Water Damage Repair in Downtown Aurora n Same-Day Response

Bellwood

 

 

25th Avenue

 

 

17th Avenue

 

 

11th Avenue

 

 

5th Avenue

Westchester branch

Garfield Park branch

Forest Park (CA&E)

Des Plaines (CTA)

 

 

 

 

Hannah

 

 

Harlem

 

 

Home

 

 

Oak Park

 

 

Gunderson

 

 

Lombard

 

 

Austin

 

 

Central

 

 

Laramie

 

 

Cicero

 

 

Kilbourn

 

 

Tripp

 

 

Pulaski

 

 

Garfield Park

 

 

St. Louis

 

 

Kedzie

 

 

Sacramento

 

 

California

 

 

Western

 

 

Hoyne

 

Ogden

Douglas branch

to Cicero-Berwyn

Logan Square branch

to Logan Square

 

Marshfield

 

 

Laflin

 

 

Racine

 

 

Halsted

 

 

Canal

 

 

 

Metropolitan main line

east to The Loop

 

Wells Street Terminal

The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad (CA&E), known colloquially as the "Roarin' Elgin" or the "Great Third Rail", was an interurban railroad that operated passenger and freight service on its line between Chicago and Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and Elgin, Illinois, from 1902 until 1957 (passenger service). The railroad also operated a small branch to Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Hillside and owned a branch line to Westchester.

Wounded by the increased use of automobiles after World War II, the CA&E abruptly ended passenger service in 1957. Freight service was suspended in 1959, and the railroad was officially abandoned in 1961. Most of the right-of-way has since been converted to the Illinois Prairie Path rail trail.

The first known attempt to create an electric railway between the metropolis of Chicago and the Fox Valley settlement of Aurora was in late 1891. By this time, passengers in Aurora and Elgin were served by steam railways. Elgin was served by the Milwaukee Road, Geneva and West Chicago served by the Chicago and North Western Railway, St. Charles served by the Chicago Great Western, and Aurora was served by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q). However, it was thought that an electric line would greatly facilitate interurban travel, as there would be no freight trains to slow passenger trains. A group of investors founded the Chicago & Aurora Interurban Railway with a $1 million investment. However, the railroad was unable to secure additional funds; it failed to meet an 1893 construction deadline and effectively ceased operation thereafter. A second attempt came two years later with the Chicago, Elgin & Aurora Electric Railway. Plans called for the railroad to run through Turner (now West Chicago), Wheaton, and Glen Ellyn. Like its predecessor, the railroad failed to acquire the necessary funds for construction. Yet another group incorporated the DuPage Interurban Electric Railway in 1897, but was met with a similar fate.^[1] Small electric lines opened in the 1890s that connected the municipalities of the Fox River Valley. A profitable streetcar railway stretched from Aurora north to Carpentersville. The success of this railway inspired investors to again attempt an electric connection to Chicago. A group led by F. Mahler, E. W. Moore, Henry A. Everett, Edward Dickinson, and Elmer Barrett formed independent railway lines that were projected to stretch from Aurora and Elgin to Chicago. These two companies were incorporated on February 24, 1899. The Everett-Moore group was Ohio's largest interurban railroad company and had experience administrating several lines around Cleveland, most notably the Lake Shore Electric Railway. These two companies, the Aurora, Wheaton & Chicago Railway and Elgin & Chicago Railway, were incorporated on February 24, 1899.^[2]

Only one day after their founding, a second group of Cleveland-based investors, led by the Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group, incorporated the Aurora, Wheaton, & Chicago Railroad Company. Pomeroy-Mandelbaum was the second largest interurban railway company in Ohio and intended to compete against the Everett-Moore group. A meeting between the Everett-Moore syndicate and Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group occurred in either 1900 or 1901 to discuss the future of the two companies. They came to an agreement: Everett-Moore would build and maintain the railways connecting Aurora to Chicago while the Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group would control railways linking cities in the Fox River Valley (eventually consolidating as the Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company [AE&FRE]).^[3] A third railway, the Batavia & Eastern Railway Company, was incorporated by the Everett-Moore group in 1901 to link the town of Batavia to the Aurora line. On March 12, 1901, all of the previously incorporated Everett-Moore companies were merged into one, renamed the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway Company (AE&C). Three million dollars' worth of bonds were issued in 1901 to support track construction.^[4]

Construction commenced on September 18, 1900, when the AE&C started to grade its right-of-way. The AE&C received permission to cross existing track lines in February 1902, alleviating one of the largest obstacles in the railway's construction. Construction escalated following the winter months; by April, the third rail had been completed between Aurora and Wheaton. Later that month, the railway connected to the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad at 52nd Avenue (modern day Laramie Avenue) in Chicago. The company operated steam locomotives on completed portions to deliver construction goods to where they were needed. Wheaton was selected as the site of the railroad's headquarters, car barn, and machine shop. $1.5 million in preferred stock was issued in April 1902 to cover unexpected costs.^[5]

AE&C purchased a 28-acre (11 ha) lot south of Batavia and constructed a power station to provide electricity. Commercial electric power was not yet available at the time, so the railroad needed to provide its own power for the third rail. Steam boilers were fed with coal provided by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. On April 11, 1902, they signed a contract with General Electric to provide electrical generators, transformers, and converters for the powerhouse. The line completed a network of utility poles through the right-of-way, allowing communication and power exchange between electrical substations along the track in Aurora, Warrenville, and Lombard. A fifth station was built southeast of Wayne for the Elgin branch. The substations converted the alternating current in the power lines to a lower-voltage direct current for use in the third rail. After its completion, the power station also provided power for at least three small trolley lines and several Fox Valley communities.^{[6] [7]}

The Cleveland Construction Company was hired to build the line. All three rails were traditional "T" design rails laid on stone ballast. Wooden railroad ties were laid 2,816 ties to the mile and separated at standard gauge. Every fifth tie was 9 feet (2.7 m) long to support the third rail. The majority of the line was a double track, with a single track running from the Chicago Golf Club to Aurora. Roadbeds for the double track were 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and were surrounded by woven wire fencing. The third rail was usually placed on the inner sides of the double track, providing safety for residents and employees. The third rail was interrupted at railroad crossings, where a cable was placed underground to carry the current across the 75-foot (23 m) gap.^[8][9]

The first inspection trip of the 34.5-mile (55.5 km) line was held on May 16, 1902. the train departed from 52nd Avenue to Aurora, then traversed the AE&FRE south to Yorkville then north to Dundee. AE&C management announced later that evening that they planned on opening the line on July 1. The AE&FRE announced soon afterward that it would offer express transfer service from Fox Valley communities to the AE&C. On May 17, the AE&C tested the powerhouse in Batavia and found several problems with its performance. Heavy rains in June stalled construction and washed out some completed roadbed. The opening date was pushed to July 12, but delays in rolling stock production further stalled it to August.^[10]

Poor investments forced the Everett-Moore syndicate to sell its shares in the AE&C in mid-1902. The company had formed a telephone company, but struggled to compete with the Bell Telephone Company. In addition, one of their construction companies went bankrupt, spurring a credit crisis in Cleveland. Creditors demanded pay, and the Everett-Moore group sold off several assets, including their shares of the railroad company totaling $200,000. The Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group still held a large share in the company and became leaders in its operation.^[11]

The G. C. Kuhlman Car Company was tasked with providing thirty passenger cars but, for unknown reasons, the deal fell through. An order was placed with the Niles Car and Manufacturing Company in March 1902 for ten cars. Niles Cars were in such high demand that the company was unable to fulfill the full order, but did deliver the AE&C's first six cars on July 29, 1902. The cars were 74,325 pounds (33,713 kg) with four 125 horsepower (93 kW) motors and 36-inch (910 mm) wheels. They were described as "miniature Pullmans" and could seat forty-six or fifty-two passengers. Another twenty cars were ordered from the John Stephenson Car Company and would arrive after the railway was opened.^[12][13]

One final problem for the AE&C was finding enough qualified motormen to run the trains. The company found none in the immediate area and had to recruit sixteen men from Dayton, Ohio. Another inspection tour occurred on August 4, from Wheaton to 52nd Avenue. A Niles Car was pulled by a steam locomotive along the track to ensure that none of the curves were too sharp for the intended rolling stock. Original plans called for the third rail to guide the car, but the company experienced many electrical problems along its power lines. By the time the third rail was functioning properly, two hundred and fifty utility poles had burned to the ground due to faulty insulators. A final inspection took place on August 21 from Wheaton to Elmhurst. Although problems with the utility poles were noted, the inspection was otherwise considered a success. For the next three days, engineers tested the line from Aurora to Wheaton so that they would have a familiarity with the track.^[14]

Despite a malfunctioning power system, a group of nearly-untrained motormen, and only six pieces of operational rolling stock, the Aurora branch of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad opened on August 25, 1902. Fares were 25 cents one-way and 45 cents round-trip. Passengers who wanted to enter The Loop had to transfer to the Metropolitan West Side Elevated at 52nd Avenue for an additional five cents. Service began at 5:33 am and concluded at 11:33 pm, with trains running every thirty minutes. Terminals were opened to the public at 52nd Avenue, Austin Avenue (in Chicago), Oak Park, Harlem Avenue (in Forest Park), Maywood, Bellwood, Wolf Road (in Hillside), South Elmhurst, Secker Road (in Villa Park), Lombard, Glen Ellyn, College Avenue (in Wheaton), Wheaton, Gary Road (in Wheaton), Chicago Golf Grounds, Warrenville, Ferry Road (in Warrenville), Eola Junction (in Aurora), and Aurora.^[15][16] A one-way trip from Aurora to Chicago was seventy-five minutes. The final four cars from the Niles Car Company arrived on September 5 and were put into service seven days later. The original train schedules posted at stations showed service on the Batavia branch. However, actual service did not begin until the last week of September 1902. The Batavia branch met the Aurora branch at Eola Junction. Even when opened, the Batavia branch experienced little traffic and may have been primarily used as convenient transport for railroad officials to the Batavia powerhouse.^[17][18]

The AE&C issued promotional leaflets to citizens of Fox Valley cities and towns. They also sent these pamphlets to settlements west of Aurora, hoping that people would take a steam train to Aurora and then transfer to the electric line. They boasted that the AE&C was the "finest electric railroad in the world." By the end of the year, the AE&C was seeing monthly earnings in excess of $16,500. In addition, the nearby Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad had a dramatic decrease of passengers between Aurora and Chicago.^[19]

The twenty cars from Stephenson arrived in December 1902. Fifteen cars were equipped with motors (even numbers 30–58) and five did not (odd numbers 101–109); these latter five cars were intended to only be used as trailing cars. Trailing cars would often be added or removed at Wheaton depending on the number of passengers. The Stephenson cars were almost identical in every respect to the Niles cars. These new cars reduced the travel time between Aurora and Chicago to one hour. The new cars also allowed the railroad to operate at faster speeds—one run from 52nd Avenue to Aurora averaged 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).^[20]

Service to Elgin began on May 29, 1903.^[21][22] The 17.5-mile (28.2 km) branch split off from the main line at Wheaton, and allowed trains from Chicago to reach the Fox Valley city in sixty-five minutes. When opened, the AE&C was able to change its schedules to allow trains to leave 52nd Avenue every fifteen minutes, alternating between Aurora and Elgin. All trains at this point ran locally, stopping at every station. The AE&C briefly considered expanding to Mendota in late 1903, but determined that it was not worth the financial risk. Though cars primarily carried passengers, some early morning cars carried light freight. Notably, the AE&C reached a deal with the Chicago Record Herald in October 1903 to distribute the paper to the suburbs along the line.^[23]

On December 1, 1909,^[24] the railroad added a branch from near Wheaton to Geneva. This was extended to St Charles August 25, 1910. Most of the interurban's lines used a third rail for power collection, which was relatively unusual for interurban railroads. While third rail had become the standard for urban elevated railroad and subway systems, most interurban railroads used trolley poles to pick up power from overhead wire; the AE&C only used trolley wire where necessary, such as in the few locations where the interurban had street running.

Originally, the railroad's Chicago terminus was the 52nd Avenue station that it shared with the Garfield Park elevated railroad line of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, and where passengers transferred between interurban and elevated trains.^[25] Beginning on March 11, 1905, the interurban began operating over the Metropolitan's "L" tracks, allowing AE&C trains to directly serve downtown Chicago. At the same time, the Metropolitan's Garfield Park service was extended west of 52nd Avenue, replacing the AE&C as the provider of local service over the interurban's surface-level trackage as far west as Desplaines Avenue in Forest Park. The interurban's trains terminated at the stub-ended Wells Street Terminal, adjacent to the Loop elevated.^[25] The interurban continued to use the "L" tracks through the years of Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) ownership and into the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) era.^[26][27][28]

World War I was tough for the AE&C, and the railroad entered bankruptcy in 1919. Having shed the Fox River Lines (an interurban which paralleled the Fox River), the reorganized company emerged from bankruptcy as the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad on July 1, 1922, under the management of Dr. Thomas Conway Jr.

A branch from Bellwood to Westchester opened October 1, 1926.^[29] CRT's elevated train service was extended onto the branch; the "L" company was the sole provider of passenger service on the branch and this new service replaced the CA&E's own local service on its main line east of Bellwood.^[30]

Utilities magnate Samuel Insull gained control of the CA&E in 1926. Insull and his corporate interests had already taken over and improved the properties of the North Shore and South Shore Lines. Insull's plans to make similar improvements to the CA&E were scrapped as the result of the Great Depression. With the collapse of his utilities empire, Insull was forced to sell his interest in the CA&E, and the railroad was once again bankrupt by 1932. The line connecting West Chicago with Geneva and St. Charles was abandoned October 31, 1937.^[31]

The railroad was unable to exit from bankruptcy until 1946. Even though the railroad suffered from low revenue, high debt, and shortage of capital, wartime revenues and hopes for a stronger customer base in the growing west suburban region led the railroad to undertake an improvement of its service. The railroad made substantial improvements to its physical plant and acquired ten new all-steel passenger cars in 1946 and made plans for eight more, with the intention of retiring the oldest wooden cars that had been on the railroad's roster from its earliest years.^{[citation needed]}

However, the postwar years saw increasing shifts of passengers away from rail traffic and into automobiles, and then the CA&E found the rug pulled from beneath the railroad. The plans for construction of the Congress Street Expressway (now known as the Eisenhower Expressway) in the early 1950s not only loomed as a source of further drain on CA&E traffic, but the right-of-way of the new highway necessitated the demolition of the CTA's Garfield Park elevated line, which the CA&E depended upon to reach its downtown terminus.^{[citation needed]}

The expressway's construction plans provided a dedicated right-of-way for trains in the highway's median strip. However, during the estimated five years to complete the superhighway, both "L" and interurban trains would need to use a temporary street-level right-of-way. When the plans circulated in 1951, CA&E objected to the arrangement, citing the effects on running time and scheduling of its trains as they negotiated the streets of Chicago's busy West Side at rush hour. The railroad estimated that the delays would cost the railroad nearly a million dollars a year, to say nothing of the long-term effects of the new superhighway on the railroad's revenue. Another long-term concern was the railroad's downtown terminal; the new median strip line would have no access to Wells Street Terminal.^[32] Instead, the replacement line would access the Loop through the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway, where wood-bodied cars, which still made up a good portion of CA&E rolling stock, were prohibited.

As a compromise, the railroad gained approval to cut back its service to the Desplaines Avenue station in Forest Park—the westernmost terminus of CTA Garfield Park service, after the CTA ended its unprofitable elevated train service on the CA&E's Westchester line in 1951. At the new Forest Park terminal, riders would transfer from the CA&E interurban to a CTA train to complete their commute into the city. This terminal consisted of two loop tracks (one for CA&E and one for CTA) where passengers could make a cross-platform transfer between the interurban and trains of the CTA operating over the temporary street-level trackage—and presumably the eventual new median strip Congress line.^[33] With the change being put into effect on September 20, 1953, CA&E riders lost their one-seat ride to downtown Chicago. Within a few months of the cutback, half of the line's passengers abandoned it in favor of the parallel commuter service provided by the Chicago and North Western Railroad—today operated by Metra as the Union Pacific West Line.^[34][35]

The loss of one-seat commuter service to the Loop devastated the interurban. The railroad's financial condition was already shaky, and schemes to restore downtown service faced various legal or operational obstacles. As early as 1952, the railroad had sought to substitute buses for trains,^[36] and after years of financial losses, in April 1957 the Illinois Commerce Commission authorized the railroad to discontinue passenger service.^[37] Passenger groups and affected municipalities sought injunctions that forced the railroad to temporarily continue service, but as soon as court rulings cleared the way, management abruptly ended passenger service, at noon on July 3, 1957. Commuters who had ridden the CA&E into the city found themselves stranded when they returned to take the train home. Freight operations continued for two more years until June 10, 1959. No trains ran after this point, but the right-of-way and rolling stock were preserved in the event that a party stepped forward to purchase the property. The official abandonment of CA&E came at 5:00pm on July 6, 1961, four years after the final passenger trains had run. The real estate became part of the Aurora Corporation of Illinois, a small conglomerate, which slowly sold off the right-of-way and other properties.^[38] Portions of the right-of-way are now operated as a multi-use trail called the Illinois Prairie Path.^[39]

Besides the right-of-way, most of which has been retained as the Illinois Prairie Path, there are two depots, two combination depot/substations, and 19 pieces of rolling stock from the CA&E that still exist.^[40]

• Clintonville substation in South Elgin, Illinois is currently the home of the Valley Model Railroad.
• Prince Crossing substation in West Chicago, Illinois is currently owned by Wheaton Academy.
• Villa Avenue depot in Villa Park, Illinois is the home to the Villa Park Historical Society.
• Ardmore depot in Villa Park is the home to the Villa Park Chamber of Commerce.
• Traction Terminal Building in Aurora.
• Terminal Building 2 E. Wilson St Batavia.
• The former company headquarters at 400-402 W Liberty St, Wheaton, is now used for offices..

Preserved Cars

Number	Builder	Photo	Build Year	Location	Car Type	Status
458	St Louis Car Company		1945	Fox River Trolley Museum	Steel Round-Side Interurban Car	Operational
316	Jewett Car Company		1913	Fox River Trolley Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Undergoing Restoration
317	Jewett Car Company		1913	Fox River Trolley Museum	Wood Interurban Car	In Storage
20	Niles Car Company		1902	Fox River Trolley Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Operational/Out of Service for Flange Issues
11	J. G. Brill Company		1910, Rebuilt 1947	Fox River Trolley Museum	Wood Interurban Box Motor/Line Car	In Storage
36	Stephenson Car Company		1902	Illinois Railway Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Operational
308	Niles Car Company		1906	Illinois Railway Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Operational
309	Hicks Car Works		1907	Illinois Railway Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Operational
319	Jewett Car Company		1914	Illinois Railway Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Operational
321	Jewett Car Company		1914	Illinois Railway Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Static Display
409	Pullman Standard		1923	Illinois Railway Museum	Steel Interurban Car	Operational
431	Cincinnati Car Company		1927	Illinois Railway Museum	Steel Interurban Car	Operational
451	St Louis Car Company		1945	Illinois Railway Museum	Steel Round-Side Interurban Car	Operational
453	St Louis Car Company		1945	Illinois Railway Museum	Steel Round-Side Interurban Car	Operational
460	St Louis Car Company		1945	Illinois Railway Museum	Steel Round-Side Interurban Car	Operational
315	Kuhlman Car Company		1909	Rockhill Trolley Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Undergoing Restoration
320	Jewett Car Company		1914	Midwest Electric Railway	Wood Interurban Car	Operational
303	Niles Car Company		1906	Connecticut Trolley Museum	Wood Interurban Car	Undergoing Restoration
434	Cincinnati Car Company		1927	Seashore Trolley Museum	Steel Interurban Car	Inoperable

• Plachno, Larry (1986). Sunset Lines: The Story of the Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railroad. Vol. 1 - Trackage. Polo, Illinois: Transportation Trails. ISBN 978-0-9334-4902-2. OCLC 14905944.
• Plachno, Larry (1989). Sunset Lines: The Story of the Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railroad. Vol. 2 — History. Polo, Illinois: Transportation Trails. ISBN 978-0-9334-4910-7. OCLC 180587090.

• GreatThirdRail.org
• The Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad, "The Roarin' Elgin"
• Interactive map of the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad

 

Coordinates: 41°55′54″N 88°0′8″W / 41.93167°N 88.00222°W / 41.93167; -88.00222CountryUnited StatesStateIllinoisCountyDuPageTownshipAddison, BloomingdaleIncorporated1884Government

 • TypeMayor-trustee • MayorTom HundleyArea

10.00 sq mi (25.90 km²) • Land9.83 sq mi (25.46 km²) • Water0.17 sq mi (0.44 km²)  2.14%Elevation

702 ft (214 m)Population

35,702 • Density3,632.31/sq mi (1,402.49/km²)
Up 12.03% from 1990Standard of living (2020)

 • Per capita income$37,451 (median: $82,547) • Home value$189,036 (median: $173,200 (2000))ZIP code(s)

Area code(s)630 and 331Geocode00243FIPS code17-00243GNIS feature ID2397911^[2]Websitewww.addisonadvantage.org

Addison is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 35,702 at the 2020 Census.^[3] It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.

The village was incorporated in 1884, at which time it had a population of 400.^[4] The community itself was originally named Dunkley's Grove after the settler Hezekiah Dunklee,^[5] and was renamed after a town in England^[5] or Addison, New York.^[6] In 1832, Winfield Scott built Army Trail Road on top of a Potawatomi trail in Addison, in order to allow 50 broad-tired wagons to fight Black Hawk and his warriors.^[7] In 1864, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod moved its teacher training to the village from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and established the Addison Teachers Seminary; it remained in Addison until 1913, when it was relocated to River Forest, Illinois, as Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia University Chicago).^[8] The town was also home to the Kinderheim home for children, which made up more than half its population prior to suburbanization.^[9]

The town began to suburbanize in the 1960s when developers started to build homes on what was farmland. The population grew from just under a thousand in 1930 to 35,000 people in 1990.^[10]

Adventureland amusement park was located in Addison (Lake and Medinah) during the 1960s and 1970s. The Addison Industrial District was the proposed location for the reconstruction of Comiskey Park in the late 1980s before this was voted down.^[11]

The Village of Addison lies on Salt Creek, a tributary of the Des Plaines River.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Addison has a total area of 10.00 square miles (25.90 km²), of which 9.83 square miles (25.46 km²) (or 98.29%) is land and 0.17 square miles (0.44 km²) (or 1.71%) is water.^[12]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	485		—
1900	591		21.9%
1910	579		−2.0%
1920	510		−11.9%
1930	916		79.6%
1940	819		−10.6%
1950	813		−0.7%
1960	6,741		729.2%
1970	24,482		263.2%
1980	29,826		21.8%
1990	32,058		7.5%
2000	35,914		12.0%
2010	36,942		2.9%
2020	35,702		−3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

As of the 2020 census^[14] there were 35,702 people, 12,799 households, and 9,165 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,570.20 inhabitants per square mile (1,378.46/km²). There were 12,682 housing units at an average density of 1,268.20 per square mile (489.65/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 47.69% White, 3.45% African American, 1.71% Native American, 8.10% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 22.96% from other races, and 16.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45.61% of the population.

There were 12,799 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.47% were married couples living together, 12.74% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.39% were non-families. 23.23% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.84% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 2.86.

The village's age distribution consisted of 22.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $68,534, and the median income for a family was $79,011. Males had a median income of $42,038 versus $30,828 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,202. About 10.3% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Addison village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
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 may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[15]	Pop 2010[16]	Pop 2020[17]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	21,540	17,562	14,710	59.98%	47.54%	41.20%
Black or African American alone (NH)	874	1,355	1,166	2.43%	3.67%	3.27%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	44	55	40	0.12%	0.15%	0.11%
Asian alone (NH)	2,836	2,706	2,867	7.90%	7.32%	8.03%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	5	3	3	0.01%	0.01%	0.01%
Other race alone (NH)	35	48	107	0.10%	0.13%	0.30%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	382	400	524	1.06%	1.08%	1.47%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	10,198	14,813	16,285	28.40%	40.10%	45.61%
Total	35,914	36,942	35,702	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

According to Addison's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[18] the top employers in the city were:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	United Parcel Service	1,700
2	The Pampered Chef	788
3	Parts Town LLC	579
4	Walmart	272
5	Veritiv Operating Company	250
6	Porter Pipe	235
7	Insight	222
8	SWD, Inc	200
9	Republic Services	200
10	Option Care	191

• Addison Public Library: Officially opened in 1962 and a new building opened in 2008.^[19] Recognized with Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services in 2024 by the American Library Association.^[20]
• Addison Perspective
• Addison Center for the Arts^[21]

Tom Hundley is the Mayor of Addison. Other elected officials include Village Trustees Sam Nasti, Maria Reyes, Cathy Kluczny, Dawn O'Brien, and Jay DelRosario, and Village Clerk Lucille Zucchero. The town of Triggiano, Italy, is the sister city of Addison.

In the Illinois Senate, Addison is represented by Don Harmon (D-Oak Park)^[22] and Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett).^[23] In the Illinois House of Representatives it is represented by Jennifer Sanalitro (R-Hanover Park),^[23] Diane Blair-Sherlock (D-Villa Park).^[23] and Norma Hernandez (D-Melrose Park).^[22]

In the U.S. Congress, Addison is represented within three congressional districts by representatives Sean Casten (IL-06), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), and Delia Ramirez (IL-03), as well as senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.^[24]

Addison is home to Addison Trail High School and to Indian Trail Junior High School. The elementary schools are: Ardmore, Wesley Elementary, Lake Park Elementary, Fullerton Elementary, Army Trail Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Stone Elementary. St. Philip the Apostle, a private Catholic school and parish, is located in Addison and serves students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. Driscoll Catholic High School was located in Addison before closing in 2009. DeVry University and Chamberlain College of Nursing also call Addison home. Addison also has an Early Learning Center for 3-5-year-old students in Pre-K.

Pace provides bus service on Routes 711 and 715 connecting Addison to Wheaton and other destinations.^[25]

In the 1990s, Addison was one of six communities that competed to receive a prototype personal rapid transit system that the Regional Transit Authority was planning to build.^[26] A proposal by Rosemont was instead selected,^[27] and such a system was ultimately never built.^[28]

• Adam Amin, sportscaster with ESPN and NBC Sports Chicago, raised in Addison and a graduate of Addison Trail High School^[29]
• Mark Anelli, former tight end for the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams^[30]
• Tim Breslin, professional hockey player who played left wing for the Chicago Wolves^[31]
• Jim Ellison, founder of the legendary Power Pop band, Material Issue, along with Ted Ansani and Mike Zelenko^[32]
• Jamie Freveletti, author of the Covert-One series novels The Janus Reprisal and The Geneva Strategy^[33]
• Bobby Hull, Hockey Hall of Fame inductee who lived in Addison from 1963 to 1971 while playing left wing for the Chicago Black Hawks^[34]
• Brett Hull, hall of fame professional hockey player and son of Bobby Hull who grew up in Addison from 1964 to 1971
• George Ireland, men's basketball coach who led the Loyola Ramblers to win the 1963 NCAA championship. He died in Addison^[35]
• Kyle Kinane, stand-up comedian and actor (Those Who Can't, Love, @midnight), raised in Addison and a graduate of Addison Trail High School^[36]
• Hubert J. Loftus, lawyer and politician^[37]
• Tony Pasquesi, defensive lineman for the Chicago Cardinals from 1955 to 1957, a resident of Addison at the time of his death^[38]
• Rob Renzetti, animator and creator of My Life as a Teenage Robot, raised in Addison^[39]
• Mike Retondo, bassist for the Plain White T's^[40]
• Mark Rodenhauser, an American football player who played center for seven NFL teams from 1987 to 1999, played football at Addison Trail High School^[41]
• Alexa Scimeca Knierim, pair skater, 5-time U.S. national champion, two-time Olympian and winner of the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships with partner Brandon Frazier, 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships with her then-fiancé Chris Knierim, raised in Addison and a graduate of Addison Trail High School^[42]
• Rocco Sisto, actor best known for playing young Junior Soprano on The Sopranos^[43]
• Gabriel Slonina, soccer player who was the youngest starting goalkeeper in Major League Soccer history and the youngest to record a clean sheet^[44]
• Leon Spinks, World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight world champion who resided in Addison after his retirement from boxing^[45]
• Lina Trivedi, involved with creation of (Beanie Babies), resident of Addison for most of her school-age and young-adult life and a graduate of Addison Trail High School^[46]
• Lenae Williams, basketball player who played guard-forward for the Detroit Shock during the 2002 WNBA season^[47]
• Kathleen Willis, member of the Illinois House of Representatives whose district includes the eastern half of the city, of which she is a resident^[48][49]

• Staff (December 8, 1960). "Talk Annexing Oak Knoll Manor". Addison Register (clipping). p. 1. Retrieved July 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

• Village of Addison

 

Runways

Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
9/27	6,501	1,982	Concrete
15/33	5,503	1,677	Concrete
18/36	3,198	975	Asphalt

Statistics

Aircraft operations (2022)	76,885
Based aircraft (2022)	197

 

Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (IATA: AUZ, ICAO: KARR, FAA LID: ARR) is a public airport opened in April 1966, located in the village of Sugar Grove, Illinois, United States, 8 miles (13 km) west of the city of Aurora, both in Kane County. The airport is owned and operated by the City of Aurora. It is 50 miles (80 km) west of Chicago and is designated as a reliever airport for Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports.^[1][2]

Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for both the FAA and IATA, Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport is assigned ARR by the FAA and AUZ by the IATA (which assigned ARR to Alto Río Senguer Airport in Argentina). The airport's ICAO identifier is KARR.^[3][4]

The airport is home to the Air Classics museum of Aviation, which strives to preserve aviation's role throughout history.^[5]

Aurora Municipal Airport covers an area of 1,100 acres (450 ha), and contains three runways:^[1]

• Runway 9/27: 6,501 x 100 ft (1,982 x 30 m), surface: concrete
• Runway 15/33: 5,503 x 100 ft (1,677 x 30 m), surface: concrete
• Runway 18/36: 3,198 x 75 ft (975 x 23 m), surface: asphalt

For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2022, the airport had 76,650 aircraft operations, an average of 210 per day: 98% general aviation, 2% air taxi, <1% military, and <1% commercial. For the same time period, there are 197 aircraft based on the field: 144 single-engine and 23 multi-engine airplanes, 24 jets, 5 helicopters, and 1 glider.^[6][7]

J.A. Air Center and Revv Aviation are the airport's two fixed-base operators (FBOs). Together, they offer services such as fuel, general maintenance, hangars, courtesy cars and shuttles, conference rooms, crew lounges, snooze rooms, and more. They also offer flight training, aircraft rentals, and charter service businesses.^{[8][9][10][11]}

The airport received money from the Rebuild Illinois program, designed in 2021 to help airports complete upgrades and stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, to rehabilitate parking lots, the entrance road, and perimeter roadways. In late 2022, the airport authority approved plans to upgrade hangars and other facilities.^[12][13]

• On June 13, 2011, the aircraft Liberty Belle, a B-17 Flying Fortress, crashed in Oswego, Illinois, after taking off from Aurora. Early reports indicate that, shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported an engine fire and attempted to return to the airfield. He was unable to do so, however, and chose instead to put the aircraft down in a nearby cornfield with seven people on board, all of whom were reported safe.^[14]

• Aurora Municipal Airport
• 
  Aurora Municipal Airport (west side)
• 
  Air Classics Museum building
• 
  Air Classics Museum display

^[15]

• List of airports in Illinois
• Aurora Transportation Center

• Official website
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective June 12, 2025
• FAA Terminal Procedures for ARR, effective June 12, 2025
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for ARR
  • AirNav airport information for KARR
  • ASN accident history for AUZ
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures