Naperville, Illinois

Naperville is a suburb of Chicago, located in DuPage and Will counties in the State of Illinois. Naperville was voted the second-best place to live in the United States by Money magazine in 2006. It was rated 1st on the list of best cities for early retirement in 2013 by Kiplinger. In a 2010 study, Naperville was named the wealthiest city in the Midwest and eleventh in the nation with a population over 75,000. It was ranked among the nation's safest cities by USAToday. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853, which was estimated to have increased to 144,864 by July 2013. It is the fifth-largest city in Illinois, after Chicago, Aurora, Rockford, and Joliet. Approximately 95,000 Napervillians live on the DuPage County side, while about 50,000 reside on the Will County side.

History

In July 1831, Joseph Naper arrived at the west bank 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, 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 the well-known Lorado Taft statue "Eternal Silence" (also known as "the Dexter Graves Monument").

Naperville station

Naperville is a train station in Naperville, Illinois, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. Amtrak trains stopping at the Naperville station include the California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr, Carl Sandburg and Southwest Chief. It is also one of two stations in Naperville that serves Metra's BNSF Railway commuter line, and an abundance of Pace bus routes. Naperville Station was originally built in 1910 by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. On April 26, 1946, the station was the site of a collision between the CB&Q's Exposition Flyer and Advance Flyer.

About 4,100 people board Metra trains at the Naperville station daily, making it the second busiest Metra station on the system outside Downtown Chicago (only behind Route 59). The station serves roughly 53,000 Amtrak passengers annually.

Trails & Rails and APRHF Rail Rangers program

Between May 18, 2013 and July 19, 2015, volunteer rangers with the National Park Service provided commentary for train passengers between Chicago, Illinois and La Plata, Missouri on Amtrak's Southwest Chief, including through Naperville. This Trails & Rails program was a partnership between Amtrak, the National Park Service, Texas A&M University, and the American Passenger Rail Heritage Foundation (APRHF) in La Plata, Missouri. Volunteers were on board for two round-trips per week during the busy summer and winter holiday travel periods. Despite volunteers no longer being on the train, the reference manual used by Trails & Rails volunteers is still available for passengers at Outside The Rails. After the National Park Service ended its partnership with the APRHF in July 2015, the APRHF launched its Rail Rangers program, which continues to provide a similar service on private railroad car excursions across the Midwestern United States, including through Naperville on the BNSF line.

Naperville Community Unit School District 203

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 is a school district headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, United States.

History

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). All but two of the district's buildings are within the limits of the city of Naperville. Kennedy Junior High School is in Lisle. Steeple Run is in an unincorporated portion of Lisle Township in DuPage County. The current District 203 school buildings were constructed between 1928 (Ellsworth) and 2010 (Ann Reid Early Childhood Center). Additionally, throughout the district's history they have conducted many renovations and additions to schools. For information about renovations and additions to Naperville Central High School or Naperville North High School see their Wikipedia pages. For information on the 2010 additions, renovation, and construction of the Ann Reid E.C.C., visit Building the Future on District 203's website. Lately, under superintendent Mark Mitrovich, redistricting of the school boundaries have occurred. This action is sparking controversy between parents and the district. As of summer 2012, Dr. Mitrovich has stepped down, and Dan Bridges, who had several leadership positions in nearby West Aurora District 129, has been named Interim Superintendent for 2012-2013.