LOMBARD, IL

Lombard is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. The population was 43,165 at the 2010 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2019 to be 44,303.

History

Originally part of Potawatomi Native American landscape, the Lombard area was first settled by Americans of European descent in the 1830s. Lombard shares its early history with Glen Ellyn. Brothers Ralph and Morgan Babcock settled in a grove of trees along the DuPage River. In what was known as Babcock's Grove, Lombard developed to the east and Glen Ellyn to the west. In 1837, Babcock's Grove was connected to Chicago by a stagecoach line which stopped at Stacy's Tavern at Geneva and St. Charles Roads. Fertile land, the DuPage River, and plentiful timber drew farmers to the area.

Sheldon and Harriet Peck moved from Onondaga, New York, to this area in 1837 to farm of land. In addition, Peck was an artist and primitive portrait painter who traveled to clients across northeastern Illinois. The Peck house also served as the area's first school and has been restored by the Lombard Historical Society.

In 2011, the Peck House was inducted into the National Park Service's Network to Freedom—a list of verified Underground Railroad locations.

The 1848 arrival of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad provided local farmers and merchants rail access to Chicago, and commercial buildings soon sprang up around the train station. Lombard was officially incorporated in 1869, named after Chicago banker and real estate developer Josia Lewis Lombard.

Women's rights

On April 6, 1891, Ellen A. Martin led a group of women to the voting place at the general store. She demanded that the three male election judges allow the women to vote. The judges were so surprised that one of them had a "spasm," one leaned against the wall for support, and the other fell backwards into a barrel of flour. They acquiesced to Ellen, but fundamentally did not want to let the women vote, so a county judge was asked to decide. He agreed that the women were right. Ellen Martin then became the first woman in Illinois to vote, and one of the first in the entire U.S. In 1916 Illinois women could vote in national elections, but the 19th Amendment (the Women's Suffrage Amendment) was not passed until 1920.

In 2008, Lombard declared April 6 to be "Ellen Martin Day" in commemoration of Ms. Martin's historic victory for women's suffrage.

Little Orphan Annie House

William LeRoy built a home in the Italianate style on Lombard's Main Street in 1881. LeRoy specialized in making artificial limbs for civil war veterans and lived in this house until 1900. The house would eventually become the home of Harold Gray's parents and the studio of Harold Gray, the originator of Little Orphan Annie cartoon strip. Harold Gray used the home's study to work on the Annie cartoons, and some features of the house are drawn into some of his cartoons, such as the grand staircase and the outer deck. Gray lived at 215 S. Stewart Ave in Lombard at this time. Later, he remarried and moved to the east coast. Harold Gray was a charter member of Lombard Masonic Lodge #1098, A.F. & A.M. in 1923.

The Lilac Village

In 1927, the estate of Colonel William Plum, a local resident, was bequeathed to the village. The Plum property included his home, which became the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library, and a large garden containing 200 varieties of lilac bushes. This garden became a public park, Lilacia Park.

Lilac Festival

Since 1930, Lombard has hosted an annual Lilac Festival and parade in May. "Lilac Time in Lombard," is a 16-day festival ending in mid-May. It starts with the Lilac Queen coronation and her court. Many lilac themed events take place, including a formal ball, concerts, wine and beer tasting in the park, a Mothers' Day Brunch, an arts and crafts fair, and tours of the park. The grand finale is Lombard's Lilac Festival Parade. The first Lilac Princess in 1930 was Adeline Fleege, whose later married name was Gerzan.

Education

Lombard's high schools (9-12) belong to Glenbard Township High School District 87. They are shared with the neighboring town of Glen Ellyn, thus the creation of the portmanteau word "Glenbard". Lombard's elementary and middle schools (K-8) belong to Lombard School District 44 or DuPage School District 45.

Village government

The Village of Lombard is a non-home rule community. It has a council–manager form of government. Each elective office is held for a four-year term.

Geography

Lombard is located at (41.875979, -88.015060).

According to the 2010 census, Lombard has a total area of , of which (or 98.1%) is land and (or 1.9%) is water.

Demographics

Per the 2010 United States Census, Lombard had 43,165 people. Among non-Hispanics this includes 32,790 White (76.0%), 1,925 Black (5.9%), 4,207 Asian (11.3%), 24 Native American, 4 Pacific Islander, 58 from some other race, & 670 from two or more races. The Hispanic or Latino population included 3,487 people (8.9%).

Of the 17,405 households 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with children & no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.7% of households were one person and 25.9% had someone who was 65 or older.

The age distribution was 78.4% over the age of 18 and 14.2% 65 or older. The median age was 39.1 years. The gender ratio was 48.2% male & 51.8% female. Among 17,544 occupied households, 72.5% were owner-occupied and 27.5% were renter-occupied.

At the 2000 census there were 42,322 people, 16,487 households, and 10,716 families in the village. The population density was 4,369.8 people per square mile (1,686.3/km). There were 17,019 housing units at an average density of 1,757.2 per square mile (678.1/km). The racial makeup of the village was 81.02% White, 8.70% African American, 0.15% Native American, 7.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.75%.

Of the 16,487 households 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 28.7% of households were one person and 10.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.13.

The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median household income was $60,015 and the median family income was $69,686 (these figures had risen to $69,752 and $89,603 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,044 versus $35,391 for females. The per capita income for the village was $27,667. About 2.0% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Lombard is served by Metra's Union Pacific/West Line, which runs from the Ogilvie Transportation Center out to Elburn, Illinois over the old Chicago and Northwestern Railway trackage. Lombard's also served by I-88 / Illinois 110 and I-355 as well as Illinois Routes 38, 53, 56, and 64.

Formerly, it was also served by trains of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad (with commuter stops at Stewart Ave, Main St, Brewster Ave and Westmore/Meyers Road) and the Chicago Great Western Railway. These former railroads have been preserved as multiple use recreational trails (Illinois Prairie Path and Great Western Trail (Illinois)).

Notable people