Glen Ellyn is an affluent suburban village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the village population was 27,450.
History
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The first landowner in Glen Ellyn was Deacon Winslow Churchill. He and his family moved to Glen Ellyn from New York in 1834. Other newcomers to the area built town necessities such as a tavern and school.
Moses Stacy, a soldier in the War of 1812, arrived here in 1835. His inn, Stacy's Tavern, built in 1846 and his second home, was a halfway stop between Chicago and the Fox River Valley and a probable stop for Galena, Illinois stagecoaches on their way to Rockford, Illinois. Stacy's Tavern, now a historical monument, stands at what is now the intersection of Geneva Road and Main Street.
In 1849, construction of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad through Glen Ellyn was finished. The area around the railroad became the center of the town. At first, trains running through the town on the railway did not stop there. A local man named Lewey Q. Newton made an offer to the railroad company: Newton would build a depot and water tank out of his own pocket if the railroad would require trains to stop there. The depot that Newton built became known as Newtown Station.
The first church, a Congregational church, was built in 1862. Many Protestant churches were built in the village in the years to come. It wasn't until 60 years later that the first Catholic church was built.
In 1889, residents Thomas E. Hill and Philo Stacy spearheaded a project to create a new lake, called Lake Glen Ellyn, by having a dam built in a nearby stream. In 1890, residents discovered mineral springs near the village.
In 1891, Glen Ellyn, advertised as Chicago's newest suburb and health resort, became the village's official name; it was incorporated on May 10, 1892. The large Lake Glen Ellyn Hotel opened in 1892, the same year much of the business district was destroyed by fire. Fourteen years later, the hotel was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.
The village's fire department was created in 1907. It would eventually become the last all-volunteer fire department in DuPage County by the end of the 1900s.
By World War I, Glen Oak Country Club served the Oak Park and Glen Ellyn communities, and in 1922 the first Glenbard high school was built.
The town went through several names, including Babcock's Grove (named for three brothers that settled there), DuPage Center, Stacy's Corners (after the Stacy family), Newton's Station, Danby (after Danby, Vermont, a local landowner's birthplace), Prospect Park, and finally Glen Ellyn. The name Glen Ellyn is based on the Welsh version of the name of the thenâ€"village president Thomas E. Hill's wife Ellen, preceded by glen, referring to the local geography.
Geography
The Village of Glen Ellyn is located at 41°52′16″N 88°3′47″W (41.870979, -88.063011). It is a suburb of Chicago, and it lies about 25 miles (40 km) to the west of the city. According to the 2010 census, Glen Ellyn has a total area of 6.773 square miles (17.54 km2), of which 6.61 square miles (17.12 km2) (or 97.59%) is land and 0.163 square miles (0.42 km2) (or 2.41%) is water.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 26,999 people, 10,207 households, and 7,195 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,080.6 people per square mile (1,574.7/km²). There were 10,515 housing units at an average density of 1,589.2 per square mile (613.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 89.50% White, 2.13% African American, 0.14% Native American, 4.74% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.83% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race composed 4.72% of the population.
There were 10,207 households, of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them. Additionally, 61.0% of households were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. Individuals accounted for 25.2% of all households, and 9.3% were people 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the village, the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
According to 2008-2012 estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau, the median income for a household in the village was $90,640, and the median income for a family was $123,455. Males had a median income of $68,630 versus $36,287 for females. The per capita income for the village was $39,783. A total of 2.8% of the population, and 1.3% of families, had incomes below the poverty line. By age, 2.4% of those under the age of 18, and 2.0% of those 65 and older, were living below the poverty line.
Between 1900 and 2000, the population grew significantly. Population figures:
- 1900: 793
- 1930: 7,680
- 1960: 15,972
- 1990: 24,944
- 2000: 26,999
Transportation
Glen Ellyn is served by the Metra Union Pacific/West Line. The Glen Ellyn station is located at 551 Crescent Blvd, near the heart of the downtown business district. The station is located 22.4 miles (36.0Â km) away from Ogilvie Transportation Center, the eastern terminus of the West Line.
Glen Ellyn is served by Pace bus routes 714, 715, and 301 passing through the village on Roosevelt Road.
The Illinois Prairie Path bicycle trail bisects the village and the Great Western Trail (Illinois) passes through the northern edge.
At the east end of the village, Roosevelt Road provides access onto Interstate 355.
Notable people
Popular culture
Glen Ellyn is the setting for the novel The Girl Who Owned a City by O. T. Nelson. The protagonist lives in the Lake Ellyn area of the village. After a virus kills all adults on the planet, she, with several other children, moved into Glenbard West High School.
Glen Ellyn and Glenbard West High School were used as the setting in the movie Lucas, Winona Ryder's first movie, also starring Charlie Sheen. The Fox Network documentary/reality show Yearbook was filmed At Glenbard West. Glen Ellyn was also used in June 2007 for the movie Witless Protection, featuring Larry the Cable Guy. The film was released in 2008.
Glen Ellyn is the home of the fictional character Joe Patroni, the TWA engineer in the novel Airport and played by George Kennedy in the movie Airport.
Education
Higher education
The main campus of College of DuPage is also in Glen Ellyn. Among its alumni are the comedy legend John Belushi and his brother the actor James Belushi.
Public schools
Glen Ellyn's primary schools are part of Glen Ellyn School District 41 [1] and Community Consolidated School District 89 [2]. Its high schools are a part of Glenbard Township High School District 87.
- High schools
- Glenbard West High School
- Glenbard South High School
- Middle schools
- Glen Crest Middle School
- Hadley Junior High School
- Elementary schools
- Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
- Arbor View Elementary School
- Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
- Churchill Elementary School
- Forest Glen Elementary School
- Park View Elementary School
- Westfield Elementary School
Private schools
- Montessori Academy of Glen Ellyn
- Phillip J. Rock Center and School
- St. James the Apostle Catholic School
- St. Petronille Catholic School
- Maryknoll Montessori School
Sister city
- Calatayud, Aragón, Spain
- Le Bouscat, Gironde, France
See also
- Glen Oak Country Club
References
External links
- Glen Ellyn official website
- Glen Ellyn Public Library official website
- GlenEllynLife.com - Glen Ellyn News, Events, and Stories website