Information About Our Villages
Hinsdale, Illinois is located 20 miles west of Chicago, between Western Springs and Clarendon Hills. Hinsdale is conveniently situated along I-294 and minutes from I-55, just 30 minutes driving time from downtown Chicago, and even closer to Midway and O'Hare airports. The eastern boundary of Hinsdale is I-294, and the western boundary is Route 83. Hinsdale is bordered to the south by Burr Ridge, another affluent town. To the north lies Oak Brook, home of the Oak Brook Center shopping mall and numerous national headquarters, including McDonald's Corporation. The town is often referred to as the "epicenter" of the teardown phenomenon that has spread nationally, with more than 25% of its housing stock having been replaced with larger, newer homes (most valued in the millions of dollars range) since the mid to late 1980's. It has a rolling, wooded topography, with a quaint downtown that contains boutique shops and restaurants.
Downtown Hinsdale offers many shopping and dining opportunites with popular retail stores and restaurants such as The Gap, Papyrus, Schoen's, Fuller's Hardware Store, Kramer's Grocery, The Corner Bakery, Cozi's, Zak's, Starbucks, Cold Stone Creamery and Jade Garden. Nearby are 2 shopping malls in Burr Ridge and Oak Brook.
The BNSF Railroad runs through the town, and there are three stations in Hinsdale that serve commuters on the line (Hinsdale, West Hinsdale, and Highlands). The express train is a 20-minute train ride to downtown Chicago.
Hinsdale is also known for its excellent public school system (Districts 181 and 86), ranked among the best on all levels in the state of Illinois. In 2005, all its elementary schools (The Lane elementary school, Madison elementary school, Monroe elementary school, Oak elementary school, Elm elementary school) were ranked in the top 25 in the state.
As a resident of Hinsdale you can enjoy many options for recreation and entertainment such as the Hinsdale Community Swimming Pool, Katherine Legge Park, and Hinsdale Community House. The Hinsdale Little League and AYSO have many teams that children can participate on.
Expert medical care is also close by at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, offering a full range of health services...not to mention the close proximity to the world renowned medical expertise of the Chicago area hospitals.
Clarendon Hills is located 20 miles west of Chicago and and is west of Route 83. You can be in downtown Chicago in 30 minutes via the Metra train.
Elementary schools are part of Hinsdale District 181 and include Walker School, grades K-5, Prospect School, K-5, and Clarendon Hills Middle School, grades 6-8.
Clarendon Hills offers shopping in small boutiques and a major grocery store, excellent restaurants such as Scapa, Mai Jean and Soul, an ice cream shop, hardware store, a public library, and a community pool.
Burr Ridge is located at the intersection of I-55 and I-294 which provide quick access to O'Hare airport, Midway airport and downtown Chicago.
The Burr Ridge Village Center is a new upscale lifestyle center located in the village. It has already begun to draw numerous upscale retailers including: Ann Taylor, White House Black Market, Chico's , Victoria's Secret, New York & Company, The Kohler Store, Gymboree, Eddie Bauer , Banana Republic and many others. Currently, there are over 25 restaurants and stores at the mall.
The local schools include
- Burr Ridge Community Consolidated School District 180 (Anne M. Jeans Elementary School, Burr Ridge Middle School)
- Gower School District 62 (Gower West Elementary School, Gower Middle School)
- Hinsdale School District 181 (Elm School, Hinsdale Middle School)
- Pleasantdale School District 107 (Pleasantdale Elementary School, Pleasantdale Middle School)
High schools
- Hinsdale Township High School District 86 (Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale South High School)
- Lyons Township High School District 204
Downers Grove is intersected by I-88 to north, I-55 to the south and I-355 to the west. The express Metra train has 3 stops in Downers Grove and takes about 45 minutes to Chicago.
Downers Grove has developed into a bustling Chicago suburb with many diverse businesses, including the headquarters for Rossi, FTD, Travelers Insurance, Lovejoy, ServiceMaster, Sara Lee, Swift-Eckrich, Arrow Gear, Magnetrol, Spiegel and Butterball.
Downers Grove is home to 12 public elementary schools, 2 public middle schools and 2 public high schools, Downers Grove North and South. 11 of the elementary schools and 2 of the middle schools are part of Downers Grove Grade School District 58. The other elementary school and junior high are part of Center Cass School District 66 (includes Lakeview Jr High, Prairieview, and Elizabeth Ide), which includes the extreme southern part of Downers Grove, as well as parts of Darien and Woodridge.
The two high schools in Downers Grove, North High and South High, are part of Community High School District 99. They serve the entire community of Downers Grove, the majority of the village of Woodridge, and parts of Westmont, Darien, Lisle, Bolingbrook, Oak Brook and unincorporated Downers Grove and Lisle Townships.
Downers Grove is home to the Avery Coonley School]. Founded in 1906 and in its present location in Downers Grove since 1929, it is a highly prestigious private K-8 school, known for its math and science-oriented teaching as well as its focus on the arts and foreign language.
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital,[ a Level I trauma center that serves the entire Chicago area is located on the north side of Downers Grove.
Downers Grove is also the home of Midwestern University, which trains osteopathic physicians and surgeons, physician's assistants, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists.
The public Downers Grove Golf Course was founded in 1892 by Charles Blair MacDonald and is the oldest golf course west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Downers Grove is the home of the Tivoli Theater,which opened in 1928 as only the second theater in the world designed and built for sound motion pictures. It features an ornate interior and an original Wurlitzer organ that is played on most Friday and Saturday nights.
Oak Brook is located at the intersection of I-88 and Route 83 about 20 miles west of Chicago..
Oak Brook is home to the Oak Brook Sports Core which features polo fields, a golf course (once a venue for the Western Open), swimming and tennis facilities and other recreational facilities not commonly found in a community this size. Nearby is a newer library built in 2002.
All of Oak Brook has its own school district, District 53, which includes Brook Forest Elementary School (grades K-5) and Butler Junior High School (grades 6-8). Most of Oak Brook lies within the district of Hinsdale Central High School, district 86. However, some residents of the village attend Downers Grove North High School. Some Oak Brook residents attend schools in other surrounding municipalities. A total of nine school districts include areas in Oak Brook.
Oak Brook is also the home of many corporate offices. Most notably, the world headquarters of McDonald's Corporation is in Oak Brook. Other notable corporations include Ace Hardware, Blistex, and Federal Signal Corporation. Global non-profit organizations such as Lions Clubs International, Institute in Basic Life Principles and Advanced Training Institute are also based there.
The Oak Brook Center shopping mall has many large retail stores such as Nordstrom's, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, William Sonoma, Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn. Restaurant choices range from California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, Wildfire, Maggiano's, Mon Ami Gabi and many others.
LaGrange is located 13 miles from the Chicago Loop with Metra express train service getting you there in under 20 minutes.
The downtown area, centered along and around La Grange Road (US 45) and the railway line, has many businesses including a Borders Books, Trader Joe's, So Tish, Horton's Lighting, many restaurants such as Aurelio's Pizza, Palmer's, Cafe 36, Salvatore's, and Starbuck's. The LaGrange Theater offers second run movies at budget prices.
La Grange has public elementary schools, including two in LaGrange Elementary School District 102, Cossitt School and Ogden Avenue School. Park Junior High is also part of District 102. Two other elementary schools, in La Grange, are part of La Grange Elementary School District 105 including Seventh Avenue School and Spring Avenue School, both located on the streets that share their names. Gurrie Middle School also serves the District. Lyons Township High School in La Grange, originally founded in 1888, now has 2 campuses.The North Campus, located in La Grange, is used by Juniors and Seniors and was the original high school. Freshmen and Sophomores go to South Campus, founded in 1956, located in neighboring Western Springs.There are also two Catholic and one Lutheran elementary schools in the village limits.
La Grange Memorial Hospital, operated by Adventist Health System, is a level-two trauma center. The hospital has 270 inpatient beds. A $79 million renovation and expansion of the facility was completed in early 2007.
Western Springs is located 15 miles west of the Chicago loop with easy access to I-294. Metra express train service will have you in Chicago in about 20 minutes.
In November, 2007, BusinessWeek.com listed Western Springs second in a list of the 50 best places to raise children. The rankings were based on five factors, including school test scores, cost of living, recreational and cultural activities, number of schools and risk of crime.
The Village of Western Springs is served by two elementary school districts, and 1 high school district. Western Springs School District 101 has 4 schools which are Field Park, Forest Hills, and Laidlaw Elementary Schools all serving K-5 students, and McClure Junior High which serves students in grades 6-8. Other students attend schools in La Grange Highlands School District 106 which has 2 schools. La Grange Highlands Elementary which serves K-5 students, and La Grange Highlands Middle School for grade 6-8 students.
High school students then move on to Lyons Township High School District 204 which is made up of 2 two year campuses. Freshmen and Sophomores attend the South Campus in Western Springs, and Juniors and Seniors attend the North Campus in LaGrange.
Western Springs is located equidistant from Adventist Hinsdale Hospital and Adventist LaGrange Memorial Hospital.
Westmont is located approximately 22 miles west of the Chicago Loop in the southeastern portion of DuPage County, on the fringe of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
Westmont has a station on Metra's BNSF Railway Line, which provides daily rail service between Aurora, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station). The East-West Tollway(I-88), located north of the Village, Interstate 55 to the South, Interstate 294 to the East and Interstate 355 to the West, provide access to the rest of the Chicago Region.
Schools include J.T. Manning Elementary School, C.E. Miller Elementary School, Westmont Jr. High School, and Westmont High School. Westmont High School is a public high school with 500-600 students and is part of Community Unit School District 201. The student population and building size are much smaller than adjacent public high schools.
Westmont is home for the world headquarters of Ty, Inc., makers of Beanie Babies. Westmont's largest park is named after Ty, Inc.'s founder Ty Warner and is located just south of Ty, Inc. headquarters.
