Des Plaines, Illinois Rand | |
|---|---|
 Downtown | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Des Plaines in Cook County, Illinois | |
  Des Plaines  Des Plaines  Des Plaines | |
| Coordinates:42°02′02″N87°53′59″W / 42.03389°N 87.89972°W /42.03389; -87.89972 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| Township | Maine |
| Settled | early 1800s |
| Incorporated | 1869 |
| Named after | Des Plaines River |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Mayor | Andrew Goczkowski[1] (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.39 sq mi (37.26 km2) |
| • Land | 14.24 sq mi (36.88 km2) |
| • Water | 0.15 sq mi (0.38 km2) |
| Elevation | 642 ft (196 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 60,675 |
• Estimate (2024)[3] | 58,832 |
| • Rank | 20th in Illinois |
| • Density | 4,261.5/sq mi (1,645.36/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−05:00 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 60016–60019 |
| Area codes | 847,224 |
| FIPS code | 17-19642 |
| Website | www |
| [4] | |
Des Plaines (/dɪsˈpleɪnz/) is a city inCook County, Illinois, United States. Per the2020 census, the population was 60,675.[5] The city is a suburb ofChicago and is located just north ofO'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after theDes Plaines River, which runs through the city just east of its downtown area.
Potawatomi,Ottawa, andOjibwe (Chippewa) Native American tribes inhabited the Des Plaines River Valley prior to Europeans' arrival. When French explorers and missionaries arrived in the 1600s in what was then theIllinois Country ofNew France, they named the waterwayLa Rivière des Plaines (English translation: "Plains River") as they felt that trees on the river resembledEuropean plane trees. The first white settlers came from the eastern United States in 1833,[6] after the1833 Treaty of Chicago was negotiated, followed by many German immigrants during the 1840s and '50s.[7] In the 1850s, the land in this area was purchased by the Illinois and Wisconsin Land Company along a railroad line planned between Chicago andJanesville, Wisconsin. In 1852, the developers built a steam-powered mill next to the river to cut local trees intorailroad ties. Socrates Rand then bought the mill and converted it into agrist mill, which attracted local farmers. The Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad made its first stop in the area in the fall of 1854.[8]
The earliest-known tornado in Illinois struck a location reported as Jefferson, contemporarily found to be modern-day Des Plaines, on May 22, 1855. It killed 3 in a granite home lifted off of its foundation. The correspondence between theSmithsonian Institution'sJoseph Henry and theDaily Democratic Press inChicago would lead to the eventual creation of the United States Signal Company, which is the earliest predecessor of the modern-dayNational Weather Service.[9]
In 1857, the Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac Railroad began running its route, stopping[10] near the mill on the Des Plaines river, where a small business section had grown up. The railroad platted the prospectivetown ofRand at the site. In 1859, theChicago and North Western Railway purchased the rail line, giving the train station the name "Des Plaines." In 1869, the Rand subdivision's name was changed to Des Plaines, and the village of Des Plaines was then incorporated.[11]
Des Plaines was reincorporated in 1873 and elected a village board the following year. Local brick manufacturer Franklin Whitcomb served as the first Village President.[12]
In 1925, village residents voted to convert to a city form of government and annexed the village of Riverview to the south. Subsequent annexations included the Orchard Place area in 1956. The city experienced rapid growth after World War II and with the opening of nearbyO'Hare International Airport.[10]
In 1955, Des Plaines became the site of the ninth McDonald's restaurant, which was often inaccurately claimed to be thefirst McDonald's franchise, and which was torn down in 1984 and replaced by a museum the following year.[13] The museum was demolished in 2018 after repeated flooding.
In 1979, Des Plaines was the site of the accident ofAmerican Airlines Flight 191, in which aMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 departing from O'Hare lost an engine and wing material and crashed near a local trailer park just north ofTouhy Avenue. All 271 people on board the aircraft died, as did two workers at a repair garage. Two more, along with three civilians, were injured.
In 2008, the Illinois Gaming Board awarded the state's 10thcasino license to Midwest Gaming and Entertainment LLC to build a 140,000-square-foot (13,000 m2) casino on approximately 21 acres (85,000 m2) adjacent to theTri-State Tollway at the northwest corner of Devon Avenue and Des Plaines River Road. Midwest Gaming received the award despite having the lowest bid because other bidders were found unacceptable by the Board, with one board member finding no bidders acceptable. The city approved zoning in early 2010, and the casino opened in July 2011 asRivers Casino.[14][15][16]
In July 2022, the third largest winning lotto ticket in U.S. history, valued at $1.34 billion, was sold at aSpeedway gas station in Des Plaines nearO'Hare Airport on Touhy Avenue. As of November 2022[update], the winning ticket holder has not come forward or been identified.[17]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Des Plaines has a total area of 14.38 square miles (37.24 km2), of which 14.24 square miles (36.88 km2) (or 98.98%) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km2) (or 1.02%) is water.[18]
Des Plaines is traversed by twointerstate highways –I-90 (theNorthwest Tollway) andI-294 (theTri-State Tollway).
Des Plaines is named for theDes Plaines River, which flows through it. The name is from 18th-century French referencing theAmerican sycamore which resembles theEuropean plane tree.
Portions of Des Plaines are underlain by the "Des Plaines Disturbance," an area in which the layers ofsedimentary rock are highly abnormal. This probably represents an ancientmeteorite crater, 75 to 200 feet (23 to 61 m) beneath the town. The bedrock was highly fractured by the impact, with large blocks of sediment upended. The crater was eventually filled by glacial activity, so that no trace now remains on the surface.[19][20]
Addresses in the city limits of Des Plaines have their own numbering system. Areas in unincorporatedMaine Township have Des Plaines postal addresses that follow the Chicago numbering system.Devon Avenue in Des Plaines is 3200 South, while it is 6400 North in Chicago.Golf Road runs through a large unincorporated area as 9600 North with a Des Plaines mailing address but is 0 North/South when entering the Des Plaines city limits. As sections become incorporated, they take on the city numbering system. For instance in 2003, land at 9661 West Golf Road, Des Plaines, became 2323 East Golf Road, Des Plaines, when it was formally incorporated into the city limits. The largest unincorporated areas are in the O'Hare area and east of the Tri-State Tollway.[citation needed]
Des Plaines is in the hot-summer humid continental climate, orKöppen Dfa zone.[21] 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.[22]
| Climate data for Des Plaines, IL, based on O'Hare (~2.5 miles away) (1990-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 35.7 (2.1) | 47.0 (8.3) | 59.0 (15.0) | 70.5 (21.4) | 80.4 (26.9) | 84.5 (29.2) | 82.5 (28.1) | 75.5 (24.2) | 62.7 (17.1) | 48.4 (9.1) | 36.6 (2.6) | 59.5 (15.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 28.8 (−1.8) | 39.0 (3.9) | 49.7 (9.8) | 60.6 (15.9) | 70.6 (21.4) | 75.4 (24.1) | 73.8 (23.2) | 66.3 (19.1) | 54.0 (12.2) | 41.3 (5.2) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 51.3 (10.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.8 (−7.3) | 21.8 (−5.7) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 40.3 (4.6) | 50.6 (10.3) | 60.8 (16.0) | 66.4 (19.1) | 65.1 (18.4) | 57.1 (13.9) | 45.4 (7.4) | 34.1 (1.2) | 24.4 (−4.2) | 43.0 (6.1) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.99 (51) | 1.97 (50) | 2.45 (62) | 3.75 (95) | 4.49 (114) | 4.10 (104) | 3.71 (94) | 4.25 (108) | 3.19 (81) | 3.43 (87) | 2.42 (61) | 2.11 (54) | 37.86 (961) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.3 (29) | 10.7 (27) | 5.5 (14) | 1.3 (3.3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 1.8 (4.6) | 7.6 (19) | 38.4 (97.41) |
| Source: NWS/NOAA[23] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 818 | — | |
| 1890 | 986 | 20.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,666 | 69.0% | |
| 1910 | 2,348 | 40.9% | |
| 1920 | 3,451 | 47.0% | |
| 1930 | 8,798 | 154.9% | |
| 1940 | 9,518 | 8.2% | |
| 1950 | 14,994 | 57.5% | |
| 1960 | 34,886 | 132.7% | |
| 1970 | 57,239 | 64.1% | |
| 1980 | 53,568 | −6.4% | |
| 1990 | 53,223 | −0.6% | |
| 2000 | 58,720 | 10.3% | |
| 2010 | 58,364 | −0.6% | |
| 2020 | 60,675 | 4.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[24] 2010[25] 2020[26] | |||
As of the2020 census[27] there were 60,675 people, 21,849 households, and 14,785 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,218.23 inhabitants per square mile (1,628.67/km2). There were 25,094 housing units at an average density of 1,744.58 per square mile (673.59/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 62.42%White, 15.23%Asian, 2.40%African American, 1.01%Native American, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 9.24% fromother races, and 9.67% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 20.53% of the population.
There were 21,849 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.63% were married couples living together, 10.26% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.33% were non-families. 27.42% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24 and the average family size was 2.62.
The city's age distribution consisted of 20.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $73,639, and the median income for a family was $93,205. Males had a median income of $52,530 versus $36,173 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $37,220. About 5.0% of families and 7.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[28] | Pop 2010[25] | Pop 2020[26] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 44,635 | 39,689 | 35,977 | 76.01% | 68.00% | 59.29% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 558 | 963 | 1,385 | 0.95% | 1.65% | 2.28% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 73 | 63 | 41 | 0.12% | 0.11% | 0.07% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 4,459 | 6,613 | 9,153 | 7.59% | 11.33% | 15.09% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 9 | 9 | 8 | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 63 | 97 | 205 | 0.11% | 0.17% | 0.34% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 694 | 877 | 1,449 | 1.18% | 1.50% | 2.39% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 8,229 | 10,053 | 12,457 | 14.01% | 17.22% | 20.53% |
| Total | 58,720 | 58,364 | 60,675 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
A notable number of Cook County residents reside in unincorporated areas which use a Des Plaines zip code. These areas are densely populated and consist primarily of high density, multi-family housing with a very high percentage of foreign born residents. In the 2000census[29] the population of these unincorporated areas of Cook County assigned Des Plaines zip codes was 25,617. This unincorporated area has never been a part of the city of Des Plaines, and the majority of this area is separated from the actual city of Des Plaines by a belt of Forest Preserve lands and a Tollway barrier created by I-294.
According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[30] the major employers in the city areRivers Casino (Des Plaines),Universal Oil Products,Oakton Community College,Sysco Food Services,Juno Lighting,Holy Family Medical Center, Wheels Inc. (passenger car and truck leasing), andLSG Sky Chefs.
China Airlines maintains their Chicago office in Des Plaines.[31] It was previously located inMichigan Plaza in theChicago Loop.[32][33]
College campuses include:
Public school districts include:
Private schools include:
TheDes Plaines station andCumberland station provideMetra commuter rail service along theUnion Pacific Northwest Line. Trains travel southeast to theOgilvie Transportation Center, and northwest to eitherHarvard station orMcHenry station. Metra'sNorth Central Service travels through the city but does not stop.
Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Des Plaines to destinations across the region. ThePace Pulse Dempster Line travels through the city on its route between Evanston andO'Hare.[36]
Major highways in Des Plaines include:
Interstate Highways |
The majority of the hit 1985 filmThe Breakfast Club was filmed at the now-defunctMaine North High School located in unincorporated Des Plaines.[48][49]
The100 gecs tree used in the album cover of the100 gecs album1000 Gecs is located in Des Plaines.[50]
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Places adjacent to Des Plaines, Illinois | |
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