Elgin, Illinois

**Elgin** () is a city in Illinois in the United States.  It is roughly   northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 114,797. It is the sixth-largest city in Illinois. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.

### Authors and academics

- E.C. "Mike" Alft, historian, author, and former mayor of Elgin.
- Nina Burleigh, journalist and best-selling author.
- Paul Flory, chemist, Nobel Prize winner (1974).
- Lloyd Hall, chemist.
- Douglas J. Mink, astronomer, co-discover of the rings around the planet Uranus.
- John Platt, computer scientist.
- Tom Shales, journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner (1988).
- Carleton Washburne, educator, author of the Winnetka Plan.

### Business and invention

- Max Adler, vice-president of Sears & Roebuck, benefactor of Adler Planetarium.
- Lawrence B. Hamlin, violator of the Pure Food and Drug Act on claiming that his family's patent medicine could cure cancer.
- Lysander Hamlin, co-originator with John Austen Hamlin of Hamlin's Wizard Oil, father of Lawrence B. Hamlin.
- Jimmy John Liautaud, founder of Jimmy John's, benefactor of UIC's Liautaud Graduate School of Business.
- Earl "Madman" Muntz, marketer, car stereo and 4-track cartridge pioneer.
- James Roche, former chairman of General Motors.

### Media and arts

- Dan Andriano, musician.
- Bruce Boxleitner, actor.
- BarlowGirl, Christian rock band.
    - Alyssa Barlow
    - Becca Barlow
    - Lauren Barlow
- Chelsea Brummet, actress.
- Chuck Harder, radio talk show host.
- John Austen Hamlin, magician, brother of Lysander Hamlin.
- Matt Hoffman, Big brother 12.
- Charles Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder (_Little House on the Prairie_) spent part of his childhood in the nearby Campton Township.
- Laurence Kaptain, international performer/recording artist, and Dean, College of Music and Dramatic Arts, Louisiana State University.
- William LeBaron, playwright, movie producer.
- David Otunga, Harvard educated lawyer, reality show contestant on VH1's _I Love New York 2_, fiance of singer/actress Jennifer Hudson.
- Jane Peterson, painter and artist.
- John Qualen, actor.
- David Strackany, folk singer-songwriter aka Paleo, born in Elgin

### Military

- Harry Chamberlin, Brigadier General, equestrian, Olympic gold medalist (1932).

### Politics

- Ray Barnhart, Texas Republican politician
- Peter Fitzgerald, United States Senator (R-IL).

### Sports

- Charlene Barnett (1928-1979), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player and member of three champion teams.
- Brian Oldfield (born 1945), Olympic shot putter.
- Flynn Robinson (born 1941), basketball player for the Cincinnati Royals, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Baltimore Bullets.

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Elgin
- **settlement type**: List of cities in Illinois, City
- **image skyline**: Downtown Elgin aerial view, 2018.jpg
- **image caption**: Aerial view of Downtown Elgin
- **nickname**: The City in the Suburbs
- **motto**: The Jewel of the Midwest
- **image map**: Cook County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Elgin Highlighted.svg
- **mapsize**: 260px
- **map caption**: Location of Elgin in Kane and Cook County, Illinois
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision name1**: Illinois
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in Illinois, Counties
- **subdivision type3**: List of townships in Illinois, Townships
- **established title**: Founded
- **established date**: 1835
- **established title1**: Incorporated (city)
- **established date1**: April 24, 1854
- **government type**: Council–manager
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area water percent**: 1.43
- **area total sq mi**: 38.60
- **area land sq mi**: 38.03
- **area water sq mi**: 0.57
- **elevation ft**: 810
- **population total**: 114797
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population density sq mi**: 3018.83
- **timezone1**: Central Time Zone, Central
- **utc offset1**: −6
- **timezone1 dst**: Central
- **utc offset1 dst**: −5
- **postal code type**: ZIP code, <span style="white-space:nowrap;">ZIP code(s)</span>
- **postal code**: 60120–60125
- **area code type**: North American Numbering Plan, <span style="white-space:nowrap;">Area code(s)</span>
- **area code**: Area codes 630 and 331, 331, Area codes 847 and 224, 847 and 224
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standards, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 17-23074
- **blank name sec2**: Demonym
- **blank info sec2**: Elginite
- **area total km2**: 99.97
- **area land km2**: 98.49
- **area water km2**: 1.49
- **population density km2**: 1165.59