La Fox, Illinois

La Fox is an unincorporated community in Blackberry Township, Kane County, Illinois, United States. The community is located four miles west of Geneva and five miles east of Elburn. It serves as a station on Metra's Union Pacific/West Line.

La Fox, Illinois
Unincorporated community
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and the Potter and Barker grain elevator
La Fox
La Fox
Coordinates: 41°53′11″N 88°24′32″W
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyKane
TownshipBlackberry
Elevation
804 ft (245 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
60147
Area code(s)630
GNIS feature ID411636[1]

History

La Fox was established circa 1859 on the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, which was built through the area in 1854. The community was first named "Kane Station", but was renamed "La Fox" when the post office in present-day Geneva was moved to present-day La Fox.[2] In 1931, the railroad relocated to West Chicago.[3]

In 1994, Kane County declared the twenty-five properties in La Fox to be a preservation district, a designation state statute allows counties to give to areas meeting certain historic criteria.[4] The preservation district has been cited as a nearly intact nineteenth century crossroads town. To emphasize this point, between 1931 and 2000, only eight new buildings were built in La Fox.[3]

Despite this history of minimal development, in 2001, a company sought to build a 1,200 development near the preservation district. In a push for autonomy and to have greater control over development in the region, La Fox residents attempted to incorporate as a municipality. Patricia Reid Lindner proposed legislation which would allow for a referenda on the matter, similar to an efforts in nearby Virgil, Lily Lake, and Big Rock.[5] The bill was heavily opposed by the company which, along with real estate trade groups, lobbied aggressively against its passage. The bill was voted down 14–8 in the Illinois House of Representatives Local Government Committee.[6] The development did not come to fruition due to the collapse of the residential real estate market.[7]

The Potter and Barker Grain Elevator, built in 1868, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is the 73rd addition in Kane County.[8]

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References
  1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. "Several Towns Named After Founders and Heroes". The Daily Herald. December 28, 1999. p. 220. Retrieved August 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Presecky, William (July 6, 2001). "Growth is on LaFox's doorstep: Homes, depot seem inevitable". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  4. Ferris, Jan (December 21, 1994). "La Fox Makes History Again: Preservation District A First For The State". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  5. Presecky, William (March 12, 2003). "LaFox residents push for incorporation". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  6. Presecky, William (March 13, 2003). "Vote impedes LaFox incorporation effort". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  7. Sarkauskas, Susan (December 13, 2011). "Kane forest district eyes 100 acres near La Fox". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  8. "LaFox grain elevator built in 1868 added to register of historic places". Kane County Chronicle. St. Charles, Illinois. January 26, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  • Divine, Lois V. (editor) (1987). History of LaFox, Illinois.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)

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