Elgin (Illinois)

Kane County Cook County

17-23074

Elgin is a city with 94 487 inhabitants ( 2000) in Illinois. It is located 57 km northwest of the city of Chicago, 59 miles north-west of the city of Joliet, 52 miles south-west of the city of Waukegan, 72 kilometers of the city of Kenosha and 72 km south-east of the city of Rockford in the Chicago metropolitan area and is part of the Kane County and Cook County.

After a land donation in 1864, the Elgin National Watch Company in 1866 opened its first watch factory here. By 1964, a majority of the watches produced in the U.S. was here, with a total of around 60 million units manufactured. The Elgin National Watch Company was one of the first companies which manufactured watches as a commodity.

Gallery

Residential building in Victorian style

Pocket Watch Elgin National Watch Company from 1911

Historical Museum in Elgin (Illinois )

Memorable people

  • Dan Andriano, Rock Musician
  • Bruce Boxleitner, actor
  • Peter Fitzgerald, former Republican Senator
  • Kevin Martin, singer and musician
  • Donella Meadows, environmental scientist and author
  • Bobby Rose Garden, jazz drummer and studio musician
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