Carol Stream, Illinois


Carol Stream is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Incorporated on January 5, 1959, and named after its founder's daughter, Carol Stream had a population of 39,711 as of the 2010 United States Census. In 2011 CNN's Money Magazine ranked Carol Stream 49th on its list of 100 best places to live in the United States.

History

In 1853, St. John Wahlund Catholic Church was built in Gretna. The church was closed in 1867. When St. Michael Church was opened in Wheaton in 1872, the St. Stephen parishioners were transferred to that parish. The church building was dismantled sometime in the late 19th century. St. Stephen Cemetery was located adjacent to the church building. It was last used for burial in 1910. The St. Stephen Cemetery was rededicated 100 years later on September 12, 2010.

1950s

In 1952, a farm from the area was featured on NBC; it was the site for the first outdoor telecast by the network in 1954.
A common misconception is that the municipality of Carol Stream was named for a local minor waterway. In fact, Carol Stream is one of the few communities in America that took its name from the first and last names of a living person: Carol Stream, the daughter of its founder Jay Stream. Carol Stream herself moved to Arizona as an adult, living there until her death on January 18, 2020.
Jay W. Stream, a military veteran who had previously sold insurance and ready-mix concrete, was in the mid-1950s heading Durable Construction Company. He became frustrated with red tape while negotiating a planned 350–400 home subdivision in nearby Naperville, Illinois. A Naperville clerk reportedly advised Stream to "build your own town", and in 1957, Stream began buying unincorporated farmland outside Wheaton. He hoped to allow people to work in the town they lived in, rather than have to commute to Chicago.
On August 26, 1957, Carol and three friends were returning from Racine, Wisconsin in a 1949 Studebaker. While attempting to cross U.S. Route 45 in central Kenosha County, the car was struck in the right rear corner, killing 15-year-old Richard Christie of Chicago, the passenger seated there. Carol was ejected through the windshield and into a utility pole. Neurosurgeons at Kenosha Memorial Hospital said the comatose girl might never awaken or, if she did, would likely be severely handicapped. On advice of the doctors that her recovery might improve with good news, Jay decided to name the new community in her honor. After four months in a coma, Carol regained consciousness. Learning the new village bore her full name, Carol said she thought it "odd and silly" at first.
Carol Stream was to be named Jacqueline Stream, but her parents changed her name to Carol when her due date fell near Christmas. She never lived in her namesake community, but moved from Wheaton, Illinois, to Arizona in 1957 following the end of her parents' marriage. She participated in municipal celebrations and rides in parades during anniversary celebrations of the municipality's 1959 incorporation, and she was frequently asked for autographs when she was in town. She died in Arizona on January 18, 2020.

21st Century

One of the town's two middle schools, Jay Stream Middle School is named after the founder, Jay Stream, who died on January 22, 2006.

Municipal history

According to the 2010 census, Carol Stream has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 40,438 people, 13,872 households, and 10,140 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,545.8 people per square mile. There were 14,200 housing units at an average density of 1,596.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 78.51% White, 11.20% Asian, 4.24% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.79% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.03% of the population.
Of the 13,872 households, 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the village, the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 36.6% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $64,893, and the median income for a family was $74,984. Males had a median income of $50,398 versus $31,757 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,152. About 2.4% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to the Village's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of Employees
1Hearthside Food Solutions, LLC650
2FIC America Corp.494
3Grunt Style LLC400
4American Litho Inc.350
5Federal Ground Package System Inc.335
6Diamond Marketing Solutions Group Inc.335
7Office Depot #1105280
8Owens & Minor Distribution Inc.275
9AJ Antunes & Co.275
10Windsor Park Retirement Community200

The Christian publishers Tyndale House and Christianity Today International are based in Carol Stream.
The United States Postal Service's Sectional Hub for ZIP Codes 601 and 603 is located in this town.

Government

Carol Stream is governed by a body known as the Legislative Board, which is composed of seven elected officials: a mayor and six trustees. Frank Saverino is the current mayor; his term of office runs from May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2023. The village clerk is also an elected position. The clerk's term of office is the same as the mayor's. A village administrator is appointed by the Legislative Board to manage the daily village operations.

Education

Most students in Carol Stream attend school in the Consolidated School District 93, a K–8 district. The District 93 schools in Carol Stream are: Carol Stream School, Cloverdale School, Elsie Johnson School, Heritage Lakes, Western Trails, Roy DeShane, Stratford Middle School and Jay Stream Middle School. District 93 is only K-8; thus, students must attend a different district when they reach the high school level. They are served by Glenbard Township High School District 87, which includes Glenbard North, located in Carol Stream.
Part of the village is served by a unit school district, the Elgin Area School District U46. It serves an area of approximately in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties. Almost 40,000 children of school age are in its area. District U-46 is the second-largest in Illinois. in Carol Stream serves in-district students for grades K-6. These students then attend for grades 7–8. High school students who live within the U-46 boundaries attend Bartlett High School.
The western section of the village is served by Benjamin School District 25, a small, two-school district. Evergreen Elementary School is located in Carol Stream while Benjamin Middle School is nearby in unincorporated West Chicago. Founded in the 1840s, Benjamin 25 is one of the oldest school districts in DuPage County. High school students from Benjamin attend West Chicago Community High School, District 94.
D-41, another School District which mainly serves Glen Ellyn, serves far southeast parts of Carol Stream. There are 5 K–8 Schools.Churchill, Forest Glen, Lincoln, Franklin, Hadley. All Students that live in Carol Stream and go to D-41 attend Glenbard West High School. Glenbard West is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Carol Stream has six major roads running through the village. The most important of these is North Avenue, which runs relatively close to the center of Carol Stream and serves the majority of its industrial areas. North Avenue is an east-west road which extends a further 30 miles east into Chicago as well as further west across the state. Army Trail Road and Geneva Road are the other major east-west roads.
Gary Avenue is a major north-south road to the commercial center of Bloomingdale and the Stratford Square Mall. County Farm Road also serves as a major commercial route for residents. Schmale Road serves a small commercial area on the southeastern side of Carol Stream. Kuhn Road also runs north–south, but is not that major.
Lies Road is a minor east-west road that bisects the village starting from Fair Oaks Road on the west to Schmale Road on the east. The portion from County Farm Road thru Kuhn Road to near Gary Avenue is the route for the annual Fourth of July parade.
A feeder line from the nearby Illinois Central Railroad serves the main industrial complex for Carol Stream. The old Gretna Railway Station had been renamed Carol Stream in 1962, the station manager of four years at the time, Frank S. Shilling, said he never found out why the station was named Gretna. The original building was preserved and moved to the Carol Stream Park District, where it serves as a museum and a home for the Carol Stream Historical Society.

Park District

"The Carol Stream Park District was organized on March 21, 1964 by a new elected park board of five members, who were Fred Mitchell, Gerald Walter, Wilbur Kent, George Kostopoulos and Robert Simkus"
In 1990 the park district honored one the original board member Robert Simkus, by naming a new building after him. In 2013 the park district was accepted to build a new facility. The new park district is called Fountain View Recreation Center.
Armstrong Park was named after Neil Armstrong. Also, in 1970 the Aldrin community center was named after Buzz Aldrin.
, the board commissioners are Anthony del Preto, Jacqueline Jeffery, Tim Powers, Dan Bird, and Brenda Garmann. The vice president for the park district is John Jaszka. Jazka has been in office since 2011. Lastly, the president is Brian Sokolowski. Brian Sokolowski has worked with the park district for 17 years
;Buildings associated with the Park District
Fountain View Recreation Center has numerous activities for everyone, offering open gym basketball, open swim, workout facility, and more. The Park District has youth basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, softball and dodge ball. The Park District also offers an adult league for many sports, including basketball, bean bag, dodge ball, flag football, floor hockey, soccer, softball, and volleyball.
Carol Stream Park District is responsible for building and maintaining numerous public parks. There are 36 parks in all throughout the community. Within these parks, there are activities in which residents can take part. For example, at Armstrong Park there are hills for sledding during winter. Also, at Armstrong Park there are ponds where any licensed individual may catch and release fish. Also, Hampe Park offers a skate park for skaters, rollerbladers, scooterists, and bikers to use. McCaslin Park and Armstrong Park are filled with baseball fields for leagues and practice. They also have sand volleyball courts around the parks. Armstrong Park offers a roller hockey rink for pickup hockey games.

Notable people