Elgin, Illinois

Elgin
Aerial view of Downtown Elgin
Nickname: 
The City in the Suburbs
Motto: 
The Jewel of the Midwest
Location of Elgin in Kane and Cook County, Illinois
Coordinates: 42°02′18″N 88°19′22″W / 42.03833°N 88.32278°W / 42.03833; -88.32278[1]
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
Counties
Townships
  • Elgin
  • Dundee
  • Rutland
  • Plato
  • Campton
  • Hanover
Founded1835
Incorporated (city)April 24, 1854[2]
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
Area
 • Total38.60 sq mi (99.97 km2)
 • Land38.03 sq mi (98.49 km2)
 • Water0.57 sq mi (1.49 km2)  1.43%
Elevation810 ft (250 m)
Population
 • Total114,797
 • Density3,018.83/sq mi (1,165.59/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP code(s)
60120–60125
Area code(s)331, 847 and 224
Geocode17-23074
FIPS code17-23074
DemonymElginite
Websitewww.cityofelgin.org

Elgin (/ˈɛlɪn/) is a city in Illinois in the United States. It is roughly 40 mi (64 km) northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 114,797.[4] It is the sixth-largest city in Illinois. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.

People from Elgin

Authors and academics

  • E.C. "Mike" Alft, historian, author, and former mayor of Elgin.
  • Nina Burleigh, journalist and best-selling author.
  • Paul Flory, chemist, Nobel Prize winner (1974).
  • Lloyd Hall, chemist.
  • Douglas J. Mink, astronomer, co-discover of the rings around the planet Uranus.
  • John Platt, computer scientist.
  • Tom Shales, journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner (1988).
  • Carleton Washburne, educator, author of the Winnetka Plan.

Business and invention

  • Max Adler, vice-president of Sears & Roebuck, benefactor of Adler Planetarium.
  • Lawrence B. Hamlin, violator of the Pure Food and Drug Act on claiming that his family's patent medicine could cure cancer.
  • Lysander Hamlin, co-originator with John Austen Hamlin of Hamlin's Wizard Oil, father of Lawrence B. Hamlin.
  • Jimmy John Liautaud, founder of Jimmy John's, benefactor of UIC's Liautaud Graduate School of Business.
  • Earl "Madman" Muntz, marketer, car stereo and 4-track cartridge pioneer.
  • James Roche, former chairman of General Motors.

Media and arts

  • Dan Andriano, musician.[5][6]
  • Joe Becker, musician.
  • Bruce Boxleitner, actor.
  • BarlowGirl, Christian rock band.
    • Alyssa Barlow
    • Becca Barlow
    • Lauren Barlow
  • Chelsea Brummet, actress.
  • Josh Caterer, songwriter, musician, lead singer of indie rock band Smoking Popes.
  • Chuck Harder, radio talk show host.
  • John Austen Hamlin, magician, brother of Lysander Hamlin.
  • Matt Hoffman, Big brother 12.
  • Charles Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie) spent part of his childhood in the nearby Campton Township.
  • Laurence Kaptain, international performer/recording artist, and Dean, College of Music and Dramatic Arts, Louisiana State University.
  • William LeBaron, playwright, movie producer.
  • David Otunga, Harvard educated lawyer, reality show contestant on VH1's I Love New York 2, fiance of singer/actress Jennifer Hudson.
  • Jane Peterson, painter and artist.
  • John Qualen, actor.
  • David Strackany, folk singer-songwriter aka Paleo, born in Elgin[7]

Military

  • Harry Chamberlin, Brigadier General, equestrian, Olympic gold medalist (1932).

Politics

  • Ray Barnhart, Texas Republican politician
  • Peter Fitzgerald, United States Senator (R-IL).

Sports

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "City of Elgin". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Name of Local Government: Elgin". Illinois State Archives. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "QuickFacts: Elgin city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  5. Althea Legaspi (March 1, 2010). "Alkaline Trio gets back to its roots in Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2011-06-15. Singer-guitarist Matt Skiba and singer-bassist Dan Andriano took turns on mic ...
  6. Althea Legaspi (2011-06-15). "Dan Andriano: Biography". BBC Music. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2011-06-15. Born 27 June 1977 ... Daniel Michael Andriano (born June 27, 1977 in Elgin, Illinois)
  7. "Biography". Partisan Records. 2011-06-05. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-06-05. David Strackany was raised in Elgin, Illinois.