Elgin, Illinois

Elgin
City
Aerial view of Downtown 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
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
[3]
 • Total38.60 sq mi (99.97 km2)
 • Land38.03 sq mi (98.49 km2)
 • Water0.57 sq mi (1.49 km2)  1.43%
Elevation
[1]
810 ft (250 m)
Population
 (2020)[4]
 • 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 (/ˈɛldʒɪn/) 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.[5]
  • 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.[6]

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.[7][8]
  • Bruce Boxleitner, actor.
  • BarlowGirl, Christian rock band.
    • Alyssa Barlow
    • Becca Barlow
    • Lauren Barlow
  • Chelsea Brummet, actress.
  • 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.[9]
  • Jane Peterson, painter and artist.[10]
  • John Qualen, actor.
  • David Strackany, folk singer-songwriter aka Paleo, born in Elgin[11]

Military

  • Harry Chamberlin, Brigadier General, equestrian, Olympic gold medalist (1932).[12]

Politics

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

Sports

References

  1. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "QuickFacts: Elgin city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  5. ↑ Harvey, Judy (27 September 2016). "Elgin High School's inducts top alumni into new Hall of Fame". Chronicle Media. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  6. ↑ McChesney, Meagan (15 April 1998). "Carleton W. Washburne - Winnetka Historical Society". Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  7. ↑ 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 ...
  8. ↑ 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)
  9. ↑ Pang, David (March 22, 2011). "David the Goliath". Chicago Tribune. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 26, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  10. ↑ Heller, Jules; Heller, Nancy G. North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge. p. 439. ISBN 978-1-135-63882-5.
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ Historical and Pictorial Review, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Cavalry Division. Baton Rouge, LA: The Army and Navy Publishing Company. 1941. p. 27 – via FamilySearch.


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