My Little Town

Downers Grove is a truly wonderful place to live. Large enough to stand on its own, it benefits from its close proximity to Chicago while still maintaining a small town, traditional, ambience.

The Village of Downers Grove has a total area of 14.3 square miles and population of just a hair under 50,000 people with a location near the southeastern corner of DuPage County. It is just 22 miles from the center of Chicago, making it an easy commute via roads or Metra Rail. On the other hand, since it is home to such large corporations as DeVry and FTD, many folks are employed locally and do not have to commute.

Founded in 1832, one of Downers Grove's claims to fame is that it was home to a number of stops on the Underground Railroad which helped keep runaway slaves free. During the Civil War, Downers Grove became a railroad town as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad passed its Aurora-to-Chicago spur through the city. Over the intervening years, the community continued to grow with the construction of new toll roads in 1958 and 1989 supporting our modern growth as a corporate center.

Downers Grove is also known for its excellent school system. Its 16 public schools are joined by a prestigious K-8 school , Avery Coonley, which has been in operation in the community since 1929. Its two high schools rank number 7 and number 13 out of the 22 schools in DuPage County and achieve an average ACT score 10 percent above average for Illinois. Home to Midwestern University, which trains osteopaths and other medical professionals, the community is also one of the best educated in the United States. Over one third of residents over 25 have completed a bachelor's degree or better, 50 percent above the natural average.

I love the beauty of Downer's Grove. It is bordered by natural forests, one with a creek running through it. Six and a half percent of the city is parkland, encompassing 49 different parks. In fact, we have so many trees that we have been awarded the "Tree City USA" designation for the past 22 years. More than just trees, though, we also have baseball diamonds, lighted tennis courts, picnic shelters for parties, fishing holes and even a 9-hole course just for Frisbee golf.

When I am not enjoying Downers Grove's natural amenities, I am enjoying its many things to do. We have one of the 10 top downtowns in the area and I love visiting the collector's cars that cruise and park there every Friday night when the weather is nice.  In winter, the cars stay in, but I can walk through beautiful ice sculptures.

My favorite place to go see a movie is the Tivoli Theater in downtown Downers Grove. This theater takes me back to the old days when going to a movie was an event. Not only is it a beautiful old building with live organ music before film screenings, but it has every modern convenience, including digital sound and seats with cup holders. I also love seeing live plays and other performances there.

Shopping and eating out in Downers Grove is a pleasure, too. We have restaurants for every taste, ranging from deep dish pizza to sushi. I enjoy our ice cream parlors and our quaint coffee shops. The town's shops run the gamut from major national chain stores to unique boutiques. Being able to get whatever I need, or want, without having go too far from home is a real pleasure.

Life in Downers Grove is just about perfect. We have great schools and great places to work and play. We're close enough to Chicago to go in and enjoy the big city, but far enough away to not be affected by it. Everything I need is right here in my little town that has been "apostrophe-free since 1873!"