Des Plaines

Town in Cook County, northeast Illinois; population (1990) 53,200. It is located on the Des Plaines River, 32 km/20 mi northwest of Chicago. It developed as a post-war bedroom community, undergoing dramatic population growth during the 1950s. It has since developed a substantial industrial area largely due to the presence of O'Hare International Airport immediately to the south. Manufactures include electrical equipment, cement blocks, radio parts, and greenhouse specialties.

Founded in 1835 as Rand, Des Plaines now constitutes one of the largest suburbs in the Chicago area. The 1980s witnessed a great deal of industrial and commercial growth along the south edge of the town. It is home to De Lourdes College (1951). McDonald's Museum, a reconstruction of the first restaurant in the famous fast-food chain, is situated on the town's northeast edge. Glenview Naval Air Station is 5 km/3 mi to the northeast.