About the Naperville, Oswego, Bolingbrook, and other communities in the western suburbs of Chicago Illinois Area 

Naperville, Illinois: 

Naperville, 28 miles west of the Chicago loop, was settled in 1831 with the credit going
to Joseph Naper. Soon, saw mills and grist mills were built and even stone quarries existed
that provided building materials, some of which were used for rebuilding after Chicago’s
devastating fire in 1871. 

In 1864 the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad established a line through Naperville,
and the growth continued with this new link to Chicago. In 1870, North Central College
located to its Naperville location. Presently many colleges and universities have satellite
campuses in the area. Naperville acquired city status in 1890 and by 1900 had grown in
population to around 2600.  

By 1960, Naperville was gaining in population, but really exploded in the 1980’s after the
building of the East-West tollway with an interchange for Naperville thus linking it to
Chicago via the Eisenhower expressway, and there was also a direct route to Chicago on
the Stevenson expressway on the southern border. With this new access, Naperville was
really “on the map” and continued to thrive into what is now a city of around 140,000
making it the 4th largest city in the state. 

With its excellent schools, vibrant downtown and lovely residential areas, Money magazine
has rated Naperville in the top of best cities in which to live with comparable populations. 

Today, Naperville is vibrant---day and night. It offers extensive shopping and fantastic
restaurants with a number of Chicago venues locating here. 

Naperville also boasts two train stations plus an underpass to access downtown via
Washington St.—a main street of the city. In the early 80’s building of the Riverwalk
commenced and now stretches several miles on which to stroll along and enjoy. In 2000,
the new Millenium Carillon was dedicated adding to the enjoyment of the Riverwalk Park.
Toward the end of the Riverwalk is Centennial Beach which encompasses two acres of
water in an abandoned quarry, featuring a sand beach with 0 depth walk into water and picnic
areas. There is also a nationally competitive lifeguard team. The most recent addition to the
Naperville cityscape is the Center for Performing Arts being built on Chicago Ave. near
North Central College. 

My wife has lived in Naperville or the vicinity for almost 25 years----first from 1974 to 1980 and again from 1989 to the present, it is amazing to see the fantastic progress from a small town to the flourishing city it is today. Naperville seems to know no bounds, and it will be exciting to see what the future brings. 

Check out the History of Naperville, Illinois.  

Request my Free Naperville, Oswego and Bolingbrook Relocation Package. It's packed full of useful and important information about the Naperville, Oswego and Bolingbrook, Illinois area. Don't move here without it! Remember: I'll send it to you for free and without obligation. Just fill out the form and I will send it right out... 

It's my job to know EVERYTHING about Naperville, Oswego and Bolingbrook! Ask me any question. Or request a FREE information package. There's no obligation, and I promise to get back to you quickly...