Downers Grove Village History
Feb 20th, 2008 by admin
Pierce Downer was the Village’s first settler who built his home in a beautiful grove of oak trees in 1832. Over time, vast prairies, forests and Indian trails evolved into planked roads, then major thoroughfares. Bustling economic districts developed along these transportation routes. When three rail stations, two major airports and a network of interstate highways were built within or near the Village, Downers Grove’s reputation as a highly accessible location was established.
Through the years, the community enjoyed a high quality of life in a pleasant home town environment as its population steadily increased. In the mid-seventies and eighties, the Village began to experience accelerated commercial growth. In the nineties, beautiful new Class A office campuses were quickly filled with blue chip corporations whose business travelers frequented our hotels. As Downers Grove’s popularity grew, its daytime population soared, increasing from 48,000 to 110,000 as employees, shoppers and visitors frequented the Village.
The 1997 Master Plan served as a blueprint for balanced growth and development in the downtown. In 2001, the downtown completed an award winning $12 million renovation, which revitalized the entire area. This success served as the catalyst to launch other Master Plan projects, which were completed or are currently underway. In 1999, the Village created an Ogden Corridor Master Plan. TIF Districts and SSAs were established to support redevelopment efforts. As Downers Grove evolves, it continues to preserve its charming, home town character, which has been its trademark for nearly 200 hundred years.
Multi-generations of residents value the high quality of life and convenient big city amenities that are available in a warm, home town environment. They also like the diverse housing stock (including a large collection of historic Sears Homes), rising property values, safe neighborhoods and low taxes. Downers Grove’s 600 acres of parks offer an abundance of diverse recreational activities. The Village also hosts some of Chicago land’s most unique and popular events such as the USPRO Grand Sports Prix, which features the nation’s best cyclists and inline skaters competing for national titles.
Schools have developed a national reputation for academic excellence. The library has the highest circulation of all 86 libraries in the Suburban Library System. Good Samaritan
Hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center and has outstanding Neonatal, Cardiac, Cancer and Wellness departments.
Downers Grove’s 12 business districts and more than 3,000 businesses are able to attract customers from miles around. Many of these businesses have been fixtures in the community for years such as the Main Street Pharmacy (97 years), Flexible Steel (96 years) and the historic Tivoli Theater (75 years). Other businesses like Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fry’s Electronics, Sara Lee and Blue Cross/Blue Shield chose Downers Grove as their new home due to our highly accessible location, strong demographics and diverse commercial property. One of the Village’s greatest attributes is its people. Warm, congenial people who share a common vision and partner together to make a difference in this community and beyond.
–From: Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation (2/20/2008)
