Des Plaines, IL

The Des Plaines River and the Union Pacific Northwest rail line cross near the city’s center, where trains, buses, trails, and downtown activity meet. Downtown clusters around the Metra station on Miner Street, with the public library, City Hall, shops, apartments, the history center, and the Des Plaines Theatre within several blocks. A second Metra stop at Cumberland serves the city’s northwest side. In 2026, Pace’s Pulse Dempster Line linked downtown and O’Hare International Airport with frequent all-day bus service before continuing east to Evanston. The river follows a separate course through forest-preserve land, carrying a long-distance trail along the city’s western side.

ATTRDphc / CC BY-SA 4.0

The river supplied the name before the railroad fixed the town center. Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Ojibwe communities lived in the valley before European settlement, and French travelers used a name associated with trees they compared to European plane trees. After the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, German immigrants were among those who established farms and businesses in the area. A steam-powered mill opened beside the river in 1852 to cut timber into railroad ties and later grind grain. Daily train service and a station followed in 1857. The stop was first associated with Rand, then took the Des Plaines name; the subdivision was formally renamed in 1869. Miner and Ellinwood streets subsequently developed as the commercial center.

ATTRbogdanstepniak / CC BY 3.0

Much of the city’s work takes place beyond downtown. O’Hare borders Des Plaines on the south, Interstate 90 crosses the lower part of town, and industrial, manufacturing, transportation, commercial, and service businesses occupy substantial areas near those regional connections. In December 2024, Des Plaines had 36,493 private-sector jobs across a broad commercial and industrial base. Health care and social assistance was the largest single sector; transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, and wholesale each accounted for about nine or ten percent. Freight rail also crosses the industrial districts. The Pulse bus provides a direct public-transit link between O’Hare and downtown, while Metra service runs southeast toward Chicago and northwest through the suburbs. Larger employment properties and airport-oriented routes spread along the southern corridors, apart from the storefronts and civic buildings around the downtown station.

ATTRSteve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA / CC BY 2.0

Downtown’s public institutions give that commuter center life outside the workday. The four-story library opened in 2000 as the centerpiece of a redevelopment project, and its plaza hosts programs and city events. Across from the Metra station, the 1925 Des Plaines Theatre reopened in 2021 after a city-led restoration and again presents live performances. The restored venue has nearly 1,000 seats and two restaurant spaces. A block south of the station, the Des Plaines History Center operates exhibits beside the 1907 Kinder House. Outdoor routines follow two separate waterscapes. Several miles of the Des Plaines River Trail pass through town, with flood-prone sections reflecting the river’s changing level. At Lake Park, paths, fishing, golf, and seasonal boating surround Lake Opeka, which also serves a stormwater role. In June 2026, the library plaza became the setting for the two-day Taste of Des Plaines street festival.