Brookfield, Illinois

Brookfield, Illinois
Village
Location in Cook County and the state of Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
Township	Lyons, Riverside
Incorporated	1893
Government
• Type	Village-manager
• President	Kit P. Ketchmark
Area
• Total	3.07 sq mi (8.0 km2)
• Land	3.06 sq mi (7.9 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)  0.33%
Population  (2010)
• Total	18,978
• Density	6,202.0/sq mi (2,394.6/km2)
	Down 0.56% from 2000
Standard of living (2007-11)
• Per capita income	$31,651
• Median home value	$263,600
ZIP code(s)	60513
Area code(s)	708
Geocode	17-08576
Website	www.brookfieldil.gov

Brookfield (formerly Grossdale) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, 13 miles (21 km) west of downtown Chicago. The population was 18,978 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Brookfield Zoo.

Geography

Brookfield is located at 41°49′22″N 87°50′51″W (41.822681, -87.847532).

According to the 2010 census, Brookfield has a total area of 3.067 square miles (7.94 km²), of which 3.06 square miles (7.93 km²) (or 99.77%) is land and 0.007 square miles (0.02 km²) (or 0.23%) is water.

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.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	1,111		—
1910	2,186		96.8%
1920	3,589		64.2%
1930	10,035		179.6%
1940	10,817		7.8%
1950	15,472		43.0%
1960	20,429		32.0%
1970	20,284		−0.7%
1980	19,395		−4.4%
1990	18,876		−2.7%
2000	19,085		1.1%
2010	18,978		−0.6%
2014 (est.)	19,023		0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

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 makeup 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.

Government

Nearly all of Brookfield is in Illinois' 3rd congressional district; the northernmost portion, a largely wooded area north of the zoo, is in the 4th district.

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 turned real estate investor, began selling building lots plotted 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. 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.

Brookfield Zoo

Newspapers and publications

Throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, newspapers published in Brookfield included The Suburban Magnet and Brookfield Star. The largest and most successful newspaper printed in Brookfield was the Brookfield Enterprise 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 one elementary and one junior high school. Other Brookfield students may attend schools in Riverside 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 campuses in La Grange and Western Springs.

Transportation

Brookfield's connection to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy lives on with Metra'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.

Attractions

• The Brookfield Zoo, managed by the Chicago Zoological Society, is open every day of the year.
• The Galloping Ghost Arcade, the largest video arcade in the United States with over 400 video and pinball games.
• North Kiwanis Park is a major area for many annual events such as German Fest, Fall Fest, Battle of the Bands, the Brookfield 4 July Parade, etc.
• The Brookfield oak savannas are the town's 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 Creek flows through many suburbs and is a tributary to the Des Plaines River. The creek is wide and long, with gentle, murky water, good fishing, and vast amounts of wildlife.
• Jaycee Ehlert Park is the largest park in Brookfield. It was home to Brookfield's renowned carnival known as "Brookfest" before it was cancelled in the mid-2000s due to various gang fights and firework malfunctions.

Notable people

• Milt Bocek, former outfielder of the Chicago White Sox
• Douglas Campbell, Green Party candidate from Michigan
• Michael Colgrass, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
• Tom Kondla, basketball player with the Minnesota Pipers and Houston Mavericks of the American Basketball Association
• George Marsh, Medal of Honor recipient during the American Civil War, born and enlisted in Brookfield
• Lou Saban, football player and coach for several college and professional teams
• Allen C. Skorepa, accomplished lichenologist
• Joy Layne, 1950's pop singer
• Jason Lee (artist) singer-songwriter

External links

• Village of Brookfield official website
• Brookfield Public Library
• Brookfield Matters, community-contributed news