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Village Of Itasca

550 West Irving Park Road
630-773-0835

About Us :

Itasca is located in the northeast corner of DuPage County. Chicago's Loop is approximately 25 miles east; O'Hare International Airport 10 miles away and Midway Airport 29 miles to the southeast.

Itasca's second school building, built in 1895 on Elm Street (now an apartment building) Itasca was first settled by Dr. Elijah Smith in 1841. Dr. Smith practiced in Boston, and in May 1841, he set out to find a suitable site for doctoring, farming, and raising a family. He traveled from New York via Detroit and headed toward DuPage County. His parchment government land title dated March 10, 1843, was signed by John Tylor, President of the United States. The document gave Smith title to the land that is now bounded by the railroad tracks on the south, Maple Street on the west, Cherry Street on the east, and Division Street on the north.

The post office was established in 1846 and took on various names, such as Bremen, Pierce, and Sagone. In the 1860s the first school was built. It was a small wooden structure with one room. The building was located on a site near the present First Presbyterian Church.

In 1873 Smith plotted eighty acres of his land into lots. The Chicago and Pacific Railroad was completed from Chicago to Elgin, with stations at Bensenville, Wood Dale (called Lester) and Itasca. Smith gave the right-of-way to encourage location of the tracks through the settlement. He donated $400 to help build a station.

The Chicago and Pacific Railroad became "insolvent," as bankruptcy was then termed. In 1880 the road went into the hands of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, a newly formed corporation combining several roads.

The citizens of Itasca decided in 1890 to incorporate into a village. At a meeting at his mill, A. G. Chessman was elected the first Village President. Irving Park Road was first called the Chicago and Elgin Road. At an 1891 Village Board meeting, the name was changed to Elgin Avenue.

The overall growth and development of the Village has and is being controlled by the Comprehensive Plan that was first adopted in 1942 and has been amended in 1959, 1979, and 1993.


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