Elmhurst, Illinois

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Elmhurst is a city in both DuPage and Cook counties, a western suburb of Chicago. It has about 45,800 people and covers roughly 10.3 square miles, mostly land. The city mottoes are “Close to Everything, Unlike Anything” and “Ideal for your business, your family, your life.”

History in brief
- Long ago, the Potawatomi lived along Salt Creek near where Elmhurst would grow.
- European settlers arrived around 1836. In 1842, Gerry Bates started a community on a treeless tract, and by 1845 it was called Cottage Hill.
- The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad reached the area in 1849, making travel to Chicago easier. Elmhurst’s first railroad station opened in 1894.
- The town was renamed Elmhurst in 1869. Elmhurst University began in 1871, with land donated by Thomas Barbour Bryan, who is called the “Father of Elmhurst.”
- Elmhurst was incorporated as a village in 1882.

What’s notable in Elmhurst
- Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, founded in 1926, was the first hospital in DuPage County.
- The Memorial Parade has been held every Memorial Day since 1918.
- Elmhurst’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, started in 1964, is one of the largest outside downtown Chicago.
- The Keebler Company was headquartered here until 2001; today the city is also home to Sunshine Biscuits and McMaster-Carr.
- In 2014, Family Circle named Elmhurst one of the ten best U.S. towns for families.

Geography and community
- The city is 10.28 square miles, about 99% land.
- Elmhurst has some flood risk and is working on projects to reduce flooding.

People and income
- As of 2020, the population was 45,786. The area is relatively affluent, with high median household and per-capita incomes and low poverty rates.

Education and transportation
- Elmhurst University is a private four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
- The city is served by several school districts and private schools.
- Transit includes Pace buses and the Metra Union Pacific West Line at the Elmhurst station. Freight traffic continues on the Metra line, and the Canadian National Railway serves the area south of the Metra line.
- O’Hare International Airport is about 18 minutes away, and Chicago Midway International Airport is about 33 minutes away.
- In summer and December, the Elmhurst Express Trolley runs free weekend service between downtown Elmhurst, Spring Road, and the library.

A note on transit history
- Elmhurst was once served by the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin electric interurban line; the station opened in 1902 as South Elmhurst, later York St, and closed in 1959. The Illinois Prairie Path now uses part of that former rail route. The Chicago Great Western also once served Elmhurst.