Looking for a bingo game and an early bird special? You're in the wrong place. The median age in Elgin is 32, 10 years younger than the average in Illinois. While the city is certainly senior-friendly as well, it's clear that young people find plenty of reasons to move here. Although it might be because...
Elgin becomes home to even more young people every day. Thirty-eight percent of Elgin households has a child under 18, and the city provides ample activities for these young 'uns. On a typical weekend in January, the city hosts a family-friendly movie, a symphony concert with musical activities for the kids and a story time event.
Elgin is located on Illinois' Fox River, and the river is a part of life here. We have parks backing up to the river with bike and walking trails, and we even take to the river to play. We opened the Grand Victoria Casino, Elgin's first riverboat casino, in 1994, and we still love to spend an evening on the floating good time boat. The river isn't the only great water in Elgin, either. In the past ten years, our water has been named the best in Kane County and the best in Illinois.
Drivers everywhere should thank Elgin every time they navigate a street free of leaves and debris. John Murphy of Elgin invented the motorized street sweeper in 1914 and later founded a street sweeping company.
The street sweeper isn't the only invention to come out of Elgin. Max Adler was born in Elgin in the late 19th century and later went on to work at Sears. His true love lay beyond the atmosphere, though, and he later founded Adler Planetarium in Chicago, the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere.
Chicago isn't the only place in America where Elgin left its mark. The Elgin National Watch Company was known nationwide from the late 1800's to 1968, when it closed its doors. During its heyday, it was the largest watchmaking complex in the world. The Elgin watch company made the clocks in Union Station in Chicago, and they still bear the Elgin logo today.
Like most of Illinois, we see our fair share of snow in Elgin. December sees an average of 8.3 inches of snow every year, so the chances of a White Christmas are high. While shoveling snow and bundling up may get old by the time February rolls around, there's something truly magical about looking out the window at a blanket of white while sipping cocoa by the Christmas tree.
Elgin is home to Elgin Academy, one of the oldest non-denominational, coeducational schools west of the Mississippi. The original building is now a museum, but the academy is still up and running.
Elgin the eighth-largest city in Illinois, and it's getting bigger every day. It ranks as one of the fastest-growing cities in Illinois and is constantly attracting developers and entrepreneurs, something that has revitalized our downtown area in recent years.
Aside from the river, Elgin has two nature reserves, Bluff Spring Fen and Trout Park. We also have hiking trails, equestrian trains and even a herd of American Bison in Lords Park. Unlike some parts of the country, Elgin has four distinct seasons, and the parks are beautiful in all of them.
Featured Image Source: Flickr use Ben Grey
