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The distinguished Village of Oak Brook was incorporated in 1958 and is located twenty five miles west of Chicago along I-294. Oak Brook is located near two major interstate highways, convenient to the Chicago Loop and to both O'Hare and Midway airports.
Oak Brook was first a small agricultural community called Fullersburg, named after one of the two founding families, the Fullers and the Butlers, who shaped its development.
For hundreds of years prior to the arrival of European settlers, the area that comprises present-day Oak Brook and surrounding Chicago suburbs was the site of a large Potawatomi settlement. It was the tribes trails that led settlers to the area in the 1830s. The Potawatomi ended up selling their land to the U.S. Government and small farms began popping up throughout the landscape. The farming settlements continued to expand and multiply. Neighboring communities of Elmhurst and Hinsdale grew as well and the local residents started to refer to their settlement as Oak Brook in order to maintain a separate identity. It wasn't until 1958 that Oak Brook was officially incorporated, but the suburb was already well on the way to being a self-sustained city. With the construction of pricey subdivisions and the arrival of several major U.S. corporations, Oak Brook was soon recognized as one of the most affluent suburbs in the country.
Today, Oak Brook is noted for being the headquarters to more than 50 of the Fortune 500 companies such as Ace Hardware, McDonald's, Blistex and Lions Club International. This corporate presence increases the daytime population of Oak Brook from a permanent 8,800 residents to approximately 100,000 people each day.
Oak Brook Center stakes claim as the largest open-air shopping center in the country. The complex has dozens of restaurants (California Pizza, The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano's Little Italy, to name a few) and a multitude of shops and services (from Abercrombie and Fitch to Zazu Salon & Day Spa), making the suburb of Oak Brook one of Illinois' hottest shopping destinations.
Oak Brook Shopping Center, located at the intersection of Route 83 and 22nd Street, is known for its upscale department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's, Marshall Field & Co. and William Sonoma as well as superb specialty stores and an exciting variety of restaurants. The outdoor center is landscaped with fountains, flowers and trees.
For a bit of history, there is Graue Mill. The mill was built in 1852 to grind grain. Today, it is the only operating waterwheel gristmill in Illinois. In addition, the basement was used for escaping slaves and is one of only three authenticated Underground Railroad stations in the state. The mill was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in May 1975.
In addition to the convenient location and elegant shopping, Oak Brook provides excellent schools and an abundance of outdoor recreational activities. Oak Brook has more than 100 acres of forests and parks with an extensive pathway system for jogging, walking and biking. Oak Brook's polo field is famous in the community for exciting matches on Sundays during the summer. Several prestigious golf courses are located in and around the area.
Oak Brook has many homes in what is called the Interface Zone - where the woods and residential areas meet. Living in the beautiful setting of a wooded area can be very peaceful. Oak Brook offers its residents executive single-family homes and town home communities in spacious, stylish and distinguished residential areas with vast open spaces. Property owners in Oak Brook pay no property tax, as services are funded mainly by sales tax.
Oak Brook is a wealthy community and housing prices certainly reflect this. There are a variety of large single family homes available in the area for between $550,000 and $5 million. Condominiums are more affordable with price tags starting in the low $100,000s, however, there are many luxury level condo units and townhouses in Oak Brook with prices closer to a million dollars.
There's plenty of recreational activities for families to enjoy in Oak Brook. The Oak Brook Park District operates seven parks on 150 acres of land with swimming facilities, tennis and racquetball courts, athletic fields and walking, jogging and biking paths. There's also the newly constructed 9-hole Disc Golf Course for Frisbee Golf enthusiasts. For other sporting options, the Oak Brook Polo Club invites the public out to their grounds every Sunday during the summer months to watch the "game of kings." And locals can enjoy a bit of theatrical amusement at the First Folio Theatre, which produces a variety of popular plays including an entire Shakespeare Festival.
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