A neighborhood transformed on Indian Hill
Indian Hill has certainly sustained a lot of changes over the years.
"When we moved here, this was the only house on the block," said original resident Monica Huesing.
Now, a population of more than 1,500 occupies Indian Hill, according to city-data.com.
“(Indian Hill has) good neighbors. It’s convenient to everything. (I put) five kids through the school system.”
Jerry Lahti, resident for 27 years
“(Indian Hill is) close to everything. You could ride your bike downtown or walk to the train.” Sally Rockwell, resident for 10 years
Where horse farms and large piles of dirt once stood, now stands a gaggle of houses, shaded from the hot summer sun by mature, lush trees.
"Everybody takes care of (their homes)," said resident Jerry Lahti, who plays trumpet in the Naperville Municipal Band. He has lived in Indian Hill since 1982.
New residents also have plenty of positive things to say about Indian Hill.
"We moved here because of the schools and the school system," said Bob Pindar, a resident just shy of two years. "We really like Arrowhead Park and the location (of Indian Hill in proximity) to downtown. You could walk downtown if you want."
Next week
Discover Hobson Village on the east side of town.
1. Alcatel-Lucent merged in late 2006 with Bell Labs, a historic laboratory set near Indian Hill in Naperville. This location had the largest concentration of employees of the national laboratory, known for major developments in radio astronomy, the transistor, the laser, UNIX operating system and the C programming language. According to www.answers.com, Bell Labs saw six Nobel Prizes awarded. Of course, Bell Labs is named for Alexander Graham Bell, born in Scotland in 1847. He is famed for these first words to travel over a wire: “Mr. Watson. Come here! I want you!” Some former employees of Bell Labs still reside in Indian Hill. How to get there: Alcatel-Lucent, formerly Bell Labs, is at 2600 Warrenville Road. Take Naperville Road north past Interstate 88 until you reach Warrenville Road. The company is at the northwest side of the intersection.
2. By the numbers, Arrowhead Park has one playground, one baseball field, one basketball court and two soccer fields, according to www.active.com. Along with those amenities, the Naperville Park District lists 24.31 acres of land, along with 39 parking spots, one basin and one sled hill. On a recent Friday afternoon, residents of Indian Hill, as well as residents of neighboring subdivisions, flocked to the park, which is undergoing renovations. How to get there: To get to Arrowhead Park, take Washington south from Diehl Road. Then, make a left on Iroquois Avenue. The park is at 711 Iroquois Ave.
3. The 10-story Metro West building is frequently referred to as the “N” building because of its shape, which resembles the letter “N.” Residents speculate about whether the building, designed by architect Helmet Jahn of Chicago, is shaped like an “N” as a reference to Naperville. According to the Jones Lang Lasalle property management Web site, the Metro West building was built in 1986 and has 205,055 square feet. Its windows appear to change color based on the time of day and how the light strikes. How to get there: Go north on Washington Street just past Diehl. The building is on the left at 55 E. Shuman Blvd.
