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Naperville is a total no man's land to all outsiders! Nowhere on the Continent of North America are locals more hostile and aggressive towards non neighbors than in Naperville. Not a single soul has ever gone into naperville and come out without handcuffs on his wrists and outside of a police car!
{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Geobox City
<!-- *** Name section *** -->
| name = City of Naperville
| native_name =
| other_name =
| other_name1 =
| category = [[List of cities in Illinois|City]]
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| image = City of Naperville City Hall main entrance.jpg
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| image_caption = Entrance of City Hall, 400 South Eagle Street, Naperville, Illinois, USA.
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| country_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
| country = [[United States]]
| state_type = [[Political divisions of the United States|State]]
| state = [[Illinois]]
| region_type = [[List of counties in Illinois|County]]
| region = [[DuPage County, Illinois|DuPage]], [[Will County, Illinois|Will]]
| district =
<!-- *** Municipal parts *** -->
| part_type = City
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| population_as_of = 2000
| population = 128358
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<!-- *** Government *** -->
| established_type = Founded
| established = 1831
| established_note = <ref name="NapervilleHistory">[http://www.napersettlement.org/visitorinfo/naperville_history.htm Naper Settlement History] Retrieved on [[September 11]], [[2007]]</ref>
| established1_type = [[Village]]
| established1 = 1857
| established1_note = <ref name="NapervilleHistory" />
| established2_type = [[City]]
| established2 = 1890
| established2_note = <ref name="NapervilleHistory" />
| governmant_type =
| leader = [[A. George Pradel]]
| leader_type = Mayor
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| timezone = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset = -6
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| area_code = [[Area code 630 and 331|630/331]]
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| map_caption = Location of Naperville within Illinois
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| map1 = Map of USA IL.svg
| map1_caption = Location of Illinois in the United States
<!-- *** Website *** -->
| website = http://www.naperville.il.us
<!-- *** Footnotes *** -->
| footnotes =
}}

'''Naperville''' is an affluent city in [[DuPage County, Illinois|DuPage]] and [[Will County, Illinois|Will]] counties in [[Illinois]] in the [[United States]], voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006.<ref>[http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/index.html Best Places to Live 2006 - Money Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
As of the [[United States Census, 2000|2000 census]], the city had a total population of 128,358, and the population was estaimated at 147,779 in 2006.<ref name="CensusEstimate">[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&_name=naperville&_state=04000US17&_county=naperville&_cityTown=naperville&_zip=&_sse=on&_lang=en&pctxt=fph United States Census Bureau Population Estimate]</ref> Naperville is the fifth largest city in the state, behind [[Chicago]], neighboring [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]], [[Rockford, Illinois|Rockford]], and [[Joliet, Illinois|Joliet]]. Approximately 100,000 Napervillians live in DuPage County, while about 50,000 reside in Will County.

Once a quaint farming town,<ref>[http://www.naperville.il.us/emplibrary/Population%20Trends.pdf Year<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Naperville has evolved into a wealthy city due in part to a massive migration of professionals in the 1990's seeking jobs and globally renowned public schools.<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20010405/ai_n13902071</ref> This can be seen in part by the enormous growth of high-tech companies such as Tellabs, Lucent Technologies and the BP North American Chemical Headquarters, all located in Naperville. With 150,000 Napervillians averaging $150,000 family incomes, the construction of thousands of multimillion dollar houses across the city has resulted, making Naperville the wealthiest city (with a population of 90,000 and over) in the entire country.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_DP3&-geo_id=16000US1751622&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on
|title=2006 Economic Fact Sheet for Naperville, IL
}}</ref> U.S. News and World Report recently ranked both Naperville School District 203 high schools among the top 3 percent of high schools in the country.<ref>[http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/707260,6_1_NA21_RANK_S1.article <div id=toplinks3><span id=tophead>ERROR :: </SPAN></div><div class=text><div class=index_subhead>Sorry, the page you requested could not be found.</div><ul><li>If you are trying to reach a page from a bookmark, the page URL may have changed. Please choose a community from the navigation at the top of this page.<p></li><li>If you are looking for an older news story, it may no longer be here. Free archives of stories are maintained on our site for one month. <p></li></ul>If you still have trouble finding what you need, please contact our <a href="mailto:webmaster@suntimes.com" id=red style="text-decoration:underline"><B> webmaster</b></a>.</div> :: Naperville Sun :: News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Also, District 204's Neuqua Valley High School and Waubonsie Valley High School won the Grammy Gold Signature School award in 2005 and 2007 respectively, ranking them top in the nation for a music program in a high school.

==History==
In July 1831, [[Joseph Naper]] arrived at the banks of the DuPage River with his family and friends to found what would be known as Naper's Settlement. Among those original settlers were Naper's wife Almeda Landon, his brother John with wife Betsy Goff, his sister Amy with husband [[John Murray (Naperville founder)|John Murray]], and his mother Sarah. Their arrival followed a nearly two-month voyage across three Great Lakes in the Naper brothers' schooner, the ''Telegraph''. Also on that journey were several families who remained in the still raw settlement that would become [[Chicago]], including that of Dexter Graves who is memorialized in [[Graceland Cemetery]] by a well-known Loredo Taft statue.<ref name="WhyEverybodyLovesNaperville">[http://chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/March-2006/Why-Everybody-Loves-Naperville/ Why Everybody Loves Naperville - Chicago Magazine - March 2006 - Chicago<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

By 1832, over one hundred settlers had arrived at Naper's Settlement. These settlers were temporarily displaced to [[Fort Dearborn]] for protection from an anticipated attack by the [[Sauk]] tribe. Fort Payne was built at Naper's Settlement, the settlers returned and the attack never materialized. The Pre-Emption House was constructed in 1834, as the Settlement became a stage-coach stop on the road from Chicago to [[Galena, Illinois|Galena]]. Reconstructions of Fort Payne and the Pre-Emption House stand as part of [[Naper Settlement]], which was first established by the Naperville Heritage Society and the Naperville Park District in 1969 to preserve some of the community's oldest buildings.<ref name="WhyEverybodyLovesNaperville" /> After DuPage County was split from [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook County]] in 1839, Naper's Settlement became the DuPage [[county seat]], a distinction it held until 1868. Naper's Settlement was incorporated as the Village of Naperville in 1857, at which time it had a population of 2,000. Reincorporation as a city occurred in 1890. A predominantly rural community for most of its existence, Naperville experienced a population explosion, starting in the 1960s, but largely during the 1980s and 1990s following the construction of the East-West Tollway (now known as the [[Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway]]) and [[North-South Tollway|North-South]] [[tollway]]s. In the past two decades, it has nearly quadrupled in size as [[Chicagoland]]'s [[urban sprawl]] brought [[corporation]]s, [[employment|jobs]], and [[wealth]] to the area.<ref name="WhyEverybodyLovesNaperville"/>

On [[April 26]], [[1946]], Naperville was the site of one of the worst train accidents in Chicagoland history. Two [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]] trains, the Advance Flyer and the Exposition Flyer, collided 'head to tail' on a single track just west of the Loomis Street grade crossing. The accident killed 45 and injured more than 1000 residents. This event is commemorated in a metal inlay map of Naperville on the southeast corner of Nichols Library's sidewalk area.<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060426/ai_n16230303</ref>

Forty acres once housed [[Project Nike|Nike]] Site C-70 in Naperville, Illinois. It has since been "Divided into an office park and Nike Park, part of the Naperville Park District, with soccer, softball and Little League fields. It is located at the south-east corner of Mill Street and Diehl Road in northern Naperville.

The March 2006 issue of ''[[Chicago (magazine)|Chicago magazine]]'' cites a mid-1970s decision to make and keep all parking in downtown Naperville free in order to keep downtown Naperville "alive" in the face of competition with [[Westfield Fox Valley|Fox Valley Mall]] in Aurora and the subsequent sprawl of strip shopping malls. Existing parking meters were taken down, parking in garages built in the 1980s and 1990s is free, and parking is still available on major thoroughfares during non-peak hours.<ref name="WhyEverybodyLovesNaperville"/>

Naperville marked the 175th anniversary of its 1831 founding in 2006. The anniversary events included a series of celebrations, concerts and a balloon parade.<ref name="Naper175">https://www.naperville.il.us/naper175_template.aspx?id=1491</ref>
[[Image:Martin-Mitchell Mansion - Naper Settlement - Naperville Illinois.jpg|thumb|right|The Martin-Mitchell Mansion within the Naper Settlement outdoor museum.]]

==Geography==
Naperville is located at {{coor dms|41|44|59|N|88|9|21|W|city}} (41.749826, -88.156719).{{GR|1}}

===Topography===
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 35.5&nbsp;square miles (92.0&nbsp;km²). 91.6&nbsp;km² (35.4&nbsp;mi²) of it is land and 0.4&nbsp;km² (0.1&nbsp;mi²) of it is water.

Downtown Naperville is located within [[DuPage County, Illinois|DuPage County]], but the city has stretched south into [[Will County, Illinois|Will County]], since at least the early 1980s.<ref>[http://www.napervillerealestate-bw.com/naperville-government.asp Naperville County Government<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Climate ===
{{section-stub}}According to Koppen Climate Classification, Naperville is a DFA climate. Naperville has an annual average of {{convert|37.94|in|mm}} of precipitation per year. Naperville’s seasonal average temperatures vary drastically, due to its inner position on the continent, an average high temperature in July is a blistering {{convert|86.8|°F|°C}} and an average temperature in January is {{convert|14.2|°F|°C}}. Naperville does see significant amounts of snowfall in the winter; sometimes due to the lake affect snow off of lake Michigan. In the summer, Naperville is often the target of severe storms, the majority occurring because of frontal uplift or mid afternoon convection. However, because of Naperville’s close proximity to lake Michigan, the most severe convective storms are often dismantled by the cool winds originating from Lake Michigan.

==Culture==
[[Image:Nichols Library Exterior southeast corner.jpg|thumb|110px|right|Nichols Library]]
The Naperville Public Library has been ranked #1 in the United States for eight straight years, from 1999-2006, for cities with populations between 100,000 and 249,999 by American Libraries magazine.<ref name="NumberOneLibrary">[http://www.naperville-lib.org/indexpagepages/number1.htm Naperville Public Library Homepage Promotion<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

There are three public library locations within city limits.
*The Nichols Library is located in downtown Naperville, at 200 W. Jefferson Street. It has been in this location since 1986. It is a {{convert|63000|sqft|sqm|-2}} structure<ref name="LibraryStrategicPlan">http://www.naperville-lib.org/atl/libpolicy/StrategicPlan_2007_10.pdf</ref> and is pictured at right. The previous library building still stands on Washington Street, just south of the YMCA building, at Washington and Van Buren.
*The Naper Boulevard Library was dedicated in December 1992 and underwent internal renovations in 1996. It is located at 2035 S. Naper Boulevard and is the smallest of the three buildings at {{convert|32000|sqft|sqm|-2}}.<ref name="LibraryStrategicPlan" />
*The 95th Street Library is located near the intersection of 95th Street and [[Illinois Route 59|Route 59]], at 3015 Cedar Glade Drive (just west of Neuqua Valley High School). It is the newest (opened in September 2003) and largest of the three libraries at {{convert|73000|sqft|sqm|-2}}<ref name="LibraryStrategicPlan"/> and features a modern, curving architectural style.

In May 2005, a local technology company was contracted to install fingerprint scanners as a more convenient access method to the libraries internet computers,<ref name="LibraryFingerprintScanners">[http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2005abc/may2005ab/naperville.cfm ALA | American Libraries - Naperville to Launch Fingerprint ID System for Internet Access<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> provoking some controversy. After further testing, the technology was not implemented.<ref name="LibraryFingerprintScanners" />

The three libraries are used heavily by the public including around one and a half million visitors and a circulation of about four million items yearly.<ref name="LibraryStrategicPlan"/>



[[Image:Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon.jpg|thumb|90px|left|Moser Tower, containing the Millennium Carillon]]
===Tourism===
====Moser Tower and Millennium [[Carillon]]====
In 1999, Naperville was designated a White House Millennium Community, due to the construction of the Moser Tower and Millennium [[Carillon]]. The tower is located just north of Aurora Avenue and at the base of Rotary Hill within the Riverwalk Park complex. The Millennium Carillon is specially designated as a Grand [[Carillon]], with 72 bells, and is one of only four worldwide that span six octaves. The Millennium [[Carillon]] was dedicated in an [[Independence Day]] event on [[June 29]], [[2000]], with a reception attended by over 15,000, and a performance by the Naperville Municipal Band and the Naperville Men's Glee Club and Festival Chorus. The Carillon is both manually and also computer-playable, with most performances being done by hand, but with half the bells played by a computer-controlled system at set times during the day. The Carillon instrument was dedicated in June of 2000 and Moser Tower was opened to the public in the summer of 2007. The design of the tower won an award for "Best Custom Solution" from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI). The City of Naperville was designated a White House Millennium Community in 1998 because of the Millennium
Carillon project. <ref>http://www.pci.org/markets/markets.cfm?path=tanks&id=millennium.cfm</ref>

==Economy==
Naperville is located in the [[Illinois Technology and Research Corridor]]. Employers contributing to the population explosion of the 1980s and 1990s include [[Bell Labs]], [[Western Electric]], [[BP Amoco]] Labs, Nalco Chemical, [[Nicor]], [[Porsche Finance]] and Edward Hospital. [[Tellabs]] and [[Laidlaw]] have corporate headquarters in Naperville, and [[ConAgra Foods, Inc.|ConAgra]]'s Grocery division offices are also in Naperville.<ref>[http://www.tellabs.com/contact/hq_map.pdf Directions to Tellabs Corporate Headquarters<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[OfficeMax]] moved corporate headquarters to Naperville in 2006.<ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-29-2005/0004135252&EDATE= OfficeMax Selects Naperville for Headquarters Location<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Also, [[Fermilab]] and [[Argonne National Laboratory]] are nearby. Naperville was one of the ten fastest growing communities in the United States during the 1990s.<ref>http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-2.pdf</ref>

Naperville is also home to one of the largest congregations of automobile retailers in the state, as part of the "Ogden Avenue Strip," which extends from Hinsdale to Aurora and includes every mainstream make of automobile available. AutoNation and Bill Jacobs are two of the largest groups within the city itself.<ref>[http://auto-dealers.naperville.ypeek.com/ Naperville Auto Dealers - Yellow Pages Results<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Naperville is also home to a plant and the headquarters of Dukane Precast, one of the area's major precast concrete manufacturers.

==Demographics==
According to the [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US1751622&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Naperville&_cityTown=Naperville&_state=04000US17&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2005_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= 2005 American Community Survey], there were 147,779 people, 48,655 households, and 37,143 families residing in the city; as of [[2006-07-01]], Naperville is the 164th most populous city in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-01.csv | title = Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2006 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 | format = [[comma-separated values|CSV]] | work = 2006 Population Estimates | publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division | date = [[2006-06-20]] | accessdate = 2007-09-10 }}</ref> The [[population density]] was 4,162.8 people per square mile (1,606.3/km²).<ref name="NapervilleFactSheet">
{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&pctxt=fph&_lang=en&_sse=on&geo_id=16000US1751622&_state=04000US17
|title=Fact Sheet for Naperville, IL
|accessdate=2007-09-10
|work=2005 American Community Survey
|year=2006
|month=September
|publisher=US Census Bureau
}}</ref> There were 51,636 housing units at an average density of 1454.5/sq&nbsp;mi (561.3/km²).<ref name="NapervilleFactSheet"/> The racial makeup of the city was 82.00% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.54% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.07% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 12.65% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.00% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.26% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.48% from two or more races.<ref name="NapervilleGeneralFactSheet">
{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US1751622&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_DP1&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_sse=on
|title=General Fact Sheet for Naperville, IL
|accessdate=2007-09-10
|work=2005 American Community Survey
|year=2006
|month=September
|publisher=US Census Bureau
}}</ref> [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 4.23% of the population.<ref name="NapervilleGeneralFactSheet"/>

There were 48,655 households out of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families.<ref name="NapervilleGeneralFactSheet"/> 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="NapervilleGeneralFactSheet"/> The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.55.<ref name="NapervilleFactSheet"/>

In the city, the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older.<ref name="NapervilleGeneralFactSheet"/> The median age was 35.9 years.<ref name="NapervilleGeneralFactSheet"/> For every 100 females there were 95.9 males.<ref name="NapervilleGeneralFactSheet"/> For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.<ref name="NapervilleGeneralFactSheet"/>

The median income for a household in the city was $110,858, and the median income for a family was $122,454 <ref>[http://www.relohomesearch.com/NorthAmericaCity/IL/Naperville.aspx Naperville, Illinois Homes for Sale - MLS Real Estate Listings<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Males had a median income of $87,527 versus $51,586 for females.<ref name="NapervilleEconomicFactSheet">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US1751622&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_DP3&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_sse=on |title=Economic Fact Sheet for Naperville, IL
|accessdate=2007-09-10
|work=2005 American Community Survey
|year=2006
|month=September
|publisher=US Census Bureau
}}</ref> The mean, or average, income for a family in Naperville was $148,316 according to the 2005 census.
The [[per capita income]] for the city was $44,235.<ref name="NapervilleFactSheet"/> About 2.5% of the population was below the [[poverty line]], including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="NapervilleEconomicFactSheet"/>

==Law and government==
{{section-stub}} Naperville uses a [[City manager]] form of government with a part-time mayor and city council

===Township===
{{section-stub}}
Illinois uses a form of government that dates back to mainly rural unincorporated areas (not part of any city), and a group of nine townships make up DuPage County. The city of Naperville extends over much of the area today with only small areas not included in the city. The township provides road services in unincorporated areas and also social services that include some sections of the city.

==Education==
{{section-stub}}

===Colleges and universities===

*[[North Central College]] is located on a 59&nbsp;acre campus in Downtown Naperville on Chicago Avenue. It was founded by a predecessor church to the [[United Methodist Church]] in 1861 and has been located in Naperville since 1870. The college remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
*[[Northern Illinois University]] maintains a satellite campus on Diehl Road offering several degrees at its {{convert|113000|sqft|sqm|-2|sing=on}} facility.
*[[DePaul University]] maintains a satellite campus on Warrenville Road. It has been in Naperville since 1997.
*The [[College of DuPage]] [http://www.cod.edu/regionalctrs/nap_reg.htm Naperville Center] is located on Rickert Drive.
*[[DeVry University]] maintains a satellite campus on Westings Avenue in Naperville.
*[[Governors State University]] recently opened a satellite campus on West 95th Street in Naperville.
*[[Northwestern Business College]] has a Naperville campus on North Mill Street.
*The [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] opened a Business & Industry Services campus in Naperville in 2007.

===Primary and secondary schools===

Two K-12 public school districts serve the city of Naperville (along with a number of private, parochial schools, including private schools in neighboring [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]] and [[Lisle, Illinois|Lisle]]). Within the state of Illinois, school districts are numbered by their county.

[[Image:Neuqua Valley HS 1.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Neuqua Valley High School]]]]

[[Naperville Community Unit School District 203]], established in 1972 through the merger of elementary and high school districts, serves central Naperville (as well as portions of neighboring Lisle and [[Bolingbrook, Illinois|Bolingbrook]]). The current District 203 school buildings were constructed between 1928 (Ellsworth) and 1990 (Kingsley).<ref>[http://www.naperville203.org/schools/LinkstoSchools.asp Links to Schools - Naperville Community Unit School District 203<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The district has two high schools: [[Naperville Central High School]] and [[Naperville North High School]], five junior high schools, and thirteen elementary schools within Naperville city limits.<ref name="Naperville, IL Schools">http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Illinois/Naperville/schools.html</ref>

[[Indian Prairie School District 204]] was also formed through merged districts in 1972. [[Waubonsie Valley High School]], [[Neuqua Valley High School]], [[Metea Valley High School]] (Opening Fall 2009), along with six middle schools and 14 elementary schools from this district, are within Naperville city limits. The district also serves western and southwestern Naperville, along with eastern Aurora and parts of Bolingbrook.<ref>[http://ipsdweb.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx/SchoolsAtAGlance IPSD 204: Schools At-A-Glance<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Health systems===
[[Edward Hospital]] serves Naperville while Good Samaritan in [[Downers Grove]], Central DuPage in [[Winfield]] and two other hospitals in nearby [[Aurora]] also serve the city. For many years, Edward Hospital and others have tried to introduce a new hospital into Naperville only to have their request turned down. Thus, Naperville remains the only large Illinois city with only one hospital. Edward Hospital currently is trying to open a hospital in nearby [[Plainfield, Illinois|Plainfield]] to help Naperville citizens with travel times to Edward Hospital.<ref>[http://dailyherald.com/story/?id=46692 Daily Herald | Edward Hospital pushes for Plainfield facility, again<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Parks===
[[Image:Riverwalk Quarry Moser Tower and Rotary Hill.jpg|thumb|150px|right|View of the Riverwalk Quarry in Naperville, Illinois, USA from Eagle Street, near Jackson Street. Moser Tower is in the right-center background and Rotary Hill (serving as a sled hill) is in the left background.]]
The Naperville Park District manages and provides leisure and recreational activities for Naperville and nearby residents of all ages. The District was established by referendum in 1966. As of 2007, the Park District manages over {{convert|2400|acre|sqkm|0}} of open space, including over 130 parks and four sports complexes.<ref name="ParkDistrictFacilities">[http://www.napervilleparks.org/parksfacilities/ Naperville Park District Parks and Facilities<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Park District also manages two golf courses, Springbrook and Naperbrook.<ref name="ParkDistrictGolf">[http://www.napervilleparks.org/golf/ Naperville Park District Golf<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In addition, the Park District is responsible for the Naperville Riverwalk, construction of which began in 1981, marking the 150th anniversary of the first Joseph Naper's settlement. Some of the other facilities managed by the Park District include:
*[[Centennial Beach]], with adjacent Centennial Park.
*Two parks dedicated to skateboarding and in-line skating, at Frontier Sports Complex and Centennial Park.
*Commissioners Park, which includes Naperville's first official [[Cricket]] pitch, opened in 2006.
*Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center
*Community Garden Plots, located on West Street.
*Knoch Knolls Park, which includes a nine-hole frisbee golf course, located on 95th Street.
*Naperville Sportsman's Club - Trap shooting range

===Public utilities===
The city of Naperville receives water from Chicago and Lake Michigan. Naperville's gas supplier is [[Nicor]], which is also headquartered in Naperville.

===Transportation===
====Roads====
As a typical American suburb, the main mode of transportation is via automobile. The [[Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway]] (the tolled portion of [[Interstate 88 (west)|Interstate 88]]) runs near the north edge of Naperville, and [[Interstate 55]] runs south of the city, through [[Bolingbrook, Illinois|Bolingbrook]] and [[Romeoville, Illinois|Romeoville]].

From 75th Street south (including 83rd Street, 87th Street, etc.) Naperville east-west streets and their names roughly follow the same grid layout as the City of Chicago. In other words, if 75th street continued east past its terminus at Illinois Route 83, in [[Willowbrook, Illinois|Willowbrook]], it would eventually be the same 75th Street as found in Chicago city limits. However, the older part of Naperville has a second numerical grid, starting downtown at Main and Benton, with 4th and 5th Avenues just north of the BNSF tracks, and continuing through 15th Avenue. The difference is that the numbers in the older system go up from downtown, traveling south to north, and the other grid's numbers go up as you travel north to south. See the [[Chicago Streets & Highways]] article for more information. There is also a geographical based naming system, with West Street and North Street defining the older boundaries of the city. Along with these are streets named after the city they lead to, i.e, Naper/Plainfield Road heads towards Plainfield, while Aurora Avenue leads to Aurora and Chicago Avenue to Chicago (it becomes Maple Ave. in neighboring [[Lisle, Illinois|Lisle]] before becoming 55th Street). Oswego Road, while having once led to Oswego via [[U.S. Route 34]], no longer connects to that highway, and thus no longer leads directly to [[Oswego, Illinois]]. Diehl Road, in a fashion typical for roads in parts of the Midwest, is named after an early farm family whose farm is now the site of Commonwealth Edison complex near the road's west end.

====Train service====
[[Image:Pace 2692.jpg|thumb|right|280px|[[Pace (transit)|Pace]] bus at the Naperville [[Metra]] station.]]
{{seealso|Naperville (Amtrak station)}} ''and [[Route 59 (Metra)]]''
The first rail link to Chicago dates to 1864. Naperville currently has three tracks belonging to the [[BNSF Railway]] that run through the north end of town, with passenger rail service provided by [[Metra]] and [[Amtrak]]. Amtrak's three routes through Naperville are the ''Illinois Zephyr'', the ''California Zephyr'' and the ''Southwest Chief''.

====Bus service====
[[Pace (transit)|Pace]] provides feeder bus service to the Metra stations and local midday service, both operated under contract. It also operates bus routes from Naperville to [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]] (which serves Aurora's [[Westfield Fox Valley]] Mall) and [[Wheaton, Illinois|Wheaton]] (which serves the [[College of DuPage]]).

====Airport====
There is also one private airport, the [[Naper Aero Club]] field, designation LL-10, on the western edge of town. The field is notable for being the home of the [[Lima Lima Flight Team]].

==Sister cities==
[[Image:Flag of Slovakia.svg|20px|]] [[Nitra]], [[Slovakia]] has been Naperville's official [[sister city]] since the Naperville City Council approved the partnership on [[November 17]], [[1993]]. Nitra was chosen, in part, due to a desire to create a special bond with a city in one of the newly-formed democracies brought about by the fall of the [[Iron Curtain]].<ref name="SisterCity">[http://www.naperville.il.us/dynamic_content.aspx?id=625 City of Naperville || Sister Cities Commission<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Nitra was also chosen due to several similarities between the two cities, such as:
*both enjoy a riverwalk in the downtown area
*both are [[college town]]s
*similar climates
*similar [[population]] (100,000+) and size

Since the inception of this partnership, the Naperville Sister Cities Commission has worked to strengthen the bond between Naperville and Nitra through its support of various events and delegations. The primary goal of such [[sister city]] programs is to increase awareness of other cultures and promote international friendship, and the Naperville-Nitra partnership has so far been a successful one.<ref name="SisterCity"/>

In 2002, the Sister Cities Commission supported a youth [[baseball]] exchange, sending the Naperville Patriots baseball team, composed of 15 high school age ballplayers and representing each of the four high schools Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley in the Naperville area, to Nitra. The team travelled throughout Slovakia, and played with and held clinics for the newly-formed Nitra "Little Giants" baseball team. Head coach Dave Perillo and captains Jason Fitterer and Rob Losik were responsible for organizing the clinic for the Nitra players, which proved to be a success. The Naperville Patriots also enjoyed the distinction of being the first baseball team from the United States ever to travel to the nation of Slovakia.<ref>[http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-3293268_ITM Naperville, Nitra mark 10-year bond.(News) - Journal, Magazine, Article, Periodical<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

In addition to this exchange, the City of Naperville has supported several other events to strengthen the bond with Nitra, including:
*Hosting the Illinois State Sister City Convention (2000)
*Co-sponsoring Slovak Cultural Heritage Week, a cultural exchange of Slovak folk musicians (1999)
*Hosting a 12-member delegation from Nitra (1997, 1994)
*Sending a 12-member delegation to Nitra (1998, 1993)
*[[YMCA]] camp counselor exchanges; hosting a basketball team from Nitra (1998)

The community at large has enthusiastically supported the Naperville-Nitra partnership, as well. In 1999, Naperville's Our Savior's Lutheran Church raised $275,000 to rebuild a church in Nitra, which was then dedicated the following year. [[NALCO]] and school districts 203 and 204 have also shipped 6,000 pounds of books to Nitra since 1993.<ref name="SisterCity"/>

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1999/iht719939.html Biographical page about Harold Moser] including a brief history of Naperville, from [[Northern Illinois University]].
*{{cite book
| first = Katharine Kendzy
| last = Gingold
| year = 2007
| title = Ruth by Lake and Prairie; True Stories of Early Naperville
| publisher = Gnu Ventures Company
| id = ISBN 978-0-9792419-0-1
}}

==External links==
===Official city-related sites===
*[http://www.naperville.net/ Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://www.naperville.il.us/ The Official Site of the City of Naperville, IL]
*[http://www.naperville-il.com/ Naperville Businesses and Organizations]
*[http://www.visitnaperville.com/ Visit Naperville - The Naperville Convention and Visitor's Bureau]
*[http://www.naperville-carillon.org Naperville Carillon]

===Public schools===
*[http://www.ncusd203.org/ Naperville Community Unit School District 203]
*[http://www.ipsd.org/ Indian Prairie School District 204]

===Recreational and educational amenities===
*[http://www.naperville-lib.org/ Naperville Public Library]
*[http://www.napervilleparks.org/ Naperville Park District]

===Local media===
*[http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/ The Naperville Sun]
*[http://www.dailyherald.com/news/community/naperville/ The Daily Herald]
*[http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/naperville/ Chicago Suburban News - Naperville Reporter]
*[http://ww.nctv17.com/ Naperville Community Television, Channel 17]

===Local restaurant listings===
*[http://www.napermenus.com/ Napermenus]

===Local blogs===
*[http://www.naperville.wordpress.com/ World of Naperville]
*[http://aroundnaperville.com/ Around Naperville]

===Local radio===
*[http://www.naperville.il.us/dynamic_content.aspx?id=152 WPFP, 1610 AM, emergency, city and road information]
*[http://www.stopandgoradio.com/ Stop and Go Radio - Internet based community radio]
*[http://www.wonc.org/ WONC, 89.1 FM, radio station at North Central College]

{{DuPage County, Illinois}}
{{Will County, Illinois}}
{{Chicagoland}}
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[[Category:Cities in Illinois]]
[[Category:DuPage County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Will County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Naperville, Illinois| ]]
[[Category:Settlements established in 1831]]

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Revision as of 01:32, 15 May 2008

Naperville is a total no man's land to all outsiders! Nowhere on the Continent of North America are locals more hostile and aggressive towards non neighbors than in Naperville. Not a single soul has ever gone into naperville and come out without handcuffs on his wrists and outside of a police car!