A new park in downtown Naperville offers open space for residents. Until a few decades ago, Naperville was just another little farming town west of Chicago.
But after a series of serendipitous changes, the town grew like Alice in Wonderland with a cake that reads, “eat me.”
The town always had been along the Burlington Northern train lines, giving it ready access to Chicago. But back in the 1960s, an extension of I-5, now I-88, with an exit at Naperville Road, inspired various large employers such as Amoco Research Center and AT&T Bell Laboratories to locate in or near Naperville, bringing with them a host of well-paid employees looking for housing.
Since then, good schools and a charming Riverwalk built in the 1980s have lured even more newcomers. Today, the town has more than 140,000 residents, making it the state’s fifth-largest city. It’s also one of the best, according to Money Magazine, which once again rated Naperville among its “Best Places to Live.” In 2008, Naperville ranked third in the nation, and has made the list three times in recent years. Also, Fortune Small Business magazine put the city on its list of Best Places to Live and Launch in 2008.
Its thriving downtown hosts a lively night life and a restaurant for every taste, including numerous well-known Chicago restaurants such as Rosebud’s, Heaven on Seven, Catch 35, Lou Malnati’s, Giordano’s, two Francesca’s restaurants, Sullivan’s Steak House and many more.
Visitors flock to the downtown for dinner or a festival and stay for a stroll along the flowering, landscaped Riverwalk next to the West Branch of the DuPage River.
Housing prices have held fairly steady through the most recent crunch. The average home price in Naperville is a little more than $500,000, a price that could buy a 20-year-old, four-bedroom Georgian on a premium lot, a teardown candidate near the train station, or a two-bedroom, four-bath glamour brownstone near the downtown.
While single-family homes predominate, the city does have townhomes and condos. Attached housing ranges from a $1.5 million penthouse overlooking the Riverwalk to a one-bedroom, one-bath unit in a building with a pool for $119,500.
Rental homes are common in neighborhoods that are transitioning with teardown-rebuilds, as well as among slow-moving homes for sale, and apartments are easy to find along major streets. Executive home rentals go as high as $5,000 a month but tend to range around $3,000, with smaller, three-bedroom homes in the $1,700 to $1,800 range. Apartments and attached housing, typically with two bedrooms and a garage or parking space, tend to run from about $900 to $1,300.
Low crime and excellent schools are also draws for families. The city is served by two school districts, Naperville School District 203, and Indian Prairie District 204, which also includes other municipalities. Both districts have two high schools. Recently District 203 students won bragging rights with an average ACT score of 25.1; District 204 students weighed in with a respectable 23.5. The city also has North Central College, a small liberal arts school, right near downtown Naperville.
In February, 2008, District 203 voters approved a tax increase slated for school infrastructure improvements, including a major renovation of aging Naperville Central High School.
It all makes for a great community to raise a family in, says Ray Kinney, a local businessman who has lived in Naperville since 1979.
“We have an engaged citizenry that genuinely cares about the quality of life,” Kinney said. “Just one walk through Naper Settlement, along on the Riverwalk, or on the campus of North Central College and you can see that this is a community rich in heritage but progressive in its diverse offerings. We have quiet community parks in addition to large, regionally located playing fields that create great gathering places for kids and families. Napervillians are friendly, generous and resourceful and there is never a lack of community activities to take part in, volunteer for or just enjoy.”
City of Naperville
400 S. Eagle St.
630-420-6111
E-mail: info@naperville.il.us
Official Web site: http://naperville.il.us/
Natural gas: NICOR, 888-642-6748
Electricity: Naperville's Department of Public Utilities, 630-420-6059
Phone: AT&T, 888-824-8314, CcomCast Digital Phone Service, 888-266-2279
Cable: Wide Open West, 866-496-9669; Comcast, 866-594-1234
Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce
http://www.naperville.net/
630-355-4141
Population: 128,358
Median household income: $88,771
Median house price: $254,200
- Hispanic origin (any race): 3%
- 86%
- 3%
- 10%
- 1%
- White
- Black
- Asian
- Other
- 4%
- 23%
- 50%
- 24%
- No diploma
- High school
- Bachelor's
- Master's & above
- 2%
- 7%
- 11%
- 13%
- 11%
- 5%
- 11%
- 3%
- 4%
- 11%
- 13%
- 4%
- 6%
- <5
- 5-9
- 10-14
- 15-19
- 20-24
- 25-29
- 30-34
- 35-39
- 40-44
- 45-59
- 60-89
- 90+
- Work@home
