Golden Corridor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Golden Corridor is a term used to describe the area around the Northwest Tollway (Interstate 90) in Chicagoland. It is coined as such since the corridor generates a "gold" mine of economic profit for communities in the area. Several Fortune 500 companies, exhibition and entertainment centers, hotels, shopping centers, and restaurants are located along the Golden Corridor.
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[edit] Major companies
Several important companies are headquartered in or have a significant presence in the corridor. They include:
- Sears Holdings, a major department store chain headquartered in Hoffman Estates
- Motorola, a telecommunications company headquartered in Schaumburg
- United Airlines, a major airline company headquartered in Elk Grove Village
- Affiliated Computer Services, an information technology outsourcing company headquartered in Schaumburg
- ACNielsen, a marketing research firm headquartered in Schaumburg
- United Stationers, a office products distributor headquartered in Des Plaines
- U.S. Robotics, a manufacturer of modems headquartered in Schaumburg
- Zurich Financial Services, regional offices in Schaumburg
- Fifth Third Bank branch offices in the Continental Towers in Arlington Heights
- Chase Bank branch offices in Elgin
- Allstate, an insurance company with a branch in Hoffman Estates, and headquartered out of Northbrook
- AT&T, telecommunications company with a large regional office in Hoffman Estates
- True Value, a hardware store chain headquartered in Chicago (O'Hare community area)
- Bally Total Fitness, a fitness center chain headquartered in Chicago (O'Hare community area)
- U.S. Cellular, a mobile communications service provider headquartered in Chicago (O'Hare community area)
- PepsiAmericas regional offices in Rolling Meadows
- Weber Grill factory in Huntley
- Regional offices for several major home developers including Pulte and Lennar
- Expansive industrial parks in Elk Grove Village and Elgin
[edit] Educational institutions
A variety of higher educational institutions are located along the Golden Corridor, ranging from branch locations to community colleges to four year colleges.
- Judson College, a 4-year college located in Elgin
- Harper College, a very large community college located at Roselle Road and Algonquin Road in Palatine
- Roosevelt University on McConnor Parkway in Schaumburg
- NIU Hoffman Estates, the Hoffman Estates branch of Northern Illinois University, located at Beverly Road and I-90
- DePaul University branch in Rolling Meadows
- Olivet Nazarene University branch in Rolling Meadows
- National Louis University branch in Elgin
[edit] Shopping centers
Ranging from regional indoor malls to chic lifestyle centers, "the Golden Corridor" is a bustling center of retail activity. Major shopping centers include:
- Woodfield Mall, among the Top 10 largest malls in North America, and the apex or crown jewel of the Golden Corridor. Located at Golf Road and Interstate 290, just south of Interstate 90
- Streets of Woodfield, an upscale outdoor mall of about 30 stores adjacent to Woodfield Mall.
- Huntley Prime Outlets, a 50-store outlet mall located at Route 47 and I-90 in Huntley
- Algonquin Commons and the Galleria Center, two large outdoor malls located on Randall Road, 5 miles north of I-90, in Algonquin
- Spring Hill Mall, a regional mall on Route 31, a couple miles north of I-90, in West Dundee
- One of two Chicagoland IKEA locations in Schaumburg
[edit] Entertainment and exhibition centers
From major arenas to convention centers to theaters to gambling centers, the Golden Corridor is a thriving entertainment center.
- Sears Centre, a 10,000 seat arena at Beverly Road and Interstate 90 in Hoffman Estates
- Allstate Arena, a 16,000 seat arena at Mannehim Road and Interstate 90 in Rosemont
- The Rosemont Theater, a 4,000 seat theater in Rosemont
- Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont
- Schaumburg Convention Center and Renaissance Hotel, a large convention center and hotel complex located at Meacham Road and I-90 in Schaumburg
- Medieval Times, a dinner-theater located at Roselle Road and Interstate 90 in Schaumburg
- Arlington Park, a major horse track in Arlington Heights, along Illinois Route 53, just 2 miles north of Interstate 90
- Grand Victoria Riverboat, Illinois' most-profitable casino, located in downtown Elgin, just a couple miles south of Interstate 90
- Alexian Field, a minor league ballpark located on Springingsuth Road in Schaumburg, a few miles south of Interstate 90
[edit] Healthcare facilities
Located within five miles of the Northwest Tollway are a variety of major hospitals, including:
- Sherman Hospital: off Illinois Route 25, a mile south of Interstate 90 in Elgin
- St. Joseph's Hospital: off Randall Road, 3 miles south of Interstate 90 in Elgin
- St. Alexius Hospital: on Barrington Road, a half-mile south of Interstate 90 in Hoffman Estates
- Northwest Community Hospital: off Central Road, a mile north of Interstate 90 in Arlington Heights
- Alexian Brothers Hospital: on Biesterfield Road, 3 miles south of Interstate 90 in Elk Grove Village
- Lutheran General Hospital: a major hospital and trauma center on Dempster Street, 4 miles north of Interstate 90 in Park Ridge
[edit] Transportation infrastructure
- O'Hare International Airport, "the busiest airport in the world", located off Interstate 190, a spur of Interstate 90.
- Metra's STAR Line, a proposed commuter rail line slated to operate along the Golden Corridor of Interstate 90, extending from O'Hare International Airport westward to the Prairie Stone Business Park in Hoffman Estates, with several stops in between.
[edit] Hotels and restaurants
Nearly every national hotel and restaurant chain can be found along the corridor, as well as numerous independently owned and local chains.
The highest concentration of hotels can be found in the Schaumburg/Arlington Heights and Rosemont/O'Hare areas, with secondary concentrations in Hoffman Estates and Elgin.
[edit] Trivia
Additionally, McDonald's, home of the "golden" arches, opened its first franchise in Des Plaines, a community located along the "golden" corridor.
[edit] See also
- Woodfield Mall, the crown jewel of the Golden Corridor
- Illinois Technology and Research Corridor, located along Interstate 88; a counterpart to the Golden Corridor
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| Central City | Chicago |  |
| Largest cities (over 30,000 in 2000) | Aurora • Berwyn • Bolingbrook •Calumet City • Chicago Heights • Crystal Lake • DeKalb • Des Plaines • East Chicago • Elgin • Elmhurst • Evanston • Gary • Hammond • Harvey • Highland Park • Joliet • Kenosha • Naperville • North Chicago • Park Ridge • Portage • Waukegan • Wheaton |
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| Largest towns and villages (over 30,000 in 2000) | Addison • Arlington Heights • Bartlett • Bolingbrook • Buffalo Grove • Carol Stream • Carpentersville • Cicero • Downers Grove • Elk Grove Village • Glendale Heights • Glenview • Hanover Park • Hoffman Estates • Lombard • Merrillville • Mount Prospect • Mundelein • Niles • Northbrook • Oak Lawn • Oak Park • Orland Park • Palatine • Schaumburg • Skokie • Streamwood • Tinley Park • Wheeling • Woodridge | |
| Counties | Cook • DeKalb • DuPage • Grundy • Jasper • Kane • Kankakee • Kendall • Kenosha • Lake (Illinois) • Lake (Indiana) • LaPorte • McHenry • Newton • Porter • Will | |
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Municipalities and Communities of McHenry County, Illinois (County Seat: Woodstock) |
|---|---|
| Cities, Towns and Villages | Algonquin | Barrington Hills | Bull Valley | Cary | Crystal Lake | Fox Lake | Fox River Grove | Greenwood | Harvard | Hebron | Holiday Hills | Huntley | Island Lake | Johnsburg | Lake in the Hills | Lakemoor | Lakewood | Marengo | McCullom Lake | McHenry | Oakwood Hills | Pistakee Highlands (CDP) | Port Barrington | Prairie Grove | Richmond | Ridgefield | Ringwood | Solon Mills | Spring Grove | Sunnyside | Trout Valley | Union | Wonder Lake | Wonder Lake (CDP) | Woodstock |
| Townships | Alden| Algonquin | Burton | Chemung | Coral | Dorr | Dunham | Grafton | Greenwood | Hartland | Hebron | Marengo | McHenry | Nunda | Richmond | Riley | Seneca |
| Points of Interest | Chain O'Lakes State Park | Fox River | Golden Corridor | Moraine Hills State Park | McHenry County College | UP/Northwest Line |
| Airports | Lake in the Hills Airport |
