Community


The History of Burr Ridge
The area now known as Burr Ridge was once the home of the Sioux, Pottawattamie, Ottawa, and Chippewa Native Americans. After the Treaty of New Echota in 1835, most Native Americans were relocated from the region to the west of the Mississippi. In the early 1950s, the area was sparsely settled, and large tracts of land were devoted to farming. The gently rolling hills and wooded sections of the eastern portion of the region were, for the most part, divided into five-acre tracts. On October 30, 1956, a one-square-mile area bounded by Old Route 66, County Line Road, 79th Street, and the east line of the Denemark Farm was incorporated as the Village of Harvester.

On October 20, 1956, in the garage of a residence on Drew Avenue, 143 residents of Robert Bartlett's Estates (the one square mile area bounded by Old Route 66, County Line Road, 79th Street, and the east line of the Denemark Farm, which is now Burr Ridge Industrial commons) cast their votes on the question of incorporation. Two days later, the results were official (76 votes for and 67 against), and on October 30, 1956, the incorporation of the Village of Harvester was confirmed. The new Village had approximately 75 homes and a population of less than 300.

In August 1961, the territory north of Route 66, including the 414-acre International Harvester research facility (now the CNH Industrial facility and the Fieldstone, High Grove, Oak Grove, and Chestnut Hills developments), was annexed to the Village. The annexation included the area known as Burr Ridge Estates (which the Busby family developed into five-acre tracts in the early 1950s. The Busby family's farm ran along County Line Road near Plainfield Road and was called the "burr ridge" due to the large stand of burr oak trees. In August 1962, the community changed the Village's name to Burr Ridge. The burr oak leaf became the Village emblem. Its slogan – "A Very Special Place" – was the title of a small book written in 1976 to reflect on the Village's pride at its 20th Anniversary. Shortly after the change in the Village's name, the former Babcock dairy farm was annexed to the Village for development as Carriage Way. Milk from this farm had been processed and distributed to the Chicago Guernsey Dairy Center, now the site of Sedgley Estates. 

In 1984, Burr Ridge became the first in DuPage County to provide Lake Michigan water to all its customers and, by 1997, became known as one of the 300 wealthiest communities in America. To preserve the hallmark woodlands, ponds, and wetlands, the Village founders monitored the transformation of large tracts of open farmland and woodlands in the years after incorporation. Burr Ridge became a planned community of approximately seven square miles, with 11,259 residents residing in about 4,000 homes. 

The burr oaks still exist in Burr Ridge, along with fine homes on generous lots and distinguished townhome communities. Local shopping and high-quality office parks are blended into this natural setting, attracting those who become both residents and valued members of the business community. The well-balanced mix of the business and residential communities has allowed Burr Ridge to maintain a healthy corporate fund and one of the lowest tax rates in DuPage County.
Burr Ridge truly is "A Very Special Place."


Location
Burr Ridge is ideally located at the intersection of the Tri-State Tollway and the Stevenson Expressway and offers easy access to Chicago's Loop and airports. The Village, approximately 7.2 sq. mi., lies in both DuPage and Cook counties. Hinsdale borders the Village to the north, Western Springs to the northeast, Indian Head Park to the east, Willow Springs to the south and southeast, and Willowbrook to the west, along with several unincorporated areas. The border of Burr Ridge extends to Wolf Road in the east, 55th Street in the north, Madison Street in the west (and Route 83 in the southern portion of the Village), and approximately 97th Street in the south.