Bolingbrook, Illinois: A Growing Town

Anyone remember Old Chicago? Those who reside near the Chicago area probably remember the large indoor amusement park that was located on the south side of Bolingbrook. back in the 70's. The amusement park was known for "The Loop," a roller coaster that looped its passengers upside down a few times. The first Wendy's restaurant in Illinois was located inside the park. Think of Mall of America-- Old Chicago was simply an idea before its time.

So for years, Bolingbrook was known as a sleepy, bedroom town with nothing much there. If you needed a new shirt or a purse, you had to travel to nearby towns. There were a few sit-down restaurants scattered throughout the town. Most of the residents had to settle for McDonalds or Taco Bell. When Portillo's moved in, there was a major celebration.

The hubby and I moved to Bolingbrook in 1990. We purchased a small ranch home for sale by owner. We paid $97,000, which a realtor later told us was way too much for the tiny, 950 square-foot home. What did we know? We had looked in Darien and Woodridge and knew we couldn't afford the homes in that area so ninety-seven grand sounded good to us.

Two more houses later, we're still in Bolingbrook. And the housing prices have gone up. All new housing that is built must be priced at $350,000 or higher. Bolingbrook now has some homes in the million dollar range.

We no longer have to head to other towns to do some shopping. The Bolingbrook Promenade, a large outdoor mall with Macy's and Bass Pro Shops as the anchor stores, opened up this year. There are sit-down restaurants both on the east and west side of town, including fancy steak places and the usual franchises. Several large business parks have opened up on the south-west side. Between the mall and the businesses, the tax base in Bolingbrook has not increased in several years.

The Bolingbrook Golf Club hosts the annual State of the Village meeting, which ironically in the years past, had to be held in another town since there was no place large enough to host a gathering of residents. The golf club is also the site of the annual Tom Dreesen Celebrity Tournament.

Bolingbrook is now home to several hotels which often fill up when NASCAR events take place in nearby Joliet. Just ten years ago, there wasn't a single hotel in town. If you had relatives coming in from out of town, you had to put up with them or ship them off to another town overnight.

Despite all of the houses, businesses and growth happening around Bolingbrook, the Park District maintains some areas where one can connect with nature. Hidden Lakes has an area for fishing and a winding bike/walking path that stretches to the other side of town. The Pelican Park Aquatic Center has a great outdoor water park and a smaller indoor facility for year around use.

Bolingbrook is home to the "T-ball Capital of the World," with hundreds of kids marching in the kick-off parade each spring.

For more information on Bolingbrook, check out these sites:

Bolingbrook Village Hall

Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce

Bolingbrook Park District