Elgin, Illinois is a city located on the Fox River, about 35 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop. According to the 2000 census, with a population of about 94,487, Elgin is the eighth largest city in Illinois, and has the curious distinction of straddling two counties: most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County. Profiled in a 1997 issue of Money Magazine as a “microcosm of the United States,” Elgin is a diverse and rapidly growing community. In fact, the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission forecasts “Elgin will have a population of 162,416 by 2030.”
Besides the quality of its tap water, which in the past ten years has been named both the “finest in Kane County and the finest in Illinois,” the city of Elgin is known for its historic architecture and landmarks from the Victorian era, “including some fine examples of homes in the Queen Anne style.” Predating Victorian homes were homes made of native cobblestone; it is believed that Elgin had at one time the largest concentration of cobblestone homes outside of Rochester, New York. Several such homes built by the earliest settlers still stand. They can be seen in Elgin's historic districts, “two of which are recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.”
