Chicago has no shortage of household-name suburbs.
Oak Park, Berwyn, Schaumburg, Evanston -- those are all fine and good. But for whatever reason, mention Naperville, even in passing, and you're going to get a reaction. Depending on who's in on the conversation, you might even strike a nerve.
But why? Is Naperville all that different from the Evanstons and Berwyns in our immediate vicinity? If it's a bit farther away, does that make it less approachable?
Maybe we city dwellers are just jealous.
Naperville, if you weren't aware, was once voted the No. 1 city in the U.S. in which to raise children. Money Magazine named it "Best Place to Live" in the Central United States among populations of more than 100,000 in 2010. (And 2008, and 2006, and 2004.) When Chicago restaurateurs make the leap to open in the suburbs, Naperville is often first on their list. The town's premier bookshop, Anderson's, recently was named Publishers Weekly Bookstore of the Year. And among numerous other perks -- an incredible public library, a thriving public parks system -- it's got a lovely little river walk, a prolific public art system and some beautifully preserved architecture (including one of the nation's original Burger Kings).
Needless to say, Naperville made our Neighborhood Watch list of Chicagoland neighborhoods and suburbs worth putting under the microscope.
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In a small village settlement 30 miles southwest of the city, paths just wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage connect a little old school house to an historic post office. Turn a corner and you'll find the firehouse next to the stone carver's shop, and a print shop with wide windows to let in the daylight.
Late last Tuesday afternoon, the village was so quiet that the sound of metal clanging against anvil in the blacksmith shop rung out across the village green. The blacksmith, outfitted in loose-fitting trousers and leather boots, his heavy gloves black with soot, was spotted strolling northward along the path at a leisurely pace, as if on his lunch hour. There's no telling where he was headed, but my best guess? Burger King. It's just two blocks east of the blacksmith shop, and he might appreciate those flame-broiled burgers. Then again, maybe he was just making a quick Starbucks run. It's only a few blocks north on the way to the Apple store (just in case he needed to drop off his finicky iPhone at the Genius Bar). One can only imagine how many errands that guy has to squeeze in before heading back to the forge.
Such is the strange dichotomy in Naperville, the suburban outpost of 142,000 that prides itself on preserving its frontier-rooted past while welcoming big-box retailers to its downtown core.
The blacksmith shop, by the way, is totally legit (though the blacksmith is being paid to act as such). It's one of more than two dozen historic structures clustered in Naper Settlement, the 12-acre outdoor history museum that was established in 1969 as a recreation of the burgeoning village's first few booming decades, beginning in 1831. Most of the buildings are reconstructions or were moved from nearby locations. But the giant house on the hill, Martin Mitchell Mansion, has stood in that spot, overlooking the DuPage River, for 128 years.
That makes it almost as old as W. W. Wickel Pharmacy, established in 1875 and the seed of Anderson's Bookshop, which opened above the pharmacy a half-century ago and has since moved and expanded numerous times. Never mind the Barnes & Noble four blocks away, says Anderson's Candy Purtom. It opened 13 years ago, and hasn't much affected Anderson's business. After all, It's Anderson's — not Barnes & Noble — that lures the big authors, including "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, whose inaugural appearance drew a crowd of 125, and return visit drew 2,000. Anderson's last "Harry Potter" book party drew 50,000 people (more than one-third of Naperville's population) and shut down four streets downtown.
"We're very proud of our history here," Purtom said via telephone last week. "The mission is to keep (our) uniqueness something that people are aware of in addition to the big-box and corporate stores."
One lap around downtown Naperville, though, and it's clear that big-boxes dominate. It resembles a shopping mall, what with The Gap, Talbots, Eddie Bauer and Sunglass Hut within spitting distance of one another on South Main Street. Anderson's notwithstanding, the handful of retailers that don't bear corporate signage seem run-down by comparison. It's hard not to wonder if most Napervillians prefer the glossier chains to independent locals.