Your Guide to Buying a Home in Carol Stream, IL

Buying a Home in Carol Stream, Illinois

Carol Stream is located in DuPage County

In the late 1950s, developer Jay Stream began to live out his dream of establishing a model community on a number of acres of farmland north of Wheaton. Jay Stream envisioned his Village to be made up of a mix of residential homes and light industrial businesses to help defray the tax burden for homeowners. In 1959, the Village was incorporated and named after Jay Stream's 14 year old daughter, Carol Stream, who had recently been involved in a serious automobile accident. Fortunately, Carol Stream recovered from the accident and has been able to see the Village named after her grow and prosper over the last thirty-seven years. Carol Stream now resides in Arizona but continues to visit her namesake. The Village of Carol Stream remains the only Illinois community named after a living person. Ever since its incorporation, the Village of Carol Stream has grown and prospered, more than doubling its population in the 1980s while continuing to bring a steady growth of industry to the Village, just as Jay Stream had envisioned. Also consistent with Jay Stream's vision is the well-planned orderly growth of the Village; with the east and southeastern portions of the Village developing into the economic base and the central and western portions of the Village comprised primarily of residential housing. Today, the Village boasts more than 350 businesses and industries and over 13,000 dwelling units with a total 1997 population of 37,982. In addition, Carol Stream residents enjoy no municipal property tax.

Carol Stream also offers modern schools, a large park district with state of the art facilities, a modern library and churches of several denominations. The Village of Carol Stream is governed by a seven member legislative body made up of a Mayor and Board of Trustees. The Mayor and Trustees are elected to four-year staggered terms. The Mayor and Board of Trustees, form the governing body of the Village, enacting ordinances and setting the policy for Village services and procedures. Regular meetings of the Board are held at 8:00 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month at the Carol Stream Village Hall, 500 N. Gary Avenue. All meetings are open to the public. Prior to each regular meeting, the Mayor conducts a Listening Post during which any citizen may make his or her concerns known to the governing body. Among The official Boards and Commissions are the Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals, the Fire and Police Commission, the Human Services Commission and the Police Pension Fund Board. The Village Manager is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Village and is responsible for the day-to-day management of all Village operations under the direction of the Mayor and Board of Trustees.

The Village of Carol Stream, the Carol Stream Chamber of Commerce and the Carol Stream Convention and Visitors Bureau continue to work together to carry out Jay Stream's vision of making Carol Stream an enjoyable place to work and raise a family.