Downers Grove Township, DuPage County, Illinois
Downers Grove Township | |
---|---|
Township | |
Location in DuPage County | |
DuPage County's location in Illinois | |
Coordinates: 41°45′15″N 87°58′32″W / 41.75417°N 87.97556°WCoordinates: 41°45′15″N 87°58′32″W / 41.75417°N 87.97556°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | DuPage |
Settled | November 6, 1849 |
Government | |
• Supervisor | Frank J. Wurster (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 50.93 sq mi (131.9 km2) |
• Land | 49.56 sq mi (128.4 km2) |
• Water | 1.36 sq mi (3.5 km2) 2.67% |
Elevation | 758 ft (231 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 146,795 |
• Density | 2,961.9/sq mi (1,143.6/km2) |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP codes | 60439, 60480, 60514-60517, 60521, 60523, 60527, 60559, 60561 |
GNIS feature ID | 0428909 |
Downers Grove Township is one of nine townships in DuPage County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 146,795 and it contained 60,438 housing units.[1] It is the largest township in the county, both in terms of area and population. Although large in size, it is one of the more blue-collar areas of the county, and is home to largely undeveloped pockets of farmland, which extend south of Downers Grove and Darien
History
Downers Grove Township is named for Pierce Downer, who settled in the neighborhood about 1830.[2]
Back in the 1800s, the town's residents buried people at a cemetery called Main Street Cemetery. That cemetery was close to a creek. There was flooding and icy conditions around the creek, which made burying people near it difficult to do. To find a new spot to bury people, the town's people asked a wealthy resident named Dexter Stanley, who owned large amounts of land, to donate some of his land to build a new cemetery. He agreed, and the town built the Oak Hill Cemetery. The cemetery is still used today.[3]
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 50.93 square miles (131.9 km2), of which 49.56 square miles (128.4 km2) (or 97.31%) is land and 1.36 square miles (3.5 km2) (or 2.67%) is water.[1]
Cities, towns, villages
- Bolingbrook (partial)
- Burr Ridge (west three-quarters)
- Clarendon Hills
- Darien
- Downers Grove (southeast three-quarters)
- Hinsdale (partial)
- Lemont (partial)
- Oak Brook (partial)
- Westmont (south three-quarters)
- Willow Springs (partial)
- Willowbrook
- Woodridge (partial)
Unincorporated towns
- Fullersburg at 41°49′05″N 87°55′06″W / 41.818087°N 87.918394°W
- Lace at 41°45′07″N 87°58′03″W / 41.751975°N 87.967560°W
- Palisades at 41°42′49″N 87°56′01″W / 41.713643°N 87.933669°W
(This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)
Extinct towns
(These towns are listed as "historical" by the USGS.)
Cemeteries
The township contains these ten cemeteries: Cass, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Fullersburg, Hinsdale Animal, Oak Hill, Pierce Downer, Saint Johns Lutheran, Saint Mary of Gostyn and Saint Patricks Catholic.
Major highways
Airports and landing strips
- Argonne Heliport
- Brookeridge Airpark
- Darien-Woodridge Fire Department Heliport
- Madison Avenue Venture Heliport
- Midwest Heliport
Rivers
Lakes
- Bruce Lake
- Golfview Lake
- Maple Lake
- Picadilly Lake
- Ruth Lake
Landmarks
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Dupage County Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve
School districts
- Westmont Community Unit School District 201
Political districts
- Illinois' 6th Congressional District
- State House District 42
- State House District 47
- State House District 82
- State Senate District 21
- State Senate District 24
- State Senate District 41
References
- "Downers Grove Township, DuPage County, Illinois". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- United States Census Bureau 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
- United States National Atlas
- 1 2 "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 108.
- ↑ "Cemeteries". Downers Grove Township. Downers Grove, Illinois. 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2014.