50 Years Ago: Naperville's Population Boom

The birth of Summer Place Theatre had a lot to do with what was happening to Naperville in the 1960s. After many laid-back rural years, Naperville really started to boom in the mid-twentieth century. The growth spurt started already after World War II, but 1966 certainly accelerated the boom. 

In August of that year, 700 employees started working at the new Indian Hill Bell Labs, later known as Lucent. Before the end of 1966, Amoco Chemicals was asking the city to annex 160 acres fbecause they wanted to build a research facility just off the East-West Tollway. 

The city annexed another 210 acres owned by the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1966. Nabisco then purchased a portion of that land although the plant wasn't up and running until 1968. In additon to the Nabisco Division of Mondelez International campus, there are also car dealerships and light industry on that parcel as well as the new Fort Hill Activity Center. 

Of course sleepy Naperville didn’t have enough housing for the employees who were working all these new jobs even though Harold Moser had already started developments like Aero Estates, Maplebrook and Cress Creek. 

For several months in a row in 1966, Naperville either beat or matched neighboring suburbs in the number of building permits issued. New homes were being built in the subdivsions of Saybrook, Maplebrook, Longwood and Century Hill. 

The “New England” style of homes was popular at the time. One reason for the preference was that many of Bell Lab’s transferees came from the east coast.

Ken Small was Bell’s public relations supervisor at the time and he orchestrated an info fair in New Jersey. He invited city and school officials to come from Naperville to talk to families and get them comfortable with the move. Small himself fell in love with the town and served Naperville as mayor from 1971 until 1975.

In one article advertising the new homes being built in Century Hill, a reporter wrote that “Naperville retains many small town customs, such as summer band concerts in the park and ice cream socials.” The price of the homes here have certainly changed since 1966, but it’s nice to know some things stay the same!