In the spring of 1844, sheep farmer Luther Bartlett and his brother Edwin came to the Chicago area from Connecticut and bought 320 acres of land. The following year, they bought another 345 acres.
When the time came to build a railroad that would literally put the village of Bartlett on the map, the Chicago and Pacific Railway received the right-of-way through 40 of Luther’s acres plus $300 to build the train depot. Since stations were typically named after their donor, the Bartlett name was secure.
Today, more than 150 years later, the village bearing the Bartlett brothers’ name has grown into a thriving northwest suburb, attracting thousands in the last decade.
Many life-long residents and transplants say Bartlett offers them a quiet town, reflecting modern development while still maintaining its rural charm.
“I’ve lived here since I was 6 months old,” says 71-year old Jerry Faber. “People still call it a nice little town. When I was little, you knew everyone You raised kids and then your kids raised their kids here. And in spite of all the people here now, the village still has a lot of that old charm.”
Village Administrator Valerie Salmons says recent figures compiled by the village suggest a steady number of established residents stay and move up in Bartlett.
“We’ve been tracking the number of people who transfer within the village since they’re given an exemption on their transfer tax,” Salmons said. “Since 1996, the number has consistently been 13 to 14 percent.”
A quick look at Bartlett’s population figures over the last decade proves that what was once the Bartlett brothers farmland has clearly been discovered: In 1970, the population stood at 3,500; a decade later, it was 13,254, and by 1989, it would grow to 19,373. Then came the ’90s.
“We’re at more than 35,000 people today and some projections say we’ll reach somewhere near 50,000 to 55,000 within the next 10 years,” said village engineer Dale Marting, who has held his current position since 1970.
“We’re probably looking at possibly 200 to 250 additional home permits per year. It just depends on how aggressive the village is in developing the other areas of growth.”
The rapid expansion of Bartlett’s housing stock can be traced back to the late 1980s when a couple of key developments produced hundreds of new homes.
“The real expansion began with Lexington Homes’ Silver Crest development and the North Amber Grove subdivision built by Pulte,” said Jim Plonczynski, community development director.
“With Silver Crest, we issued more than 740 permits, and another 350 with Amber Grove.”
Lexington’s Fairfax Commons and Crossings projects continued through 1995, adding nearly 500 more homes. And as the current decade passed, the village continued to experience housing growth with developers moving into areas along the north-south corridor of Illinois Highway 59, south of Stearns Road, and the western portion of Bartlett heading toward South Elgin.
“We’ve taken pride in our planning, and our plans for the village were all in place before the boom began,” Plonczynski says. “Today our housing stock is very diverse. We have homes here more than 100 years old, but a lot of our homes have been built since World War II. We’re clearly part of the growth wave that’s been sweeping the Western suburbs.”
Plonczynski argues the easy access and amenities the village offers add to its country feel and explain why some still consider it an undiscovered jewel.
“You’ll hear from planners that come to visit and play golf that they didn’t realize a place like Bartlett existed,” he said. “There’s good access to employment centers with major roads connecting to I-90 and I-88. We have a diverse housing stock, an old-fashioned downtown area, a brand-new high school, and provide quality services from the village.”
A list of builders that have recently come to Bartlett includes Hoffman, Pulte, Faganel, Realen, Centex, Dartmoor, and Raintree. In the last 10 years, many of the new projects reflect more semi-custom homes, priced at $250,000 and up.
The Woodland Hills subdivision, with homes built by Hoffman Homes, Dartmoor and Realen reflects this current housing trend in Bartlett.
Hoffman Homes sales representative Ron Hornstrom says the entire Woodland Hills development has added nearly 1,000 new single-family houses and town homes to the village. Hoffman’s project in the development includes 600 single-family homes and 140 townhomes.
“We sold our last single-family in November of last year, and 85 of our 140 town homes are gone,” Hornstrom said. “We started this project in 1989, and it’s unusual for a builder to be in one area this long. But Woodland Hills is a big project.”
The 600 two-story homes that sold out last year ranged from 1,500 to 2,900 square feet, and came with two, three, and four bedrooms. Most of the homes have basements and many in the last phase of construction added a three-car garage. Hornstrom said that initial prices ranged from $150,000 to $325,000.
Six models of town homes are still being built and are priced from $154,990 to $189,490.
Dartmoor is building 87 units in Woodland Hills, and has sold all but a dozen of its homes. The builder began selling from the construction trailer in 1996 and opened models in June, 1997. Initial base prices of the homes, ranging in size from 2,735 to 3,600 square feet, were about $240,000 to just under $300,000.
Equity, price of materials, and lot location have increased prices on the remaining homes by approximately $50,000 since the first models were built just three years ago.
It is clear that most of the new housing stock in Bartlett is designed for the buyer who’s looking to move up.
“We chose this home and to live in Bartlett because there weren’t any kind of buy-up homes in Carol Stream at the time we were looking to move,” said Patty Kengott, who lives with her husband and four children in a Dartmoor home. “We found the builder willing to do things to make the home truly semi-custom, and with the forest behind us, we have that open country feeling while still living in the suburbs.”
Realen Homes became the first builder to complete work in Woodland Hills and has begun a new project, located just north of its former site along Illinois 59.
The Ridings East subdivision began last May and 22 of the 81 single-family homes have been sold. Seven models, ranging in size from 2,750 to more than 3,700 square feet are planned. Base prices will range from $287,900 to $321,900.
A short drive to the western edge of the village along West Bartlett Road brings you to the largest development since Woodland Hills–the Westridge project, which began in 1992.
“The builder, Centex, is now in the last two phases of the project,” Plonczynski said. “There are a total of eight phases and more than 600 units planned.”
The Westridge project consists of 636 single-family homes in two categories: the Wellington homes, and the Genesis series. The latter is sold out. Most of the homes are priced below those located along Illinois 59, and have attracted many first-time buyers.
Most of the remaining home sites in Bartlett represent what Plonczynski characterizes as in-fill, “smaller projects that might accommodate as many as 60 lots, but a number of 10 or 20 home sites as well,” he said.
One example is the Hidden Oaks subdivision, with perhaps the most upscale homes in the village. Raintree Builders will build a majority of the 60 planned homes, with 15 of the sites being sold to Faganel Builders and 10 others to Stembridge.
“All of the plans, color schemes, and materials will have to be approved by us,” said Shirley Glickauf, Raintree sales manager.
Raintree’s homes will range from 2,800 to more than 4,000 square feet, with exteriors in brick and cedar. Prices will start at just under $400,000, with many in the upper $500,000s.
Other in-fill projects under way include Harmony Grove subdivision (10 homes), Hawk Hollow (22 homes) and Longmeadow subdivision (12 homes).
As housing starts dwindle into the next five to 10 years, the future of Bartlett is projected to still be vibrant. A 10-acre Town Center project is in the works, plus a $2 million expansion of Metra service and platforms for commuters, completely renovated greens at the Bartlett Hills golf course, and a $16 million community recreation center that residents approved during the last election.
Village officials point with pride to the development of their village, and promise to maintain the environment they believe made it attractive to so many in the first place.
“As we look to the future, our challenge is to insure we maintain what we have,” Salmons said. “We have 30 percent permanent open area here in the village that continues to give us that sense of space. It’s all about maintaining a certain quality of life.”
