Elgin, Illinois

Elgin (/ˈɛldʒɪn/) is a city in Illinois in the United States. It is roughly 40 mi (64 km) northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 114,797. It is the sixth-largest city in Illinois. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Elgin
City
Aerial view of Downtown Elgin
Nickname:  The City in the Suburbs
Motto:  The Jewel of the Midwest
Location of Elgin in Kane and Cook County, Illinois
Coordinates: 42°02′18″N 88°19′22″W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Counties	Kane Cook
Townships	Elgin Dundee Rutland Plato Campton Hanover
Founded	1835
Incorporated (city)	April 24, 1854
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• Total	38.60 sq mi (99.97 km2)
• Land	38.03 sq mi (98.49 km2)
• Water	0.57 sq mi (1.49 km2)  1.43%
Elevation	810 ft (250 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	114,797
• Density	3,018.83/sq mi (1,165.59/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP code(s)	60120–60125
Area code(s)	331, 847 and 224
Geocode	17-23074
FIPS code	17-23074
Demonym	Elginite
Website	www.cityofelgin.org

People from Elgin

Authors and academics

• E.C. "Mike" Alft, historian, author, and former mayor of Elgin.
• Nina Burleigh, journalist and best-selling author.
• Paul Flory, chemist, Nobel Prize winner (1974).
• Lloyd Hall, chemist.
• Douglas J. Mink, astronomer, co-discover of the rings around the planet Uranus.
• John Platt, computer scientist.
• Tom Shales, journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner (1988).
• Carleton Washburne, educator, author of the Winnetka Plan.

Business and invention

• Max Adler, vice-president of Sears & Roebuck, benefactor of Adler Planetarium.
• Lawrence B. Hamlin, violator of the Pure Food and Drug Act on claiming that his family's patent medicine could cure cancer.
• Lysander Hamlin, co-originator with John Austen Hamlin of Hamlin's Wizard Oil, father of Lawrence B. Hamlin.
• Jimmy John Liautaud, founder of Jimmy John's, benefactor of UIC's Liautaud Graduate School of Business.
• Earl "Madman" Muntz, marketer, car stereo and 4-track cartridge pioneer.
• James Roche, former chairman of General Motors.

Media and arts

• Dan Andriano, musician.
• Joe Becker, musician.
• Bruce Boxleitner, actor.
• BarlowGirl, Christian rock band.
  • Alyssa Barlow
  • Becca Barlow
  • Lauren Barlow
• Chelsea Brummet, actress.
• Josh Caterer, songwriter, musician, lead singer of indie rock band Smoking Popes.
• Chuck Harder, radio talk show host.
• John Austen Hamlin, magician, brother of Lysander Hamlin.
• Matt Hoffman, Big brother 12.
• Charles Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie) spent part of his childhood in the nearby Campton Township.
• Laurence Kaptain, international performer/recording artist, and Dean, College of Music and Dramatic Arts, Louisiana State University.
• William LeBaron, playwright, movie producer.
• David Otunga, Harvard educated lawyer, reality show contestant on VH1's I Love New York 2, fiance of singer/actress Jennifer Hudson.
• Jane Peterson, painter and artist.
• John Qualen, actor.
• David Strackany, folk singer-songwriter aka Paleo, born in Elgin

Military

• Harry Chamberlin, Brigadier General, equestrian, Olympic gold medalist (1932).

Politics

• Ray Barnhart, Texas Republican politician
• Peter Fitzgerald, United States Senator (R-IL).

Sports

• Charlene Barnett (1928-1979), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player and member of three champion teams.
• Brian Oldfield (born 1945), Olympic shot putter.
• Flynn Robinson (born 1941), basketball player for the Cincinnati Royals, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Baltimore Bullets.