Booming Exurb Finally Suffers With Economic Downturn

From 2000 to 2010, Kendall County, Illinois was the fastest growing county in the country. Today, it seems the downturn has caught up with Kendall.

1 minute read

August 23, 2011, 11:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


And the crash hasn't been gentle on this once-booming Chicago exurb: Dirk Johnson reports that it is now "among the hardest hit by the housing downturn":

"In 2009 and 2010, the top foreclosure rates in Illinois were in Kendall, Kane and Will Counties. On the new suburban frontier along the farthest fringes of the Chicago region, where cheap land and rising prices once triggered a rush of buyers, some newer developments have become ghost towns in places like Yorkville, Frankfort, Sugar Grove and Hampshire."

Johnson talks to realtors and developers about the amazing rise and precipitous fall of these "far-flung developments" outside Chicago.

Thanks to Lynn Stevens

Monday, August 22, 2011 in Chicago News Cooperative

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 23, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

An Airo train driving towards the camera on a track. There is a forest behind it.

Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet

Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.

September 22, 2026 - Washington State Standard

People cross the street in downtown Pittsburg.

Pittsburg launches 'EZ permits,' aims for one-day turnaround for low-risk permits

The pilot ‘fast lane’ for permits is part of a bundle of modernization efforts for Pittsburg’s permitting process.

45 minutes ago - Smart Cities Dive

A bus in Singapore at a stop behind a tree, waiting for passengers to get on.

Eating, littering on Singapore buses now a fineable offense

Passengers who put other riders in danger may be charged thousands of Singapore dollars.

1 hour ago - CNN Travel

A sign in a field that reads "Save the goats, no data center"

This rural Oklahoma town doesn’t want a data center. It may not be able to stop the project

With the project outside city limits and little county oversight of unincorporated land, officials are considering measures to gain local control.

2 hours ago - The Frontier

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design