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Batavia Recent Growth and Development Issues Batavia was first settled by a Pennsylvania native, Christopher Columbus Payne, when he built a log cabin for his family on the west side of the Fox River in 1833, naming the area Head of Big Woods ("Batavia’s History" 1). In 1835, Judge Isaac Wilson bought Payne’s land and changed the name of the town to Batavia, after his home in Batavia, NY ("Batavia’s History" 1). What is important to recognize about Batavia is that it was incorporated before Chicago was, and developed independently of the city, just as Elgin and St. Charles did (Santell 12/26/00). Due to its proximity to St. Charles, Batavia offered many of the same amenities to its settlers such as the river for water and power, fertile soils, and building materials. Limestone was a natural asset that assisted in Batavia’s growth (Village Profile 1). After the Great Chicago Fire, builders turned to Batavia’s 10 quarries to supply stone for new construction. Several buildings in the downtown area are also made of this limestone. The Fox River played an important role in the early development of Batavia by providing a source of water and power for the numerous mills and factories that located on riverfront sites (Comprehensive Plan-Batavia 7).
The Chicago and Northwestern Railroad was built in 1870, allowing trains to transport Batavia’s limestone to Chicago. The first depot located at Wilson and Water Streets in downtown Batavia (Batavia’s History 4). In 1950, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was finished from West Chicago to Aurora, which passed through Batavia, carrying riders to Chicago and back (Batavia’s History 4). A streetcar line began in 1896, running 20 times a day from Geneva to Aurora. These streetcars quit running in 1950 when the toll ways were complete, allowing residents to drive their vehicles throughout the Chicago area (Batavia’s History 4). Kirk Road and Randall Road serve as major thoroughfares running north and south; Randall Road on the west end and Kirk Road on the east end. In 1971, the Wilson Street Bridge was the only river crossing in Batavia. Today, Fabyan Parkway provides a major highway connection not only across the river, but also from rural Kane County to central DuPage County (Comprehensive Plan 18). Recent growth in Batavia is mostly credited to the city’s location in the Illinois Researchand Development Corridor whose westward movement recently arrived in Batavia (Comprehensive Plan 7). Since 1980, the city has grown in area about two square miles, to a total of about 10 square miles (Smeaton 8/4/00). Rick Smeaton, Planner for the City of Batavia, estimates that Batavia’s population has increased about 120% over the past 20 years (8/4/00). The population of Batavia doubled from 1970-1980 to reach 12, 574, accounting for 4-½ % of Kane County’s population (Comprehensive Plan 7). Shawn Blobaum, a resident of Dekalb who commutes to Batavia everyday for work, made this observation about Batavia’s recent growth, "On the way to work I used to hit two stoplights on the way [to work] and now I hit eight stoplights. The Commute is not too bad, about 35 minutes, but it is getting longer every month with more lights and more traffic. The development has come way out west-almost 2-3 miles, it just seems a little ridiculous" (Blobaum 12/22/00). Current development in the city is limited to the south and west boundaries of the city, with the southeast section of the city seeing the most growth in the last decade (Comprehensive Plan 7). Expansion in other directions is limited by existing developments. To the east is the 6,800 acre Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; to the north is the Fabyan Forest Preserve and Neighboring Geneva; to the southwest is Mooseheart, the 2,000 acre national headquarters and orphanage operated by the Moose Lodge (Comprehensive Plan 8). |
By mid-century, Batavia had blossomed as an
industrial center with paper, windmill, ice, and quarry companies as the leaders
("Batavia’s History" 3). It was the windmill companies which dominated the
city, as many as a dozen windmill companies located within Batavia, earning the city the
nickname, "The Windmill City," which it is still known as today
("Batavia’s History" 3). One such windmill company was The United States
Wind Engine and Pump Co., founded in 1863 to make wooden windmills. It was the largest
factory of its kind in the world at the time. Windmill construction in Batavia ended in
the early 1940’s, as did many industries as electric power reached Batavia
("Batavia’s History" 3). Industries once dependent on the river as their
source of power could now relocate (Comprehensive Plan-Batavia 7). The world-renowned
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, located on the southeastern edge of the city, today
gives Batavia notoriety, attracting physicists from around the world (Village Profile 3).