Lombard
Lombard is a quiet residential community surrounded by shopping malls and major thoroughfares. Its convenient location, affordable homes, and good parks and schools have made it an attractive starting place for young families for generations.
But each spring the town comes alive with spectacular purple blossoms, and the annual Lilac Time festival brings the community together for a parade, arts and crafts fair, and even a Lilac Ball. The center of activity is Lilacia Park, where 200 varieties of lilacs bloom in a festive purple haze and thousands of residents and visitors enjoy a full schedule of events.
Public Amenities
The Lombard Park District is the pride of the community, with fifteen parks and facilities for fishing, boating, ice skating, sledding and disc golf, as well as soccer, baseball, football and tennis. Near the center of town, Lombard Common is a popular gathering spot, with 50 acres of open space and a water park with swimming pools and water slides.
Also a part of the walkable town center is the Helen Plum Memorial Library. Originally built in the 60s, the library has been expanded several times and a new building is now in the planning stages.
Housing Stock
Surrounding the downtown area is a neighborhood of vintage 19th-century Victorians and early 20th-century bungalows, including the Chicago area’s largest collection of mail order catalog homes from Sears and other manufacturers. A little farther out, tree-lined streets are home to ranches and tri-levels built in the 50s and 60s. A few teardowns have occurred throughout the village, with new homes selling for close to $1 million. The average single-family home sells for approximately $250,000.
Some new condominium buildings have been built recently in downtown Lombard and in the area surrounding Yorktown Mall.
Transportation
Lombard’s close-in location and easy access to expressways make it very popular among commuters. I-88 forms the southern boundary of the town, and I-355 is at the western edge. But for workers bound for Chicago’s Loop, the Metra trains are the most popular form of transportation, making the trip to the Ogilvie Transportation Center in about 35 minutes.
Shopping, dining and nightlife
When Yorktown Center was built in the late 60s, it took a toll on Lombard’s downtown shopping area. But residents seem to be happy with the trade-off, especially since the mall’s recent expansion, called The Shops on Butterfield, has brought upscale new restaurants like The Capital Grille and D.O.C. American Bistro and Wine Bar. The mall also provides a variety of entertainment options, including an 18-screen movie theater, Lucky Strike Lanes, and MagiQuest, a new live interactive adventure game for children.
A short drive to the east, the Fountain Square complex offers a variety of shopping and dining options, including The Weber Grill Restaurant and PF Chang’s.
Schools
Elementary District 44 serves most of Lombard, but students in some areas attend one of four additional elementary districts. High school students attend either Glenbard East or Willowbrook High School in Villa Park. Several parochial schools also serve the area, including a Catholic high school, Montini Catholic.
