John Perry: The Short History of Woodridge

Former Woodridge Village Administrator John Perry published his book Blueprint for Building Community this spring. The book is a how-to for city managers, but it also contains plenty of information about Woodridge and its history. 

This first excerpt is Perry's condensed history of Woodridge. Check back the rest of the week for more excerpts from Perry's book.

"The economy of the post-World War II Chicago area influenced by the returning veterans and the baby boom population explosion eventually spread beyond Cook County and entered DuPage County. Woodridge, however, did not have a master plan. Woodridge began as a simple subdivision.

Surety Builders, headed by Albert Kaufman, started Woodridge in 1958 by developing a plot of land southeast of 75th Street and Route 53.  This development was on a ridge sloping toward the DuPage River near the [36-hole] Woodridge Golf Course, thus inspiring the name "Woodridge." 

Veterans receiving loans insured through the GI Bill found Woodridge attractive, purchasing a majority of the homes. ... Residents did not delay gathering together and voted overwhelmingly to incorporate in Aug. 1959. The (109-home) subdivision which encompassed less than a quarter of a square mile contained 459 people. The early residents of Woodridge saw themselves as a community first and a subdivision second.

The entire area surrounding this first subdivision was covered by family farms and developers acquired these farms to construct homes and respond to the continuing strong demand in the housing market. The Winston Hills subdivision, developed by Winston-Muss Builders in 1964, significantly expanded Woodridge's land area to the north, and added about 5,000 to the Village's population.

By the time of the 1970 census, Woodridge housed (more than) 11,000 residents. The Woodridge Center development, annexed in 1972, doubled Woodridge's land area. The opening of Woodridge Drive in 1974 helped join the subdivisions via a convenient north-south thoroughfare, bearing the name of the community.

The growth of the 1970s was spurred by a significant number of multi-family units. This multi-family development of the 1970s satisfied some of the short-term financial needs of the community. By 1980, the Village's population had grown to (more than) 22,000. The recession of the early '80s slowed growth and fewer than five thousand residents were added by the time of the next decennial census. By the time of the next millennium, Woodridge had reached 30,000."