The village of La Grange, a Chicago suburb located in Cook County, Illinois, had a population of 16,321 as of the 2020 census. La Grange is also commonly spelled LaGrange.
The vicinity near La Grange saw its initial settlement in, as inhabitants of Chicago started relocating westward in response to the city’s burgeoning population following its incorporation. Robert Leitch, the earliest settler, arrived in the area in 1830, predating the incorporation of the City of Chicago by seven years.
La Grange is situated at a latitude of 41.807938 and a longitude of -87.873455, approximately 21 kilometers west of Chicago. The village has a relatively flat terrain, with an elevation of 645 feet and minimal variations in height of no more than ten feet. La Grange is bordered by neighboring incorporated communities of similar size on all sides, except to the southwest, where the expansive La Grange Highlands are located.
La Grange serves as the mailing address for the main office of Electro-Motive Diesel, previously known as General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division, which is a significant producer of railroad locomotives and diesel engines. Although the headquarters, engineering sites, and parts manufacturing operations are situated in the neighboring village of McCook. In the past, locomotives were constructed in McCook as well, but nowadays, the final assembly process takes place at EMD’s alternate facility in Muncie, Indiana.
La Grange hosts a variety of community events and celebrations, including art fairs, historic house tours, carnivals, and farmer’s markets, which are often held in the central business district.
Community Center & Park covers an area of 1 acre, while Denning Park spans 10 acres. Elm Park occupies 2 acres, Gilbert Park encompasses 6 acres, and Gordon Park is spread across 17 acres. Meadowbrook Manor Park, Rotary Centennial Park, Sedgwick Park, Spring Park, Spring/Gurrie School Park, Stone Park, and Waiola Park respectively cover 0.3 acres, 25 acres, 0.85 acres, 8 acres, 0.5 acres, and 3.5 acres.
La Grange Village is a municipality that is not governed by home rule and follows a board-manager system. The village is overseen by a seven-member board of trustees, who are elected according to state regulations for four-year terms that overlap. The board appoints a village manager.
The village is served by six functional departments, namely administration, finance, law enforcement, firefighting, community development, and public works.
Students in the village are divided among three K-8 public school districts. The northern section of the village, consisting of students residing north of 47th Street, falls under La Grange School District 102. Within the village, District 102 includes Cossitt School and Ogden Avenue School. Additionally, some elementary students attend Forest Road School in La Grange Park and Congress Park School in Brookfield. Middle school students from District 102 attend Park Junior High in La Grange Park.
LION Newspaper, established more than one hundred years ago, provides news coverage across the district. WLTL, another media outlet, began broadcasting music in 1968 and has maintained its presence for fifty years. Lyons Township also operates Lyons Township Television (LTTV), showcasing sports and student-created programs.
La Grange is crossed by two significant highways. The main street in the village, La Grange Road (U.S. Routes 12/20/45), runs from north to south and meets Interstate 55 (Stevenson Expressway) to the south of the village. Ogden Avenue (U.S. Route 34) runs from east to west and intersects Interstate 294 (Tri-State Tollway) to the west of the village.
The Regional Transportation Authority’s suburban bus division, Pace, offers bus service for commuters.
AdventHealth’s UChicago Medicine AdventHealth La Grange hospital is a level-two trauma center with 270 inpatient beds. Following a $79 million renovation and expansion project, the facility was upgraded and expanded in early 2007.