New Naperville Illinois Statistics

About Naperville:

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.

In July of 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Naperville third on its list of the 100 best places to live in the United States.

Naperville Geography:

Naperville is located at 41°44'59" North, 88°9'21" West (41.749826, -88.155719). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.0 km² (35.5 mi²). 91.6 km² (35.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.39% water.

Downtown Naperville is located within DuPage County, Illinois, but the city has stretched south, into Will County, Illinois, since at least the early 1980s.

Naperville Demographics:

As of the census of 2000, there are 128,358 people, 43,751 households, and 33,644 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,400.8/km² (3,628.3/mi²). There are 45,651 housing units at an average density of 498.2/km² (1,290.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 85.19% White, 3.03% African American, 0.12% Native American, 9.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 3.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 43,751 households out of which 47.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% are married couples living together, 5.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% are non-families. 18.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.89 and the average family size is 3.37.

In the city the population is spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $88,771, and the median income for a family is $101,590. Males have a median income of $75,905 versus $40,295 for females. The per capita income for the city is $35,551. 2.2% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.2% of those under the age of 18 and 5.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

The city has been named "Most Kid-Friendly City in America" by Zero Population Growth, and continues to be rated very highly at their website Population Connection. In addition, CNN Money Magazine has rated the city as one of the best places to live in the country and best city over 100,000 population in the Central U.S. (see CNN Money Hottest Towns page).

Naperville was the highest income place with a population of over 70,000 in 2000.

Naperville 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). 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 Tollway (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.

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.

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 areas to live in the United States. In tandem with neighboring Aurora, it is often cited as the archetypal "edge city."

In 1999, Naperville was designated a White House Millennium Community, due to the construction of the Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon. The tower 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. At present, the Carillon is operational but Moser Tower itself is incomplete and is not open to the public. Disputes over funding the completion of the tower were debated before the Naperville City Council during the fall of 2005. The design of the tower won an award for "Best Custom Solution" from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) .

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.

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.

Naperville has announced a series of celebrations and events marking the 175th anniversary of its founding in 2006. The events began on 1 January 2006, and are planned to continue throughout 2006. The official events calendar is posted online at http://www.naper175.org/