A Tale Of Two Downtowns

"Neighboring La Grange and Western Springs have vibrant downtowns and healthy residential markets, but the towns took different paths to arrive there. Downtown La Grange suffered in the 1970s and '80s when shopping malls in outlying towns drew business away. So in the early 1990s village leaders decided to reconceive the downtown. The result is a bustling 9-square-block area with so much traffic that parking has become an issue. In Western Springs, the small downtown never lost its vitality. Though some longtime retailers left, their storefronts were quickly filled. Now village officials are concentrating on a few redevelopment projects and plans to build a new Metra station."

Thanks to Connie Chung