Itasca

History

Itasca was first settled by Elijah Smith in 1841. Smith practiced medicine in Boston. In May 1841, at the advice of his colleagues 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 Tyler, 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 (after Charles Pierce, who ran a trading post), and Sagon. The name Itasca comes from Lake Itasca. 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. In 1880 the road went into the hands of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, a newly formed corporation combining several rail networks. 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 1900s The Village of Itasca…

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Itasca has a total area of , of which (or 97.63%) is land and (or 2.37%) is water. : Elk Grove : Elk Grove Elk Grove : Medinah Wood Dale : Bloomingdale Wood Dale : Addison

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• York Comm High School
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• Lake Park High School
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• Glenbard West High School
  High · Glen Ellyn · 2,324 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Glenbard East High School
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• Glenbard North High School
  High · Carol Stream · 2,162 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• Bartlett High School
  High · Bartlett · 2,122 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Willowbrook High School
  High · Villa Park · 1,992 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Addison Trail High School
  High · Addison · 1,927 students · 16.1:1 ratio