Bolingbrook, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bolingbrook
Village
Nickname(s):  The Brook
Motto(s):  A place to grow
Location of Bolingbrook in Will and DuPage Counties, Illinois.
Bolingbrook Location in Chicago metropolitan area Show map of Chicago metropolitan area Bolingbrook Location in Illinois Show map of Illinois Bolingbrook Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Counties	Will, DuPage
Township	DuPage, Wheatland, Plainfield, Lisle, Downers Grove
Incorporated	October 6, 1965
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• Total	25.12 sq mi (65.07 km2)
• Land	24.92 sq mi (64.54 km2)
• Water	0.21 sq mi (0.54 km2)  0.87%
Population  (2020)
• Total	73,922
• Density	2,966.73/sq mi (1,145.44/km2)
Standard of living
• Per capita income	$23,468 (median: $67,852)
• Home value	$153,410 (2000) (median: $141,400)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code(s)	60439, 60440, and 60490
Area code(s)	630/331 and 815/779
Geocode	17-07133
FIPS code	17-07133

The village of Bolingbrook is a southwest suburb of Chicago in Will and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 73,922. As of 2010, it is the 17th largest incorporated place in Illinois and the state's 2nd largest village.

Geography

Bolingbrook is at 41°41′55″N 88°5′19″W / 41.69861°N 88.08861°W / 41.69861; -88.08861 (41.698613, -88.088668), approximately 28 miles southwest of Downtown Chicago.

According to the 2010 census Bolingbrook has a total area of 24.257 square miles (62.83 km²), of which 24.05 square miles (62.29 km²) (or 99.15%) is land and 0.207 square miles (0.54 km²) (or 0.85%) is water.

Bolingbrook borders the communities of Woodridge, Romeoville, Plainfield, and Naperville.

Interstate 55, locally the Stevenson Expressway, runs through the southern part of the village heading northeast toward Chicago and southwest toward Plainfield and Joliet. Interstate 355, also known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway (formerly the North-South Tollway), runs along the far east side of the village between New Lenox and Addison. Illinois Route 53, locally known as Bolingbrook Drive, runs north–south through the middle of the village.

Other main streets in Bolingbrook include Boughton Road, Lily Cache Lane, Weber Road, Veterans Parkway (formerly Naperville Road), Briarcliff Road, Hassert Boulevard (formerly 111th Street), Rodeo Drive (formerly 119th Street), Schmidt Road, Crossroads Parkway, and Remington Boulevard.

Demographics

2020 census

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 can be of any race.

Growth

A typical neighborhood street in Bolingbrook

Bolingbrook is a relatively new suburb of Chicago, having been incorporated in 1965. The first settlement in what is now Bolingbrook was established in 1831, but the informal farming villages remained unincorporated for over 130 years. The tiny Boardman Cemetery, in what is now the Heritage Creek subdivision, contains the remains of some of these early residents.

Modern Bolingbrook has its roots in the housing boom of the 1950s. The first subdivision in Bolingbrook, known as Westbury, was immediately west of Route 53. A second subdivision, known as Colonial Village, followed on the far east side of Route 53. The village continued to grow steadily for the remainder of the 1960s, reaching a population of 7,000 by 1970. The 1970s were the first period of rapid growth in Bolingbrook, during which its population quintupled to reach over 37,000 by 1980. Much of this growth was as much due to mass annexation as well as raw population growth; the population of Bolingbrook by the 1970 census but with its 1980 land boundary was approximately 25,000, further reflecting the vigorous annexation that took place during the 1970s. However, Bolingbrook made Illinois' list of 100 Top places to live.

During the 1980s, growth in Bolingbrook and Will County slowed considerably as the focus of Chicago-area growth in that decade largely shifted to the northern tier of suburbs in Lake and McHenry counties. By 1990, Bolingbrook's population had only increased by about 10% from the previous decade, to about 41,000. The main benefit of this slower growth is that it allowed the village's infrastructure (especially its school district) to catch up with its population.

The 1990s ushered in a second wave of strong growth to Bolingbrook, as Will and nearby Kendall counties once again became the Chicago metropolitan area's fastest growing subregion.

Recreation

Bolingbrook Park District

The Bolingbrook Park District was created in 1970, after being approved by referendum. In 1974, the Park District built its first new building, the Deatherage-Drdak Center, constructed only with volunteer labor. In the following three decades the Bolingbrook Park District has grown to include numerous woodlands and parks, several community centers, the Pelican Harbor Indoor/Outdoor Aquatic Complex (recognized for its excellence by Chicago Magazine in April 2004), and the Bolingbrook Recreation and Aquatic Complex (BRAC). Most recently, the Bolingbrook Park District was one of the four finalists for the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park Management, Facilities and Programs.

In 1982, the Park District opened the first indoor wave pool in the United States. It was closed shortly after the BRAC and Pelican Harbor opened in 1996, and has since been converted to an ice skating arena.

In 2009, the Park District opened its Hidden Oaks Nature Center, which sits on 80 acres of woodland and river plain habitat. The Nature Center has a Platinum LEED Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council and was built from recycled materials. As of 2014, the Nature Center is used to run naturalist programs and summer camps. Animal residents include: coyotes, deer, great horned owls, and other species common to Northern Illinois.

Golf

Bolingbrook is home to the Boughton Ridge Golf Course, a 9-hole course owned by the Bolingbrook Park District. In addition, the Bolingbrook Golf Club, a municipal facility which includes an 18-hole course, is in the village. Other Golf Courses within proximity of Bolingbrook include Naperbrook GC, Tamarack GC, Wedgewood GC, and Links at Carillon (all in Plainfield), White Eagle GC and Springbrook GC in Naperville, Village Greens of Woodridge and Seven Bridges GC in Woodridge, River Bend GC in Lisle, Carriage Greens GC and RCC in Darien, Cog Hill GC in Lemont, and Mistwood GC in Romeoville.

Aviation

Clow International Airport is a small airport off of Boughton-Weber with an estimated 3,362-foot (1,025 m) runway. Clow is a public (non-commercial) airport, owned by the Village and operated under a contract with a management company. In 1989, the airport was named the "best privately owned, public use airport in Illinois." Currently, there are 70,000 take-offs and landings at the airport annually.

A WGN-TV helicopter is stationed at Clow Airport. The airport previously served as a base station for Air Angels Aeromedical Transport before the company closed its doors in early 2009. It also provides flight training and airplane charters through A & M Aviation, aircraft maintenance through A & M Maintenance, and has an EAA chapter that provides free Young Eagles flights for children.

The Illinois Aviation Museum at Bolingbrook was formed in 2004. The museum is staffed by volunteers and is in a remodeled hangar at Clow International Airport, currently donated by the Village of Bolingbrook.

Sister cities

• San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines
• Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan
• Xuchang City, Henan, China

Economy

As of 2019, 24 companies of various sizes have their corporate headquarters in Bolingbrook. The largest being: The nation-wide cosmetic retailer Ulta Beauty, as well as vehicle floor liner manufacturer WeatherTech. Other corporate headquarters include: ATI Physical Therapy, Stevenson Crane, American Chrome, Computer Projects of Illinois, Diageo, Diamond Technical Services, Epir Technologies, Goya Foods' Illinois division, Midwest Fuel & Injection, G & W Electric, Illinois Paper & Copier, Jet Brite car washes, Wi-Tronix, Perkins Manufacturing, Vision Integrated Graphics, Clark Foam Products, Wastebuilt, COTG - Chicago Office Technology Group, and Windy City Wire.

Top employers

According to the Bolingbrook Park District's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the village are:

Notable people

• Mustafa Ali, WWE wrestler born in Bolingbrook
• Kenneth Boatright, football free agent raised in Bolingbrook
• Ronnie Bull, retired Bears running back who currently lives in Bolingbrook
• Troy Doris, Olympian finalist triple jumper
• J. J. Furmaniak, professional baseball infielder raised in Bolingbrook
• Jerry Harris, cheerleader from Cheer (TV series) raised in Bolingbrook
• Anthony Herron, former professional American football player and now broadcast analyst
• Steve Williams, football free agent raised in Bolingbrook

See also

In Spanish: Bolingbrook para niños