Brookfield, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Brookfield is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County
, Illinois, 13 miles (20.9 km) west of downtown. The population was 19,085 at the 2000 census. It is home to the world-famous Brookfield Zoo
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8 km²), all of it land.
Most of Brookfield is flat land with various small hills and rises. Along Salt Creek
is a steep ravine that is home to many oak savannas. These oak savannas are the primary ecosystem of Brookfield, and sprawl out from large, forested areas into small pockets in the village.
of the village was 93.53% White, 0.89% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.24% Asian
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
, 2.88% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic
or Latino of any race were 8.05% of the population.
The top five ancestries reported in Brookfield as of the 2000 census were German
(23.2%), Irish
(20.3%), Polish
(18.0%), Italian
(13.0%) and Czech
(11.2%).
There were 7,536 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $52,636, and the median income for a family was $64,075. Males had a median income of $45,293 versus $33,136 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,307. About 2.3% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
; the northernmost portion, a largely wooded area north of the zoo, is in the 4th district
.
Settlement of the village dates to 1889 when Samuel Eberly Gross, a Chicago lawyer a lawyer turned real estate investor, began selling building lots platted from farms and woodlands he had acquired along both sides of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad line, which provided passenger and freight service between Chicago and Aurora, Illinois
. "Grossdale," as his development was originally called, offered suburban living at prices affordable to working-class families.
The first two buildings Gross erected were a train station south of the tracks at what is now Prairie Avenue, and a Pavilion across the tracks. The original train station was moved across the tracks and a few hundred feet east in 1981, and is now the home of the Village's Historical Society and museum, as well as listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Pavilion housed the first post office, general store, Gross' real estate office, meeting rooms, and eventually a dance Hall. Gross offered free train outings from Chicago to Grossdale where the prospects were met at the station by a band and treated to a picnic lunch complete with a sales pitch from Gross. In addition to parcels of land, he had a number of house designs to offer at "cheap" prices.
Gross later added the subdivisions of Hollywood (1893) and West Grossdale (1895), each with its own train station. Residents voted to incorporate as the village of Grossdale in 1893. The name was changed in 1905 after residents became displeased with Gross, whose personal life and fortune had floundered. It was chosen after a contest to choose a new name yielded “Brookfield” in respect for Salt Creek, which runs through the area. Gross also has a school named after him called S.E. Gross.
In 1920, the old Plank Toll Road, now called Ogden Avenue (US Hwy 34), was paved, providing easy automobile access to and from Chicago.
The Chicago Zoological Park, commonly called the Brookfield Zoo
, opened in 1934. The zoo is located on land given to the Forest Preserve District by Edith Rockefeller McCormick
in 1919.
which was started in 1932 by Porter Reubendall and then owned and expanded in the 1950s by Elmer C. Johnson eventually ceasing publication in 1985.
School District 96, LaGrange Elementary School District 102, or Lyons
School District 103. District 95, 96, and 103 Teens then attend Riverside Brookfield High School
in district 208, while students from SD 102 attend Lyons Township High School
, district 204, which has 2 campuses in LaGrange, and Western Springs
.
's BNSF Railway Line
, which serves three stations in the Brookfield area: Congress Park
, Brookfield
, and Hollywood
. Metra trains operate daily between Chicago and Aurora. Various Pace
bus stops exist throughout the village, as well as common trollies.
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Illinois, 13 miles (20.9 km) west of downtown. The population was 19,085 at the 2000 census. It is home to the world-famous Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
The Brookfield Zoo is zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. The zoo covers an area of and houses around 450 species of animals....
.
Geography
Brookfield is located at 41°49′22"N 87°50′51"W (41.822681, -87.847532).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8 km²), all of it land.
Most of Brookfield is flat land with various small hills and rises. Along Salt Creek
Salt Creek (Des Plaines River Tributary)
Salt Creek is a stream in northeastern Illinois. It is an important tributary of the Des Plaines River, part of the Illinois River and ultimately the Mississippi River watersheds...
is a steep ravine that is home to many oak savannas. These oak savannas are the primary ecosystem of Brookfield, and sprawl out from large, forested areas into small pockets in the village.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,085 people, 7,536 households, and 5,034 families residing in the village. The population density was 6,252.4 people per square mile (2,416.0/km²). There were 7,753 housing units at an average density of 2,539.9 per square mile (981.5/km²). The racial makeupRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of the village was 93.53% White, 0.89% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.24% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
, 2.88% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino of any race were 8.05% of the population.
The top five ancestries reported in Brookfield as of the 2000 census were German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
(23.2%), Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
(20.3%), Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
(18.0%), Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
(13.0%) and Czech
Czech American
Czech Americans are citizens of the United States who were born in, or who descended from, the territory of the historic Czech lands, , or succession states, now known as the Czech Republic...
(11.2%).
There were 7,536 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $52,636, and the median income for a family was $64,075. Males had a median income of $45,293 versus $33,136 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,307. About 2.3% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Nearly all of Brookfield is in Illinois' 3rd congressional districtIllinois' 3rd congressional district
The 3rd Congressional District of Illinois includes part of Cook County, and has been represented by Democrat Dan Lipinski since January 2005. The district was previously represented by his father Bill Lipinski beginning in 1993....
; the northernmost portion, a largely wooded area north of the zoo, is in the 4th district
Illinois' 4th congressional district
The 4th Congressional District of Illinois includes part of Cook County, and has been represented by Democrat Luis Gutierrez since January 1993....
.
History
Before 1803, the area now called Brookfield was mostly covered by prairie grasses, forests, and farms. Large portions of the area were inhabited by the native Americans who long ago developed agriculture and corn cultivation, built villages and burial mounds, invented the bow and arrow, and made beautiful pottery.Settlement of the village dates to 1889 when Samuel Eberly Gross, a Chicago lawyer a lawyer turned real estate investor, began selling building lots platted from farms and woodlands he had acquired along both sides of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad line, which provided passenger and freight service between Chicago and Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
. "Grossdale," as his development was originally called, offered suburban living at prices affordable to working-class families.
The first two buildings Gross erected were a train station south of the tracks at what is now Prairie Avenue, and a Pavilion across the tracks. The original train station was moved across the tracks and a few hundred feet east in 1981, and is now the home of the Village's Historical Society and museum, as well as listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Pavilion housed the first post office, general store, Gross' real estate office, meeting rooms, and eventually a dance Hall. Gross offered free train outings from Chicago to Grossdale where the prospects were met at the station by a band and treated to a picnic lunch complete with a sales pitch from Gross. In addition to parcels of land, he had a number of house designs to offer at "cheap" prices.
Gross later added the subdivisions of Hollywood (1893) and West Grossdale (1895), each with its own train station. Residents voted to incorporate as the village of Grossdale in 1893. The name was changed in 1905 after residents became displeased with Gross, whose personal life and fortune had floundered. It was chosen after a contest to choose a new name yielded “Brookfield” in respect for Salt Creek, which runs through the area. Gross also has a school named after him called S.E. Gross.
In 1920, the old Plank Toll Road, now called Ogden Avenue (US Hwy 34), was paved, providing easy automobile access to and from Chicago.
The Chicago Zoological Park, commonly called the Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
The Brookfield Zoo is zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. The zoo covers an area of and houses around 450 species of animals....
, opened in 1934. The zoo is located on land given to the Forest Preserve District by Edith Rockefeller McCormick
Edith Rockefeller McCormick
Edith Rockefeller McCormick was an American socialite and opera patron.-Biography:McCormick was the fourth daughter of Standard Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller and his wife Laura Spelman Rockefeller . Her famous younger brother was John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
in 1919.
Newspapers and Publications
Throughout the 1930s, 1940s & 1950s newspapers published in Brookfield included The Suburban Magnet and Brookfield Star. The largest and most successful newspaper printed in Brookfield was the Brookfield EnterpriseBrookfield Enterprise
The Brookfield Enterprise was a weekly community newspaper based out of the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. The newspaper, under the ownership of Elmer C...
which was started in 1932 by Porter Reubendall and then owned and expanded in the 1950s by Elmer C. Johnson eventually ceasing publication in 1985.
Public Education
Brookfield-LaGrange Elementary School District 95 is the primary elementary school district for Brookfield residents, and is made up of 1 elementary, and 1 junior high school. Other Brookfield students may attend schools in RiversideRiverside, Illinois
Riverside is an affluent suburban village in Cook County, Illinois. A significant portion of the village is in the Riverside Landscape Architecture District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The population was 8,895 at the 2000 census...
School District 96, LaGrange Elementary School District 102, or Lyons
Lyons, Illinois
Lyons is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,255 at the 2000 census.-History:Incorporated in 1888, Lyons is steeped in earlier historical roots. In 1673 French Explorer Louis Joliet and Jesuit missionary Father Pierre Marquette left Green Bay, Wisconsin by canoe...
School District 103. District 95, 96, and 103 Teens then attend Riverside Brookfield High School
Riverside Brookfield High School
Riverside Brookfield High School is a public high school located in Riverside, IL. It serves the towns of Riverside, Brookfield, LaGrange Park, North Riverside and Broadview . The mascot of Riverside Brookfield is Rouser the Bulldog....
in district 208, while students from SD 102 attend Lyons Township High School
Lyons Township High School
Lyons Township High School is a public high school located in La Grange, Illinois. Freshmen and sophomores attend class at South campus, located at 4900 S. Willow Springs Rd. in Western Springs, while juniors and seniors attend class at North campus, located at 100 S. Brainard Ave. in La Grange,...
, district 204, which has 2 campuses in LaGrange, and Western Springs
Western Springs, Illinois
Western Springs is a suburb of Chicago located in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 12,493. It is twinned with Rugeley, United Kingdom....
.
Transportation
Brookfield's connection to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy lives on with MetraMetra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's BNSF Railway Line
BNSF Railway Line
The BNSF Railway Line is a commuter rail line in the United States, provided by Metra and operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs...
, which serves three stations in the Brookfield area: Congress Park
Congress Park (Metra)
Congress Park is one of three stations on Metra's BNSF Railway Line in Brookfield, Illinois. The station is from Union Station, the east end of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Congress Park is in zone C. Shelters are on both sides of the tracks....
, Brookfield
Brookfield (Metra)
Brookfield is one of three stations on Metra's BNSF Railway Line in Brookfield, Illinois. The station is from Union Station, the east end of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Brookfield is in zone C...
, and Hollywood
Hollywood (Metra)
Hollywood is one of three stations on Metra's BNSF Railway Line in Brookfield, Illinois. The station is from Union Station, the east end of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Hollywood is in zone C. An unstaffed shelter is on the north side of the three tracks.Hollywood Station is the...
. Metra trains operate daily between Chicago and Aurora. Various Pace
Pace
Pace may refer to:*Pace , the speed at which movement occurs*Pace , a unit of length*"Peace" in Italian, sometimes written on a rainbow flag...
bus stops exist throughout the village, as well as common trollies.
Attractions
- The world-renowned Brookfield ZooBrookfield ZooThe Brookfield Zoo is zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. The zoo covers an area of and houses around 450 species of animals....
, managed by the Chicago Zoological Society, is open every day of the year. - North Kiwanis Park is a major area for many annual events such as German Fest, Fall Fest, Battle of the Bands, The Brookfield 4th of July Parade, ext.
- The Brookfield oak savannas are the towns most natural and beautiful place, with extreme amounts of animal and plant species living next door to everyone else.
- The Grossdale Train Station, built in the 1880s, is the oldest structure in Brookfield, being there since before the village was founded.
- Salt CreekSalt CreekSalt Creek may refer to:Streams*Salt Creek , California*Salt Creek , California*Salt Creek , Illinois*Salt Creek , Illinois...
flows through many suburbs and is a tributary to the DesPlaines River. The creek is wide and long, with gentle, murkey water, good fishing, and vast amounts of wildlife. - Salt Creek Wine Bar is named after the creek, and is a very nice wine bar located on Grand Blvd. and Brookfield Ave.. Gigs of jazz and blues bands happen here often. Other surrounding restaurants include the cafè Loca Mocha, the delicious Paisans Pizzeria, and the Mayan cuisine restaurant, Xnipec.
- Jaycee Ehlert park is the largest park in Brookfield. It was home to Brookfield's renown carnival known as "Brookfest" before it was cancelled in the mid 2000's due to various gang fights and firework malfunctions.
Famous residents
- Milt BocekMilt BocekMilton F. Bocek is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. During his playing career, he had an official heights of 6'1", and an official weight of 185 pounds...
- professional baseball player - Douglas CampbellDouglas Campbell (Michigan politician)Douglas Campbell is a two-time Green Party Candidate for Governor of Michigan and a 2008 candidate for the United States House of Representatives. In 2002 Campbell received 25,236 votes...
- Green Party candidate - Tom KondlaTom Kondla-Biography:Kondla was born on November 30, 1946 in Brookfield, Illinois. He attended Riverside Brookfield High School in Riverside, Illinois.-Career:Kondla played for the Minnesota Pipers and the Houston Mavericks of the American Basketball Association...
- professional basketball player - Lou SabanLou SabanLouis Henry Saban was an American football player and coach. Saban played for Indiana University in college and as a pro for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference...
- college and professional football coach - Allen C. SkorepaAllen C. SkorepaAllen Charles Skorepa, was an American lichenologist, and a specialist on the Lichens of Maryland. Skorepa was born in Berwyn, Illinois, on August 25, 1941, and died September 4, 1998 at the age of 57. Allen spent his childhood years in Brookfield, Illinois, and graduated from Riverside-Brookfield...
- lichenologist