A city on the Fox River about 35 miles west of Chicago, with a riverfront downtown, a 1926 theatre and a 1928 hotel still in business.
01 — At a Glance
St. Charles is a city about 35 miles west of Chicago in the Fox River Valley, and the Fox River runs right through downtown. The 2020 census counted 33,081 residents, and the city covers about 15 square miles. Settlers founded the town in 1834, and it incorporated as a city in 1874. Its nickname, “The Pride of the Fox,” won a Chamber of Commerce slogan contest in 1969.
Source: City of St. Charles: About · City of St. Charles: History · Wikipedia: St. Charles, Illinois
02 — History
St. Charles started as a claim on the Fox River and grew into a town that a few generous families helped shape. Here are a few chapters behind the downtown you see today.
1834
Evan Shelby claimed the site in 1833. A year later he, Ira Minard and Read Ferson founded the town and named it Charleston, after a town in Ferson’s home state of Vermont. Downstate Illinois already had a Charleston, so the name became St. Charles.
Source: City of St. Charles: History
1836
The first bridge across the Fox went up in 1836, and it was 18 feet wide. It was destroyed and rebuilt three times by 1857.
Source: City of St. Charles: History
1912
Pottawatomie Park opened on May 20, 1912, the first park to open under a new Illinois parks law. It still sits on the river, a short walk from downtown.
Source: City of St. Charles: History
1926
Lester Norris put $500,000 into the Arcada Theatre, which opened on Labor Day in 1926. It still books live shows on Main Street.
Source: City of St. Charles: History
1928
Colonel Edward J. Baker built the Hotel Baker on the river, and it opened on June 2, 1928. The same year, the McCornack Oil Company built the gas station that’s now the history museum.
Source: City of St. Charles: History · St. Charles History Museum
1969
The Chamber of Commerce held a contest for a town slogan in 1969. William R. Ross, then 69, won with “The Pride of the Fox,” and he took home a $25 savings bond. The city still uses his slogan.
Source: City of St. Charles: History
Evan Shelby explored the Fox Valley in 1833 and claimed the site. In 1834 he, Ira Minard and Read Ferson founded the town as Charleston. Because Illinois already had a Charleston, the name was changed to St. Charles, and the city later incorporated in 1874 with Dr. James K. Lewis as its first mayor.
Early on, St. Charles was about three days from Chicago, and the Fox River wasn’t navigable for large boats. Streetcar lines between Elgin and Aurora came through town in 1896, and in 1920 a direct automobile route to Chicago was built. It later became Route 64, which is Main Street today.
The Cable Company built a piano and organ factory on South 1st Street in 1901, and it employed up to 500 workers. The factory closed in 1937, and the site is now home to condominiums and mixed-use buildings.
Much of what you see downtown traces back to a few families, including the Bakers and the Norrises. Lester Norris built the Arcada Theatre in 1926, and Colonel Edward J. Baker opened the Hotel Baker in 1928. The Norrises gave the city the land for Delnor Hospital in 1939. The Municipal Building on the river was finished in 1940, with land from the Norris family and design and construction paid for by the Baker family, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. In 1972 Dellora and Lester Norris donated the 70 acres where St. Charles East High School was built.
Source: City of St. Charles: History · St. Charles History Museum: The Story of St. Charles · Wikipedia: St. Charles, Illinois
03 — Shopping & Dining
Downtown St. Charles sits on both banks of the Fox, with Main Street crossing the river and the 1st Street Plaza right alongside the water. Most of these places are a short walk from one another.
Italian in an 1841 church
Chef Antonio Lettieri, who grew up in Calabria and trained as a sommelier, serves elegant Italian dinners in an old church built in 1841.
18 N. 4th St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteFamily-owned since 1995
A family-owned trattoria on the 1st Street Plaza with a scratch kitchen, a patio, and pastas, steaks and seafood.
5 S. 1st St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteBrewery & restaurant
Alter’s first full-service brewery and restaurant, with the brew house front and center and seats for more than 100 on a riverside patio.
12 S. 1st St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteChef-driven Pan-Asian
“East meets West” cooking with shareable plates and farm-fresh ingredients, plus sushi and sake, in the heart of downtown.
181 S. 1st St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteFamily-owned since 1975
Classic pastas and wood-fired pizzas made from family recipes, at a riverside spot that’s been family-owned since 1975.
320 N. 2nd St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteWine & martini lounge
The lounge inside the 1928 Hotel Baker pours martinis and wine, with small plates and live entertainment. It’s open Wednesday through Saturday evenings.
100 W. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteIndependent bookstore since 1974
An independent bookstore for all ages in historic downtown St. Charles, with Town House Café serving soups and sandwiches made from scratch.
105 N. 2nd Ave., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteDiamonds & estate jewelry
Custom engagement rings, hand-selected natural diamonds, and a collection of vintage and estate pieces.
117 W. Main St., Suite 110, St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteFurniture, décor & clothing
Furniture, home décor, rugs, lighting and clothing, all under one roof on Cedar Avenue.
201 Cedar Ave., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteClothing boutique
A Main Street boutique with a steady run of new arrivals, from denim to fall layers.
211 W. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteMen’s & women’s athleisure
Clothing for men and women that’s made for movement, plus accessories and grooming goods, on Main Street.
221 W. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit WebsiteGifts, florals & classes
Handcrafted gifts from local artists, floral design for life’s big events, and floral design classes.
522 W. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Visit Website04 — Education
St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 serves the city, with eleven elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. St. Patrick Catholic School has been teaching students here since 1930.
Boundaries follow the address. Confirm school assignment for each address with the district before you buy.
Search HomesPublic · PreK–12
The district runs an early childhood program, eleven elementary schools, Thompson and Wredling middle schools, and the East and North high schools.
Public · Grades 9–12
East sits on Dunham Road, on land Dellora and Lester Norris donated to the community in 1972.
Public · Grades 9–12
District 303’s second high school, on Red Gate Road, with a student-run newspaper that publishes new stories every Friday.
Public · Middle School
District 303’s two middle schools. Thompson is on West Main Street, and Wredling is on Dunham Road.
Independent · Catholic
A Catholic school since 1930, with its preschool downtown on North 5th Street and kindergarten through 8th grade on Crane Road.
Community Learning
The library serves nearly 56,000 residents, with a makerspace, equipment to borrow, study rooms and a Sunday concert series.
05 — Lifestyle
Life here leans toward the river. The paddlewheel boats run from May through October, the Fine Art Show fills Riverside Avenue on Memorial Day weekend, and Scarecrow Weekend takes over downtown every October. Here’s where people spend their time.
About 38 acres along the east edge of the Fox River, within walking distance of downtown, with the Fox River Trail, a riverwalk, a pool and a nine-hole golf course.
Park DetailsThe park district’s St. Charles Belle II and Fox River Queen cruise the Fox from Pottawatomie Park, rain or shine. Riverboat rides here go back to 1945.
Cruise DetailsThe park district’s nature center on Campton Hills Road, with animal ambassadors, nature camps, a nature preschool and grounds open daily from dawn to dusk.
Center DetailsHandmade scarecrows go up around downtown for visitors to vote on. This annual event takes place every Columbus Day weekend, Friday through Sunday.
Event DetailsAn annual juried show of fine artists on Riverside Avenue over Memorial Day weekend. Admission is free.
Event DetailsThe annual Electric Christmas Parade comes down Main Street, and Santa’s cottage opens downtown for holiday visits.
Event DetailsA community baseball organization with in-house leagues from pre-K through 8th grade and Knights travel teams from 9U to 18U.
League WebsiteCampton United and Fox Valley Strikers joined forces to form one club for players from U4 to U19, with two permanent indoor facilities.
Club WebsiteA 153-acre park on the west side that’s home to several soccer clubs, with Otter Cove Aquatic Park, a disc golf course and access to the Great Western Trail.
Park DetailsThe 1926 theatre on Main Street hosts concerts, comedy and tribute shows, with live jazz and blues on the Legends Stage in the lobby.
Theatre WebsiteIts gallery has hosted hundreds of exhibits since opening in 1978, and it hosts concerts, talks and other performances through the year.
Arts Center WebsiteHoused in the 1928 McCornack Oil Company gas station on East Main Street, with more than 10,000 photographs and 15,000 artifacts.
Museum WebsiteUnion Pacific West trains stop in neighboring Geneva at 328 Crescent Place, in fare zone 4, with about 1,250 parking spaces.
Station DetailsThe line runs between Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and Elburn, with Geneva and La Fox along the way.
Line & SchedulesWeekday and Saturday buses between Elgin and Geneva that run through St. Charles and connect with Metra at the Geneva station.
Route DetailsPrivate Client Representation