BUSINESS/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Known as a regional industrial center and a tight-knit community of residents, the Village of Carol Stream is home to more than 900 businesses and industries, including several Fortune 500 companies. The dynamic community boasts amenities including a bustling business-friendly environment, much sought-after traditional neighborhoods with tree-lined streets, modern schools, a large Gold Medal award-winning park system, a full-service library and a community of churches serving many religious denominations. With a firm foundation of past success and an eye to the future, the village’s residents, businesses and local leaders are committed to protecting and enhancing these assets through investment, planning, partnerships and projects. The Village of Carol Stream is a vital part of the Chicago metropolitan region and a leader among west suburban DuPage County communities. The community is ranked among the 100 Safest Cities in the United States, according to the 2016 Neighborhood Scout risk data analysis report, and last year was cited for its Top Traffic Safety Program by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Carol Stream was named a Top 10 Suburb for Regional Sustainability (2008-2015) by the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus, and this year the Village of DuPage County’s Klein Creek Flood Mitigation project was recognized by the American Public Works Association with their Storm Water Project of the Year award. The village has been labeled a “hidden gem” by Money Magazine and included in their 2011 list of the 100 Best Places to live in the nation – ranking as the 49th best small town in the nation. “The business community thrives in Carol Stream,” said Luanne Newman, executive director of the Carol Stream Chamber of Commerce. She cited the plethora of new and expanding business endeavors as well as solid community support and benefits: “In lieu of a traditional Main Street hub, the community boasts a beautifully developed Town Center recreational hub as well as series of well-planned business and retail centers, with light industrial businesses and industries situated along the village’s eastern-most sector.”
Carol Stream is a great place to live, work and do business, Newman noted; many Chamber member business owners and employees live in and are raising their families in Carol Stream. “Carol Stream residents are proud of the community’s history, today’s vibrant business model and array of amenities. They identify not only with the Village of Carol Stream, but also with individual neighborhoods, seeing each as offering a distinct character and type of living.” With deep community roots, many local business and industry leaders also are integrally involved in community life through involvement in the Chamber of Commerce, community service organizations and civic participation. “Whether it’s lending expertise on a committee, taking part in a holiday celebration or parade, sponsoring summertime music concerts at the Town Center, lending a hand at the annual community-wide food drive to restock food pantry shelves or participating in holiday giving programs, the business and industrial community plays a vibrant role Carol Stream community life,” Newman said. PRIME LOCATION FOR BUSINESS The village’s proximity to I-355, I-88, O’Hare International Airport and the DuPage County Airport make it an attractive site for businesses looking to expand or relocate. Seven major roads traverse the village, with North Avenue close to the center of town and bisecting a majority of the industrial area. North Avenue runs east into Chicago and westward across the state. Army Trail Road, St. Charles Road and Geneva Road are other major east-west transit routes. Running north-south are County Farm, Gary Avenue and Schmale Road. Carol Stream residents and businesses are served by a comprehensive street network with a mix of arterial, collector and residential or local streets. The network generally prioritizes motorists and allows for easy mobility by car and truck at most hours of the day. This prioritization has supported much of the village’s industrial area, which relies on the regional interstate transportation network.
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