Elgin

History

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Black Hawk Indian War of 1832 led to the expulsion of the Native Americans who had settlements and burial mounds in the area and set the stage for the founding of Elgin. Thousands of militiamen and soldiers of Gen. Winfield Scott's army marched through the Fox River valley during the war, and accounts of the area's fertile soils and flowing springs soon filtered east. In New York, James T. Gifford and his brother Hezekiah Gifford heard tales of this area ripe for settlement, and they traveled west. Looking for a site on the stagecoach route from Chicago to Galena, Illinois, they eventually settled on a spot where the Fox River could be bridged. In April 1835, they established the city, naming it after the Scottish tune "Elgin". Early Elgin achieved fame for the butter and dairy goods it sold to the city of Chicago. Gail Borden established a condensed milk factory here in 1866, and the local library was named in his honor. The dairy industry became less important with the arrival of the Elgin Watch Company. The watch factory employed three generations of Elginites from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, when it was the largest producer of fine watches in the United States (the factory ceased production in 1965 and was torn down in the summer of 1966) and the operator of the largest watchmaking complex in the world. Today, the clocks at Chicago's Union Station still bear the Elgin name. From 1910 until 1920, with the exception of the World War I years, the city hosted the Elgin National Road Races, which attracted the top national racing champions as well as many of the major automobile manufacturers. The races were sponsored by the Elgin Watch Company who offered a $1,000 prize and a silver trophy to the winner.…

Geography

Elgin is located at (42.0384225, −88.3226510). Elgin is in the Hot-summer humid continental climate, or Köppen Dfa zone. The zone includes four distinct seasons. Winter is cold with snow. Spring warms up with precipitation and storms, some of which can be severe and include tornadoes. Summer has high precipitation and storms. Fall cools down. On March 28, 1920, Elgin was struck by several tornadoes along the Fox River that caused significant damage to Chicago and several western suburbs. Twenty-three people were killed and several businesses and homes were destroyed, including the Opera House and Grant Theater.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  24,754
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,237
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  21,894
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,061
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  19,483
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,699
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,481
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17,833

Largest nearby schools

• South Elgin High School
  High · South Elgin · 2,844 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Dundee-Crown High School
  High · Carpentersville · 2,636 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Larkin High School
  High · Elgin · 2,264 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• St Charles East High School
  High · Saint Charles · 2,076 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• St Charles North High School
  High · Saint Charles · 1,929 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Central High School
  High · Burlington · 1,387 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• Wredling Middle School
  Middle · Saint Charles · 1,375 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Westfield Community School
  Elementary · Algonquin · 1,354 students · 14.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois
• M 3.2 — 2013-11-04
  1 km SSW of Lyons, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois
• M 3.8 — 2010-02-10
  2 km NW of Lily Lake, Illinois