The City of Elgin is one of over 2,000 communities in America which has enacted measures to preserve and protect its historic resources. In 1981, the Elgin Historic District was designated by the Elgin City Council and in 1983 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1984, the Elgin City Council passed the Historic Preservation Ordinance creating the Elgin Heritage Commission. This was followed by the approval of Title 20 in 1989.
The Elgin Historic District contains part of the original plat of Elgin, laid out in 1842 by James Gifford. Land within the district was completely platted by 1859 with streets laid out in a modified grid pattern.
Historic preservation in Elgin has been making advances for over twenty-five years. Efforts were begun in the early 1980s as a grassroots movement by residents of an eastside neighborhood known as the Gifford Park Association (GPA). I have been an active member of the GPA since 2001.
Elgin has a long history in diversity, going back to the native American Indians. The current populaton of the area is very diverse - caucasian with a variety of European backgrounds in addition to Hispanic, Laotian and African-American.
Ever since joining the Gifford Park Association in 2001, I have been active in Elgin community organizations and events. Some of that involvement includes the Elgin Boys and Girls Club as well as NHS of Elgin (now NHS of the Fox Valley).
