Bolingbrook

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. The first settlement in what is now Bolingbrook was established in 1831, but remained unincorporated for over 130 years. It is at 41°4155N 88°519W (41.698613, -88.088668) and borders the communities of Woodridge, Romeoville, Plainfield, Naperville, and Darien. It has a total area of 24.257 square miles (62.83 km²) (or 99.15%) of which 24.05 square miles of land and 0.207 square miles. (or 0.85%) is water. The median income for a household in the village was $67,852 (these figures had risen to $76,392 and $82,462 respectively as of a 2007 estimate) The median age of the village is 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.0 males. About 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under the age of 18 and 6.8% of people aged 65 or over. The population was 64.51% White, 20.41% African American, 6.38% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.65% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races.

Geography

Bolingbrook is at 41°4155N 88°519W (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 of land (or 99.15%) is land and 0.207 square mile (0.54 km²) (or 0.85%) is water. 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 theVillage between New Lenox and Addison. Illinois Route 53, locally known as Boling Brook Drive, runs northsouth 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) and Remington Boulevard. The village is located on the banks of the Chicago River. The Chicago River flows through the village, leading to the city of Chicago and the Chicago suburb of Naperville. The city of Romeoville is just to the south of thevillage.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 56,321 people, 17,416 households, and 14,246 families residing in the village. There were 17,884 housing units at an average density of 872.1 per square mile (336.7/km²) The racial makeup of the village was 64.51% White, 20.41% African American, 0.23% Native American, 6.38% Asian, 5.65% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.09% of the population. The median income for a household was $67,852, and the median incomes for a family was $71,527 (these figures had risen to $76,392 and $82,462 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $46,915 versus $33,665 for females. The per capita income for the village is $23,468. About 2.9% of families and 4.1% of people were below the poverty line. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size is 3.56. The population was spread out, with 32.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 19.9%. The median age was 31 years and there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.0 males.

History and growth

The first settlement in what is now Bolingbrook was established in 1831, but the informal farming villages remained unincorporated for over 130 years. 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 Boling Brook, during which its population quintupled to reach over 37,000. By 1990, BolingBrook's population had only increased by about 10% from the previous decade, to about 41,000, further reflecting the vigorous annexation that took place during the 1970s. The first subdivision in Boledbrook, known as Westbury, was immediately west of Route 53. A second subdivision, knownas Colonial Village, followed on the far east side ofRoute 53. The population of Boled Brook by the 1970 census but with its 1980 land boundary was approximately 25,000; the population by 1990 was approximately 40,000 with a land boundary of approximately 40 square miles. The town is located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, about 30 miles north of the city's downtown area. It is home to the Chicago Cubs baseball team, the Chicago Bulls football team, and the Chicago Bears hockey team. The Chicago Cubs are the second most popular team in the Chicago area, after the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are also the most popular sports team in Chicago, having won the World Series three times in the last four years. They have also won the Winter Olympics twice, in 1998 and 2002.

Law and government

John J. "Jack" Leonard was instrumental in the village's incorporation. He served "double-duty" as both Village President and part-time Police Chief. In 1971, Bolingbrook purchased station 2 from the Lemont Fire Protection District. On July 31, 2020, longtime mayor Roger C. Claar resigned, having served in the role since 1986. Village Trustee Mary Alexander-Basta was unanimously appointed by the village board to complete Claar's term. The acting mayor will be in place until a new mayor is elected. The village has a population of about 2,000, with about 1,000 residents living in the town of Boling Brook. It is located on the banks of the Chicago River, about 20 miles north of Chicago and about 30 miles south of the city of Chicago on the Illinois Turnpike.

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. The top employers in the village are: Ulta beauty, WeatherTech, and Goya foods. The village's unemployment rate is currently at 4.7 per cent, according to the latest census data. The unemployment rate for the village as a whole is currently 4.1 per cent. It is estimated that the village's economy will grow at a rate of 3.8 per cent in the next few years. The population is expected to grow by 2.5 per cent by the end of the year. The town's population is estimated to reach 6,000 by the year's end, up from 6,500 in 2010. The average household income is $50,000 in the town of Boling Brook. The city's population has grown by 1.2 per cent over the past decade.

Major highways

Major highways in Bolingbrook include: I-81, I-94, and I-80. The town has a population of 1,000. The city is home to a number of high school football teams. Boling Brookfield High School is located in the town. The high school's football team is known as the "Bolingbrook Bombers" The town also has a baseball team, the BolingBrook Bombers, who play for the Chicago Cubs. The community has a history of being involved in local politics and is known for its involvement in the World War II effort in the war. It has also been known as "the town of the stars" for its role in the assassination of U.S. President George H.W. Bush in the 1950s. It is also known for being the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and for the birth of the town's first mayor, George W. Bush, who was assassinated in 1961. It was also the birthplace of the city's first black mayor, William "Bill" Jennings, who served as mayor from 1959 to 1961. The Bolingbrook High School football team was founded in the 1960s. The school has a football team, which was known for the success of the team in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, the town had a football program that won several state championships. It also had a track and field team that won two state titles.

Schools

Most of Bolingbrook lies within the boundaries of Valley View School District 365U and Fountaindale Public Library District, both of which also include nearby Romeoville, Illinois. Other school districts that serve Boling Brook include Plainfield School District 202, Indian Prairie School District 204, Naperville School District 203, Woodridge School District 68, and Downers Grove High School District 99. The first school built in Boledbrook was North View School at 151 E. Briarcliff Rd., BolingBrook, IL (now closed). It took its present name when it became the first school district in the United States to implement the 45-15 plan, in which schools were occupied year round with 3/4 of the students in session at any one time. Students went to school for 9 weeks and then had 3 weeks off, and teachers were optionally allowed to work year-round. Parochial grade school students may go on to Catholic high schools in proximity to Boled Brook such as Benet Academy in Lisle, Joliet Catholic Academy in Joliet, and (until its closure in 2014) the all-girls Mount Assisi Academy in Lemont. It is also possible to go to private Catholic schools in the area such as St. Dominic School (serving grades PK - 8) and Mount AssISi Academy (serving PK-12). It is possible to attend a private Islamic school in the town of Lemont, Illinois, such as the Islamic School of Illinois.

Recreation

Bolingbrook is home to the Boughton Ridge Golf Course, a 9-hole course owned by the Bolingbrook Park District. Clow International Airport is a small airport with an estimated 3,362-foot (1,025 m) runway. In 1989, the airport was named the "best privately owned, public use airport in Illinois" There are 70,000 take-offs and landings at the airport annually. The Hidden Oaks Nature Center has a Platinum LEED Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council and was built from recycled materials. The Illinois Aviation Museum at Boling Brook 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 Boledbrook. As of 2014, the Nature Center is used to run naturalist programs and summer camps. It also provides flight training and airplane charters through A & M Aviation, aircraft maintenance through A and M Maintenance, and has an EAA chapter that provides free Young Eagles flights for children. A WGN-TV helicopter is stationed at Clows International Airport. The airport previously served as a base station for Air Angels Aeromedical Transport before the company closed its doors in early 2009. Other Golf Courses in the area include Naperbrook GC, Tamarack GC, Wedgewood GC, and Links at Carillon (all in Plainfield), White Eagle GC and Springbrook GC in Naperville, Cog Hill GC in Lemont, and Mistwood GC in Romeoville.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bolingbrook, Will County, Illinois = 77. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 36. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 69. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Bolingbrook = 3.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 73,922 individuals with a median age of 31.8 age the population grows by 31.92% in Bolingbrook, Will County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,966.73 residents per square mile of area (1,145.44/km²). There are average 3.22 people per household in the 22,947 households with an average household income of $79,611 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.10% of the available work force and has dropped -4.37% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.16%. The number of physicians in Bolingbrook per 100,000 population = 98.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bolingbrook = 36.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 33 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 109. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 187. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 14.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 43, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Bolingbrook, Will County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 85.37%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 21 years with median home cost = $194,930 and home appreciation of -17.22%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $18.40 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,458 per student. There are 18.6 students for each teacher in the school, 1435 students for each Librarian and 994 students for each Counselor. 7.93% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 22.77% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.53% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).