Carpentersville, Illinois Explained

Carpentersville, Illinois
Settlement Type:Village
Motto:"Building a better tomorrow today"
Mapsize:260px
Pushpin Map:United States Chicago metropolitan area#Illinois#USA
Pushpin Relief:yes
Pushpin Label:Carpentersville
Coordinates:42.1211°N -88.2747°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Illinois
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Kane
Subdivision Type3:Township
Established Title:Founded
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:John Skillman
Leader Title1:Village president
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:20.93
Area Total Sq Mi:8.08
Area Land Km2:20.39
Area Land Sq Mi:7.87
Area Water Km2:0.54
Area Water Sq Mi:0.21
Elevation Ft:722
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:37983
Population Density Km2:1862.82
Population Density Sq Mi:4824.46
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6
Timezone1 Dst:CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-5
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code(s)
Postal Code:60110
Area Codes:847 and 224
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:17-11358
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2397560

Carpentersville is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 37,983 at the 2020 census.[2] It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Carpentersville has a total area of 8.097sqmi, of which 7.9sqmi (or 97.57%) is land and 0.197sqmi (or 2.43%) is water.[3]

History

Julius Angelo Carpenter (August 19, 1827 – March 30, 1880) was the founder of Carpentersville, Illinois and its first prominent citizen. Carpenter came with his family from Uxbridge, Massachusetts and settled near the Fox River, along with his father Charles Valentine Carpenter and his uncle Daniel. Angelo was the first person to settle Carpentersville. Carpenter built the settlement's first store, bridge, and factory. He served two consecutive terms in the Illinois House of Representatives. In 1837, the brothers, en route to the Rock River, made camp along the east bank of the Fox River to wait out the spring floods that made continuing their oxcart journey impossible. They ended up staying in the area to settle what was then called Carpenters' Grove.

For the next hundred years, Carpentersville did not grow as rapidly as other Fox River communities which had more direct rail connections to Chicago.[4] The electric interurban railroad came to Carpentersville in 1896. The line was built by the Carpentersville, Elgin and Aurora Railway from a connection with the streetcar system in Elgin, Illinois and ran for four miles, terminating at the Illinois Iron and Bolt foundry on Main Street. This company changed ownership several times, including the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway. It ended up being owned by the Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company in 1924. This line was always operated separately from the rest of the system, which included all traction lines between Carpentersville and Yorkville. This was a great convenience to factory workers who traveled to Elgin and for Elgin workers to come to Carpentersville. The line was used by everyone to enjoy Elgin's Trout Park and to enjoy the "summer cars" for a cool ride. The line started to fail with the onset of the Great Depression and the establishment and paving of Illinois Route 31, which encouraged automobile use and the creation of a bus route. The final blow came in 1933, when a tornado destroyed the bridge over the Fox River just south of West Dundee.[5]

Until the 1950s, Carpentersville consisted of a street grid along the Fox River centered on Main Street, which was the only highway bridge across the Fox River between Algonquin and Dundee.[6] The Meadowdale Shopping Center, which was anchored by Wieboldt's, Carson Pirie Scott, Cook's and W.T. Grant; it also featured an indoor ice skating rink, overshadowed the commercial district along the River. A large section of the shopping mall on the north side was torn down in the 1990s and a new post office building was built.

In 1956, to reflect this population shift, Dundee Community High School relocated from its former site on Illinois Route 31 to Cleveland Avenue (now Carpentersville Middle School). In 1964, a second high school, named for Irving Crown, opened on Kings Road on the northern edge of Meadowdale. The two schools have now merged. DeLacey (one of the schools built on Kings Road) was closed and demolished, and was remade on Cleveland Ave.

From 1958 to 1969, Carpentersville was home to the Meadowdale International Raceway, a 3.27miles long automobile race track located west of Illinois Route 31 which was also started by Besinger.[7] The site is now a Township Park and County Forest Preserve.[8]

In the 1990s and 2000s, Carpentersville began to expand is development further west along Randall Road with the construction of many new subdivisions and shopping centers.

Governance

Carpentersville operates under the council-manager form of government in which an elected Board, consisting of the President (chief elected official) and six Trustees, appoints a professional manager to oversee the day-to-day operation of government services and programs. The council-manager form of government combines the leadership of elected officials with the experience of a professional manager.

Local school districts

Demographics

2020 census

Carpentersville, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)!Pop 2000[10] !Pop 2010[11] ![12] !% 2000!% 2010!
White alone (NH)15,86213,810style='background: #ffffe6; 11,47751.86%36.64%style='background: #ffffe6; 30.22%
Black or African American alone (NH)1,2342,399style='background: #ffffe6; 2,1524.03%6.36%style='background: #ffffe6; 5.67%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)8342style='background: #ffffe6; 400.27%0.11%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.11%
Asian alone (NH)5682,022style='background: #ffffe6; 1,9711.86%5.36%style='background: #ffffe6; 5.19%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)60style='background: #ffffe6; 30.02%0.00%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH)2752style='background: #ffffe6; 1260.09%0.14%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.33%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)396489style='background: #ffffe6; 8431.29%1.30%style='background: #ffffe6; 2.22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)12,41018,877style='background: #ffffe6; 21,37140.57%50.08%style='background: #ffffe6; 56.26%
Total30,58637,691style='background: #ffffe6; 37,983100.00%100.00%style='background: #ffffe6; 100.00%

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 37,691 people and 11,583 households in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 62.9% White, 6.8% African American, 0.5% Native American, 5.5% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 20.9% other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 50.1% of the population.[13]

For the census of 2000, there were 30,586 people, 8,872 households, and 7,239 families residing in the village. The population density was 4105.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 9,113 housing units at an average density of 1223.2sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the village was 68.76% White, 4.18% African American, 0.64% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 20.83% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.57% of the population.[14]

There were 8,872 households, out of which 48.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 13.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.45 and the average family size was 3.77.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 33.2% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $54,526, and the median income for a family was $55,921. Males had a median income of $38,052 versus $26,957 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,424. About 6.7% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Latino population

Carpentersville underwent a rapid transition from majority white to majority Hispanic. In 1990, the census showed a Hispanic population of 17% which increased to 40.6% in 2000,[10] 50.1% in 2010,[11] and 56.3% in 2020.[12]

In 2007, the Village of Carpentersville passed an ordinance making English the official language of the village requiring that all government meetings and notices be conducted or written in English only; the bill was introduced by village board trustee members, Judy Sigwalt and Paul Humpfer. Despite protests outside of village hall by the Hispanic community, the ordinance passed 5–2.[15]

Nearby communities (Algonquin, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Gilberts, Sleepy Hollow, West Dundee, East Dundee, Pingree Grove) have also seen an increase to their Latino population, although at a more gradual pace, resulting in more integrated communities.

Notable places

Meadowdale Shopping Center

Meadowdale Shopping Center
Location:Carpentersville, Illinois
Address:100 W Mall Dr
Opening Date:May 18, 1957
Developer:Leonard W. Besinger & Associates
Architect:Leonard W. Besinger Jr., Earl Rosin, William F. Copeland, Raymond D. Larsen
Number Of Stores:17 (56 originally)
Number Of Anchors:2 (5 originally)
Floor Area:About 314,000 sq ft incl. Walmart (600,000 sq ft originally)
Floors:1
Parking:1,165

Meadowdale Shopping Center opened in 1957 and grew to as many as 53 stores by 1958.[17] Over time the number of tenants has gone down;[18] current tenants include Walmart, Tractor Supply Company and a large post office.

In 1952, the Village of Carpentersville proposed a plan for an enclosed shopping center amid residential areas.[19]

On November 1, 1954, Leonard W. Besinger started construction planning on the mall which would become one of the largest shopping center developments in the United States at that time, and in December 1955, ground was broken for the $10,000,000 development. On May 18, 1957, the grand opening of the first 14 stores in the shopping center was held. In October 1957 construction was underway for 40 additional stores. The first of these stores to open was the Grant's department store on October 17, 1957, followed by R&S and Richman Bros.[20]

On November 20–22, 1958, the shopping center held the grand opening of its Winter Garden Annex,[17] an enclosed area centered on an ice rink which featured a Block & Kuhl department store,[21] (later bought by, and renamed, Carson Pirie Scott), the Winter Garden restaurant, St. Mauritz cocktail bar,[22] snack bar, and other stores. The opening festivities included fashion shows on the ice rink, pony and other kiddie rides, and children's theater performances.[17]

By this time the center's tenants included an appliance repair store, an appliance store, the Charles bakery, barber shops, beauty salons, Cole's camera shop, the McMullens "children's department store", Urban Cleaners, the St. Mauritz cocktail bar, Mrs. Stevens' candy shop, a currency exchange, the Block & Kuhl department store, women's apparel shops including Eleanor, Lorraine Anne, Rorry's and My Shop, the Chicago Furniture Mart, a gift & card shop, the Western Hardware & Supply hardware store, a hobby shop, the ice skating rink and Michael Kirby ice skating school,[22] Jacob's Jewelers, a liquor store, a medical center, a photo studio, a post office, a radio station, restaurants including the Winter Garden and Kings & Queens, Frank's shoe repair shop, shoe stores, a sporting goods store, a Piggly Wiggly supermarket, a travel agency, and a variety store.[17]

In November 1959, Wieboldt's held the grand opening of their Meadowdale store.[23]

On October 25, 1960, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech about his presidential election campaign. He talked about fair education for young children and housing.[24]

On November 19, 1963, a fire destroyed the mall area causing $3,000,000 worth of damages, destroyed 25 stores and the ice rink in the Wintergarden Arcade.[25] Rebuilding began immediately and one year later the mall re-opened on November 5, 1964. However, the ice rink did not return, and in 1965, Carson Pirie Scott was converted into a Clark's discount department store,[20] The shopping center continued on through the 1970s with roughly the same number of tenants, counting 56 stores and services in 1979.[26]

In the 1980s, the mall experienced decline. In October 1980 a competing mall, Spring Hill Mall opened to the west.[27] [28] Spring Hill Mall had stronger anchor stores Sears and Marshall Field's.

In 1989, the north end of the mall and half of the east end - in total - were demolished, according to mall management "in order to build to suit future tenants".[29] [30] The Post Office was doubled in size.

In 1990, there were only 28 tenants. Besides the post office, these included apparel, food, drug, video, electronics, shoe, wine and liquor, and hardware stores; cinemas; a print shop, beauty salon, barber shop, cleaners, bakery, Domino's pizza, Chinese restaurant, hair salon, bowling alley, insurance and travel agencies and a laundromat.[31]

The mall now has fewer than two dozen tenants, housed in the strip mall portion. The former Cook's department store was turned into a hardware store called Tractor Supply Company. The former Wieboldt's department store was turned into Ace Hardware. In 2016, a Walmart opened on an out-parcel at the east end of the mall.[32] [33]

Transportation

Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Carpentersville to Crystal Lake, Elgin, and other destinations.[34]

Notable residents

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. March 15, 2022.
  2. Web site: Carpentersville village, Illinois. United States Census Bureau. March 13, 2022.
  3. Web site: G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1 . August 2, 2015 . . https://archive.today/20200213085330/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1711358 . February 13, 2020 . dead .
  4. Web site: February 5, 2012. Map of the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway Connections. live. February 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20120205135218/http://www.dhke.com/schs/ejemp2.gif. February 5, 2012.
  5. "The Great Third Rail" Central Electric Railfans Association 1961
  6. Web site: Carpentersville, IL . Encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org . February 16, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181832/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/213.html . March 3, 2016 . live .
  7. Web site: Website Disabled . Meadowdaleraceway.homestead.com . February 16, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180817/http://meadowdaleraceway.homestead.com/index3.html . March 3, 2016 . live .
  8. Web site: Kane Co., IL: Forest Preserves - Raceway Woods. https://web.archive.org/web/20060622183613/http://www.co.kane.il.us/Forest/fp/raceway_woods.htm. dead. June 22, 2006. June 22, 2006. October 3, 2017.
  9. Web site: Barrington Community Unit School District 220. https://web.archive.org/web/20060703170849/http://www.cusd220.lake.k12.il.us/. dead. July 3, 2006. July 3, 2006. October 3, 2017.
  10. Web site: P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Carpentersville village, Illinois. United States Census Bureau.
  11. Web site: P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Carpentersville village, Illinois. United States Census Bureau.
  12. Web site: P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Carpentersville village, Illinois. United States Census Bureau.
  13. Web site: Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 more information 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File . . February 16, 2016 .
  14. Web site: U.S. Census website . . US Government . September 27, 2018 . en .
  15. News: Immigration - Illegal Immigrants - Labor - Families and Family Life - Illinois - Carpentersville. The New York Times. August 5, 2007. December 9, 2015. 0362-4331. Alex. Kotlowitz. https://web.archive.org/web/20150817064818/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/magazine/05Immigration-t.html. August 17, 2015. live.
  16. Web site: Carpentersville, Illinois - Village of Carpentersville, Illinois-Carpentersville Parks. Cville.org. October 3, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171011225558/http://www.cville.org/Community/Carpentersville-Parks.aspx. October 11, 2017. dead.
  17. News: Advertisement for Meadowdale Shopping Center . November 29, 2023 . Arlington Heights Herald . November 20, 1958., and advertisements for businesses located in the shopping center appearing between pp. 60-70 in that same newspaper.
  18. Web site: Meadowdale Shopping Center . Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce . November 29, 2023 . January 4, 2013.
  19. Web site: 1952 Meadowdale Shopping Center Proposal Brochure . November 17, 2023 . 1952 Meadowdale Shopping Center Proposal Brochure.
  20. News: Meadowvale Shopping Center 15 Years Ago . November 29, 2023 . Cardunal Free Press (Carpentersville, Illinois)2 . February 25, 1972 . 10.
  21. News: Grand Opening for Long-Established Firm . November 29, 2023 . Arlington Heights Herald . November 20, 1958 . 69.
  22. News: New Concept in Shopping Is at Meadowdale Center . November 29, 2023 . Arlington Heights Herald . November 20, 1958 . 61.
  23. News: 8th Wieboldt Unit Opens in Meadowdale . November 29, 2023 . Chicago Tribune . November 29, 1959 . 76.
  24. Book: The Washington Reporter . The Washington Reporter . en.
  25. News: Probe million-dollar fire at Meadowdale . November 29, 2023 . Chicago Tribune . November 20, 1963 . 29.
  26. Web site: 1979 Meadowdale Shopping Center Store Directory . November 17, 2023 . 1979 Store Directory.
  27. Web site: Spring Hill Mall to Meadowdale Shopping Center . Google Maps . November 29, 2023 . en.
  28. News: Nenni . Pete . September 25, 1980 . Snip That Giant Ribbon; Spring Hill's Opening article . 1 . . November 18, 2023.
  29. News: It's business as usual despite demolition work . November 29, 2023 . Northwest Herald . June 29, 1989 . 24.
  30. Web site: November 18, 2023 . Excerpt from Angelfire.com about the Meadowdale Shopping Center demolition. . November 18, 2023 . Google Docs.
  31. News: Advertisment for Meadowdale Shopping Center . November 29, 2023 . Northwest Herald . March 31, 1990 . 70.
  32. Web site: June 22, 2016 . Wal-Mart celebrates grand opening in Carpentersville . November 18, 2023 . Daily Herald . en-US.
  33. News: WALMART SUPERCENTER OPENS IN CARPENTERSVILLE . November 30, 2023 . Barrington, IL Patch . June 23, 2016 . en.
  34. Web site: RTA System Map. January 30, 2024.
  35. Web site: A Cinderella Story: Carpentersville Woman Emerges as Olympic Figure Skating Team Favorite. Kane County Connects. Nagel. Rich. January 10, 2018. January 10, 2018. Kane County, Illinois. Geneva, Illinois. https://web.archive.org/web/20180616053711/http://kanecountyconnects.com/2018/01/a-cinderella-story-carpentersville-woman-emerges-as-olympic-figure-skating-team-favorite/. June 16, 2018. live.