Tuesday, November 29, 2011

NAPERVILLE!!: A Historical Snapshot... Dreams DO Come True: Part 2

Alright. So, to truly exhibit how impartial an individual I am, I definitely just did a little Googling of my dream suburb and... well, so it doesn't have THE most exciting history. But whatever... there are definitely components to Naperville that made me... well, just so darn proud I could hardly sit still.

First, a little background. Did you know that Naperville was founded in the 1830's by some man named Joseph Naper? Originally called Naper's Settlement, Naperville was home to about 100 settlers before being displaced by some massacre during some war (detailed, I know).

Okay, so Wikipedia can only go so far. I got a little bored as I was reading this history (and normally, I love history!) because a lot of it had more to do with how the counties were established and that kind of thing does NOT interest me. HOWEVER! One interesting point I learned was that Naperville's population basically exploded during the 1980's and 1990's (due to the construction of a couple of highways) and has nearly quadrupled in size over the past 20 years!

And no WONDER! Of course there is nothing BUT exponential growth and delight here... it's a utopia! I mean, did you KNOW that it was voted the second best place in the entire United States in which to live (c/o Money Magazine, 2006)??? I simply don't know why it wasn't number one, but that is just my own little opinion. Even more importantly... did you know that the Naperville Public Library has been the NUMBER ONE RANKED LIBRARY in the United States from 1999 through 2010?!?!?! What the heck?!? If that isn't enough to win one over, I just don't know what IS! (You better believe the Naperville Public Library is now totally on my list of things to see/do... one of my own Seven Wonders of the World, if you will...)

Of course, my favorite part of my brief historical research (solely consisting of some Wikipedia reading... sigh- I know. I just didn't have a lot of time tonight!) involved the "famous people" who are from Naperville. Sure, Paula Zahn was the first person to catch my eye (I mean, hello! She's a news reporter! My DREAM!!!). But then. Well, THEN... ummm... did you know that EMILY GIFFIN IS TOTALLY FROM NAPERVILLE?!?!?! Author of Something Borrowed?? Author of Something Blue?!?!?! God, who knew that Naperville could produce such literary GENIUSES?!?!?!

Not wanting to let Giffin totally dominate the Naperville celebrity scene, I definitely continued to scroll through the list and my eyes lit upon... Chris Brown?!?!?! Sure, I'm not a fan of his (I mean, hello. I don't advocate abusive relationships obvi), but STILL. I mean, he's a pretty huge celebrity!! Upon reading THOSE details a little closer, however, I quickly learned that this Chris Brown is actually some running back for the Tennessee Titans? Alright... clearly my interest levels dropped exponentially at that point. I mean... who ARE the Tennessee Titans anyway?

Okay, so maybe this historical snapshot wasn't exactly the most well-researched... nor the most interesting (I'm the first one to admit that!). However, you better believe that I will still continue along with my research (perhaps more luck will be had with the cultural opportunities Naperville has to offer... or the holiday festivities which Naperville has in store for me...) all week long.

lfsakjfls! 4 days and counting!!! Naperville, here I COME!!!!

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