A Brief History of Bolingbrook, IL
The village of Bolingbrook lies in both DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois. With a total area of 24.26 square miles, it is the seventeenth largest incorporated place within the state. Located just 28 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, it was home to more than 73,000 residents as of 2010. As a relatively new suburb, its modern history goes back to the 1950s housing boom but its roots are much deeper.
Settlers Arrive in Bolingbrook
In the year 1831, the first non-indigenous settlers arrived, establishing farms and the Boardman Cemetery. A two century-old sugar maple tree in the west side of the village, which once served as a gathering spot, still lies along Weber Road. For more than 130 years, the area was comprised of several informal farming villages. Westbury, the first subdivision, was not constructed until the housing boom of the 1950s. Two more subdivisions, Colonial Village and King’s Park, soon followed.
Population grew steadily through the 1960s and by 1970, the now-incorporated village had 7,000 residents. Just one year earlier, the first restaurant opened and the library district was created. The decade of the 1970s saw even more rapid growth, with the population quintupling to more than 37,000 by 1980. The first shopping center and bank were built in 1972 and the second Village Hall opened in 1972.
Notable Times in Bolingbrook
The village soon found itself on the list of top 100 places to live in Illinois. Population growth slowed during the 1980s as more people moved to the northern Chicago suburbs. A lull in growth provided time for the school district and other infrastructure to catch up to sufficiently accommodate the population. The library, community center, and high school were already operational but a post office, and third Village hall were constructed during this time.
The village achieved national notoriety when President Ronald Reagan spoke at the high school in 1984. Arena Auto, 3M, Hartford Insurance, and other companies soon established a local presence. In 1989, Wood View Elementary school was recognized as one of the best in the country. During the 1990s, the village received its own zip code and established itself as a retail, industrial, and suburban housing center.
The strong growth that began during the 1990s lasted until the year 2007, with the population peaking at more than 75,000. The recession brought a slew of mortgage foreclosures, causing a population decline. As the national economy begins recovering, Bolingbrook is once again poised to become a suburban gem.