of 2000, there were 22,860 people, 8,735 households, and 6,455 families residing in the city. The population density
was 3,782.7 people per square mile (1,461.3/km²). There were 8,929 housing units at an average density of 1,477.5 per square mile (570.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.10% White, 0.97% African American, 0.11% Native American, 9.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races
, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.
There were 8,735 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were married couples
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $78,122, and the median income for a family was $95,332. Males had a median income of $70,580 versus $46,352 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $39,795. About 1.6% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
DuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 22,086 at the 2010 census.
A suburb of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Darien was named after a town
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Popular culture
The town motto is "A nice place to live" which happens to be the same town motto as Hill Valley from the Back to the FutureBack to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
movies.
Geography
Darien is located at 41°44′44"N 87°58′52"W (41.745623, -87.981087).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²), of which, 6 square miles (15.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (1.14%) is water. Darien's City Hall used to be totally underground until 1994, when it was lifted up. Now only 75% is underground. Darien's City Hall is surrounded on three sides by the village of Downers Grove
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
.
Darien is bordered by the cities of Downers Grove, Westmont
Westmont, Illinois
Westmont is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Westmont is a community of six square miles in area, with a 2007 population of 26,211...
, Woodridge
Woodridge, Illinois
Woodridge is a suburb of Chicago, located primarily in DuPage County, Illinois with portions in Will County and Cook County. It uses the 630 and 331 area codes. The population was 30,934 at the 2000 census. A special census commissioned in 2003 put the population at 33,253...
, and Willowbrook
Willowbrook, DuPage County, Illinois
Willowbrook is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,967 at the 2000 census.-History:Willowbrook grew from the Ridgemoor subdivision...
,and it has easy access to the three major thoroughfares crossing Chicago's southwest suburbs: Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...
, Interstate 355
Interstate 355
Interstate 355 , also known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway, is an Interstate Highway and tollway in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Like most other toll roads in the northeastern portion of the state, I-355 is maintained by a State Highway Authority...
, and Interstate 294
Interstate 294
Interstate 294 is a tolled Interstate Highway in northeastern Illinois, U.S.A.. It forms the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois. I-294 runs from South Holland at Interstates 80 and 94, and Illinois Route 394 to Northbrook at I-94. Interstate 294 is long; are shared with I-80....
.
History
The first people to settle here came from New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
via the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
and Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. Among the first to arrive was the Thomas Andrus family. They settled along an old stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
line in 1835. Andrus served as Justice of the Peace, Town Clerk, Assessor, and County Commissioner. He also established the Andrus Inn, near what is currently the intersection of Lemont Road and I-55; the inn served the 15 stage coaches that traveled the stagecoach line, and included a tavern and a post office. Andrus named the area "Cass."
Andrus and Father Beggs built the First Cass Church, which was a log cabin design. The church's cemetery, located west of where the church stood (west of Baily Road and north of Frontage Road), can still be seen today. The church was also used as a school house.
Elisha and Eliza Smart settled here in 1838 with their 10 children. Elisha got gold fever and left for California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, returning seven years later as a very rich man. He bought more land and the Smart family donated the land on which a new Cass Church was built in 1870.
John and Hannah Oldfield came to Cass in 1850. Mr. Oldfield raised cattle and increased his land holdings to 2000 acres (8.1 km²).
Franklin Blanchard opened his cheese factory in 1881 — the location of the cheese factory being where McDonalds is today.
Martin Madden was an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
immigrant who arrived at the Cass area during the late 19th century. He became a member of the Chicago City Council and later was elected to the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and served in the United States Congress. In 1903, Mr. Madden built a home to look like the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in Washington D.C. he called it Castle Eden. Today Castle Eden is part of the Aylesford Retreat Center of the Carmelite Fathers.
A group of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
Lutherans
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
from Europe came to the area near 67th and Clarendon Hills Road in 1859. They built the first St. John Lutheran Church and laid out the cemetery behind the church. Today the cemetery is still located at 67th and Clarendon Hills Road. In 1899, a new church was built on the northeast corner of Cass and 75th Street. The Church was located where the Taco Bell and Buona Beef Restaurant now stand. In 1969, the second church was torn down and the present St. John's Lutheran Church was built west of Cass and north of 75th Street.
A school was built on the northwest corner of Cass and 75th street in 1860. It was the first Lace School. It is now a museum which is open on the first Sunday of each month from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.
By 1890, the Village of Lace was established. The important location at that time was the triangle bordered by Cass Avenue, Plainfield Road and 75th Street. It was called "The Point". The Point included the Town Hall, General Store, Blacksmith Shop and the office of Dr. Roe. A Post Office had been established at The Point in 1884.
The future city of Darien was originally part of the Lace and Cass communities. Residents of the Marion Hills, Brookhaven, Farmingdale and Hinsbrook subdivisions
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
wanted to incorporate as a single city; this finally happened in 1969. When the incorporation committee reached an impasse on an acceptable name for the new city, acting mayor Sam Kelly suggested the name "Darien". He had visited Darien, Connecticut
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
, and found it to be a very pleasant and attractive community. Today, Darien is known as "A Nice Place to Live". Darien in Illinois is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable; Darien in Connecticut is pronounced with the accent on the last syllable.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 22,860 people, 8,735 households, and 6,455 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,782.7 people per square mile (1,461.3/km²). There were 8,929 housing units at an average density of 1,477.5 per square mile (570.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.10% White, 0.97% African American, 0.11% Native American, 9.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.
There were 8,735 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $78,122, and the median income for a family was $95,332. Males had a median income of $70,580 versus $46,352 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $39,795. About 1.6% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Other Dariens in the United States
- Darien, ConnecticutDarien, ConnecticutDarien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
- Darien, GeorgiaDarien, GeorgiaDarien is a city in McIntosh County, Georgia, United States. It lies on Georgia's coast at the mouth of the Altamaha River about 50 miles south of Savannah, and is part of the Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Darien was 1,719 at the 2000 census. The city is the...
- Darien, New YorkDarien, New YorkDarien is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 3,061 at the 2000 census.The Town of Darien lies in the southwest part of Genesee County, southwest of Batavia.- History :...
- Village of Darien, WisconsinDarien, WisconsinDarien is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is pronounced or . The population was 1,572 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Darien.-Geography:Darien is located at ....
- Town of Darien, WisconsinDarien (town), WisconsinDarien is a town in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,747 at the 2000 census. The Village of Darien is located within the town...