Brookfield, Illinois

Chicagoland municipality
muni-name = Brookfield
muni = Village
date = 1893
state = Illinois
county = Cook
tcounty = Cook
tcounty2 = Cook
township = Proviso
township2 = Lyons
township3 = Riverside
gov = Village-manager
head_label = President
gov_head = Lance Bass
pop = 19,085
density-km = 2,416.0
density-mi = 6,252.4
status = up
percent = 1.1
prevyear = 1990
white = 93.53
black = 0.89
hispanic = 8.05
asian = 1.24
islander = 0.01
native = 0.14
other = 2.88
zips = 60513
acode = 708
area-km = 7.9
area-mi = 3.1
pci = 24,307
geocode = 08576
mhi = 52,636
mnhv = 154,300
mhv = 160,200 (2000)
website = www.villageofbrookfield.com

Brookfield (formerly Grossdale) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, 13 miles west of Chicago. The population was 19,085 at the 2000 census. It is home to the world-famous Brookfield Zoo.

Geography

Brookfield is located at coor dms|41|49|22|N|87|50|51|W|city (41.822681, -87.847532)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.1 square miles (7.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 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/sq mi (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%). [PDFlink| [http://censtats.census.gov/data/IL/1601708576.pdf Profile of General Demographic Characteristics, Brookfield, Illinois] |38.9 KiB . U.S. Census Bureau. Accessed 2007-04-07.]

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

Settlement of the village dates to 1889 when Samuel Eberly Gross, a Chicago lawyer, 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. Prospective buyers were enticed with free train rides, brass bands, picnic lunches, and an inevitable sales pitch.

The first building Gross erected in the new subdivision was a train station. (In 1981, the station was moved across the tracks and now houses the Brookfield Historical Society. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.) 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.

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.

Public Education

Brookfield area schools are always rated highly. 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 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 2 campuses in LaGrange, 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.

Attractions

*The world-renowned Brookfield Zoo, managed by the Chicago Zoological Society, is open every day of the year.

*Anthony Scianna lives there and played little league there.

References

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External links

* [http://www.brookfieldil.gov Village of Brookfield website]
* [http://www.brookfieldpubliclibrary.info Brookfield Public Library website]