In New York, James T. Gifford and his brother Hezekiah Gifford heard tales of this area ripe for settlement, and they traveled west. Looking for a site on the stagecoach route fromChicago toGalena, Illinois, they eventually settled on a spot where the Fox River could be bridged. In April 1835, they established the city, naming[6] it after theScottish tune "Elgin".[7]
Early Elgin achieved fame for the butter and dairy goods it sold to the city of Chicago.Gail Borden established acondensed milk factory here in 1866, andthe local library was named in his honor. The dairy industry became less important with the arrival of theElgin Watch Company. The watch factory employed three generations of Elginites from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, when it was the largest producer of finewatches in the United States (the factory ceased production in 1965 and was torn down in the summer of 1966) and the operator of the largestwatchmaking complex in the world.[8] Today, the clocks at Chicago'sUnion Station still bear the Elgin name.[9]
From 1910 until 1920, with the exception of the World War I years, the city hosted theElgin National Road Races, which attracted the top national racing champions as well as many of the major automobile manufacturers.[10][11] The races were sponsored by the Elgin Watch Company who offered a $1,000 prize and a silver trophy to the winner.[11] The races contributed significantly to the development of the modern automobile.[10]
Elgin has a long tradition of education and invention. Elgin was formerly home to theElgin Academy, the oldest coeducational, non-sectariancollege preparatory school west of theAllegheny Mountains. Its buildings have since been purchased by the Burhan Academy, an Islamic K-12 school billed as "the largest in North America".Elgin High School boasts five Navy admirals, a Nobel Prize winner, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a Tony Award winner, two Academy Award-winning producers, Olympic athletes and aGeneral Motors CEO among its alumni. Elgin resident John Murphy invented the motorizedstreetsweeper in 1914 and later formed the Elgin Sweeper Corporation. PioneeringAfrican-American chemistLloyd Hall was an Elgin native, as was the legendary marketer and car stereo pioneerEarl "Madman" Muntz; andMax Adler, founder of theAdler Planetarium in Chicago, America's first planetarium.[9]
In the 1990s, Elgin became one of the few cities in northern Illinois to host ariverboatcasino. TheGrand Victoria Casino initially generated controversy, but went on to be a significant source of income for the city. Drawing nearly four million people annually, as of March 2005 it was the fifth most popular tourist attraction in Illinois. TheGrand Victoria Foundation, to which the casino had contributed an amount in excess of $116 million, provides community grants to nonprofits in the city. In the years since, more casinos have opened in the area and the Grand Victoria Casino had seen attendance and revenue decline.
In 2013, Elgin ranked number one in theChicago metropolitan area in new home starts while ranking second in new home closings.[12] Elgin's downtown has also been the center of city renovations and new developments. New townhouses, condo towers, loft spaces, and art galleries have opened in the last decade. In October 2003 theGail Borden Public Library moved into a new $30 million, 139,980 square foot, 460,000 volume-capacity building, and in August 2009 opened its first-ever satellite branch. The 10,000 square foot Rakow Branch, situated on Elgin's West Side, wasLEED registered, and was designed to be expandable up to 30,000 square feet.[13] Elgin opened the 185,000 sq. ft. Centre of Elgin recreation facility across the street from the library. In 2009, Gail Borden was one of five libraries to receive the National Medal for Museum and Library Service issued by theInstitute of Museum and Library Services in Washington D.C.[14] In 2014, Elgin completed the Central Business District Streetscape Improvement Project and the Riverside Drive Promenade.
A significantLaotian American community calls Elgin home.[15] Elgin has been a sister city ofVientiane, the capital ofLaos, since 1967. Some Laotian Americans have opened stores and restaurants, contributing to the city's cultural diversity. Elgin is also home to a sizableLatino population, contributing to 45.7% of the population in 2020.[16]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Elgin has a total area of 38.60 square miles (99.97 km2), of which 38.03 square miles (98.50 km2) (or 98.52%) is land and 0.57 square miles (1.48 km2) (or 1.48%) is water.[17]
Elgin is in the Hot-summer humid continental climate, orKöppen Dfa zone.[18] The zone includes four distinct seasons. Winter is cold with snow. Spring warms up with precipitation and storms, some of which can be severe and include tornadoes. Summer has high precipitation and storms. Fall cools down.[19]
Climate data for Elgin, Illinois (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1983–present)
On March 28, 1920, Elgin was struck byseveral tornadoes along the Fox River that caused significant damage to Chicago and several western suburbs. Twenty-three people were killed and several businesses and homes were destroyed, including the Opera House and Grant Theater.[22]
Map of racial distribution in Elgin, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Multiracial⬤ Native American/Other
As of the2020 census[26] there were 114,797 people, 36,825 households, and 26,310 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,974.02 inhabitants per square mile (1,148.28/km2). There were 40,530 housing units at an average density of 1,050.00 per square mile (405.41/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 43.42%White, 6.60%African American, 2.40%Native American, 6.48%Asian, 0.08%Pacific Islander, 24.33% fromother races, and 16.69% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 47.44% of the population.
There were 36,825 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.29% were married couples living together, 13.59% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.55% were non-families. 24.15% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.43% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.60 and the average family size was 2.99.
The city's age distribution consisted of 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $72,999, and the median income for a family was $82,334. Males had a median income of $41,402 versus $30,037 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $29,423. About 8.8% of families and 10.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Elgin city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Elgin is home to theElgin Symphony Orchestra. Other classical music groups include theElgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Master Chorale, and the Elgin Children's Chorus. Outdoor music can be heard at the Wing Park Bandshell. Theatre groups include the Janus Theatre Company, Elgin Theatre Company, the Independent Players, Children's Theatre of Elgin, Fox Valley Theatre Company, The Home Creative Company, and Nothing Special Productions. Together,The Hemmens Cultural Center andElgin Community College's Visual & Performing Arts Center host dozens of performances a year by performers ranging from Chicago's Hubbard Street Dance Company to comedianBill Maher.
After losing many landmark businesses in the 1980s, downtown Elgin experienced a renaissance in the 1990s with the arrival of theGrand Victoria riverboat casino and improvement in the local economy. Many historic buildings have been transformed into stylish clubs and restaurants.
The city was known for its historic architecture and landmarks from theVictorian era, including some fine examples of homes in theQueen Anne style. Many of the most remarkable homes once belonged to National Watch Company executives. Many interestingSears Catalog Homes arrived in Elgin as kits from 1908 to 1940. TheElgin Tower Building and theElgin Professional Building are two large towers constructed in Elgin's heyday, before theGreat Depression. The Tower Building was recently renovated, converting it to residential apartments.[29]
Predating Victorian homes were homes made of nativecobblestone. It was believed that Elgin had at one time the largest concentration of cobblestone homes outside ofRochester, New York. Several such homes built by the earliest settlers still stand. They can be seen in Elgin's historic districts, two of which are recognized by theNational Register of Historic Places.
TheElgin Public Museum at Lords Park was the oldest building in Illinois built expressly as a museum that was still serving that purpose.
Open Elgin is a free, self guided tour of downtown Elgin's architecture. Each April, over two dozen buildings are accessible on the tour, though the event has been postponed due to the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic.[30]
The nine-member Elgin Heritage Commission promoteshistoric preservation activity. The Gifford Park Association was also active in historic preservation, and conducts a popular annual house tour.
Elgin's city parks include 112-acre (45 ha) Lords Park, which features theElgin Public Museum and a small zoo featuring a herd ofAmerican bison, and 121-acre (49 ha) Wing Park, which includes agolf course and outdoor swimming pool. Other golf courses within Elgin include the Highlands of Elgin, the Elgin Country Club, and Bowes Creek Country Club. The Centre of Elgin, which among other features includes an aquatic park and aclimbing wall, remains one of the largest municipal recreation centers in the United States. The Elgin Sports Complex on the city's southwest side offers ten lighted ballfields, ten soccer fields and The Hill BMX track. The complex hosts several local, regional and national tournaments every year. Elgin connects toAlgonquin andDundee to the north, andSt. Charles,Geneva, andBatavia to the south by the Fox River Trailbike path.
Although one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Illinois, Elgin still retains some of the natural habitat diversity that first brought settlers to this area. On the east, the city borders the 4,200-acre (1,700 ha) Poplar Creek Preserve, maintained by theCook County Forest Preserves, which includes bike trails, hiking trails and equestrian trails. The Shoe Factory Road Prairie located in the preserve provides an example of the hill prairies that once dotted the region. Poplar Creek Preserves connects to the 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve via aconservation easement covering parts of the Sears campus.[31]
Elgin boasts two highly protectednature preserves, the Bluff Spring Fen and Trout Park. For its size, Bluff Spring Fen has a remarkable number of distinct plant communities, including a hill prairie and afen, or alkaline spring marshland, which is home to several rareorchids. Trout Park also includes a similar calcareous seep community, with the addition of a unique forest community ofoaks,ashes,maples, and uncommon species such asarborvitae andwitch-hazel. When the park was created in the 1920s, the local newspaper ran a lengthy front-page story with lists of the plant species of Trout Park, reflecting both the great variety of plants present and the interest Elginites had in conservation. In the 1960s, theNorthwest Tollway bisected the site and reduced it in size.[31]
In recent years, Elgin has increased its efforts to be moreenvironmentally sustainable. In 2017, the city introduced free curbsidetextile recycling to residents, and it is the first city in Illinois to do so.[32] Additionally, Elgin encourages its residents to compost and userain barrels, which it sometimes subsidizes for residents to purchase.[33] The city also has a proposed Sustainability Action Plan that includes plans for creating renewable sources of energy for the city, a curbside organics/composting pilot-program, and information about community gardens.[34]
Elgin was chartered as a city by theState of Illinois in 1854, and 100 years later it became the first city in Illinois to adopt acouncil-manager form of government. Residents elect eight at-large council members and a mayor, who serve on a part-time basis. The city manager, a full-time professional, serves at the pleasure of the mayor and city council.
Thecurrent council members are Corey Dixon, Dustin Good, Rosamaria Martinez, Anthony Ortiz, Tish S. Powell, Carol J. Rauschenberger, F. John Steffen and Steven Thoren. Elgin's current mayor is David Kaptain and city manager is Rick Kozal.
The city council meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the council chambers, located on the second floor of City Hall. Agenda and minutes are available on the city's website. Residents may attend in person at City Hall, watch the live video stream from the online newsroom, or view the replays on cable Channel 17.
Elgin includes portions ofHanover Township in Cook County andElgin Township, Plato Township, Rutland Township, Dundee Township, and Campton Township in Kane County.Elgin Township is governed by a supervisor (Kenneth C. Bruderle), highway commissioner (Jason Krabbe), assessor (Steven P. Surnicki), clerk (Karen Dowling) and four trustees (Mark Bialek, Alejandro Lopez, Janet Rogalla and Eric Stare) elected to four-year terms.
Elgin Fire Department has 133 sworn firefighters and seven fire stations. The front-line fire apparatus consists of four Advanced Life Support (ALS) fire engines, three ALS Quints, five ALS ambulances, two boats, a rescue raft, and a Battalion Chief, along with several vehicles used for inspections and other official business.
Elgin Area School District U46 is Elgin-based, and serves most of Elgin. U-46 is the second largest school district inIllinois, serves an area of 90 square miles (230 km2) inCook,DuPage andKane Counties. Almost 40,000 children of school age are in its area. Elgin's two public high schools includeElgin High School andLarkin High School. Elgin has one K-8 publicly funded charter school: Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School.[35]
Judson University, an accredited,[37] four-yearliberal artsAmerican Baptist college, sits on the banks of the Fox River on the city's northwest side. Judson features graduate programs in architecture, education, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Human Services Administration, Organizational Leadership, Business Administration, Leadership in Ministry and the Doctor of Education in Literacy programs.
National Louis University, an accredited[38] private non-profit undergraduate and graduate institution of higher learning, in colleges of education, arts and sciences, and business and management.
Elgin has three stations onMetra'sMilwaukee District West Line, which provides daily rail service between Elgin andChicago Union Station):National Street,Elgin, andBig Timber Road. Big Timber Road is the western terminus of this service; however, Big Timber is not serviced by the Metra on weekends or major U.S. holidays, as trains terminate in Elgin on those days.
The Chicago & North Western had a line to Freeport which ran through Elgin.
Local bus service is provided byPace (the Suburban bus provider of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Transportation Authority). Pace operates about a dozen bus routes in the city with service running Monday through Saturday. Most of the routes terminate at theElgin Transportation Center located at 102 West Chicago Street in downtown. Routes generally run every half hour and meet up at the terminal at the same time to provide convenient transferring. Several routes also travel out of Elgin to other nearby suburbs, such as Carpentersville, West Dundee (Spring Hill Mall), Schaumburg (Woodfield Mall), and St. Charles (and connecting bus service to Aurora and Geneva).
In 1936, acommemorativesilver half dollar was issued by theUnited States Mint commemorating the centennial of Elgin. The coin was meant to raise money for the pioneer family memorial proposed by Elgin sculptorTrygve Rovelstad, and sold for $1.50. The obverse features the profile of a pioneer with the dates 1673 * 1936, while the reverse features a pioneer family; both images are based on a centennial "Pioneer Medal" made by Rovelstad.[43] The date 1673 was in reference to the expedition ofLouis Jolliet andJacques Marquette, despite the fact that their journey took them nowhere near the future site of Elgin.
The coin did not prove to be a popular success, probably because of theGreat Depression and the great variety of commemorative coins being issued at the time. Five thousand of the 25,000 coins initially minted were unsold and melted down by the mint. Rovelstad's pioneer statue was not installed until 2001.
The television seriesRoseanne was set in the fictional town of Lanford but was modeled after Elgin.[46] At one point, Jackie attends a trucking school in Elgin. In the episode "Crime and Punishment", Roseanne offers to take Jackie to the hospital in Elgin.[47]
Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas featured the Elgin Police Department's community policing strategies in its episode "Energy Problems, Millennial Problems, Community Policing Problems" which aired on April 27, 2018.[48]
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