Without A Downtown, Does Niles Lack An Identity?

Thriving retail districts and public transportation systems are the building blocks of many suburban Chicago downtowns. While Niles boasts an enormous retail base for a village with 30,000 residents and a village-sponsored bus system, it has no single downtown.

But the village itself and other observers don't view this as a handicap.

"Instead of a traditional downtown, Niles got Golf Mill,'' said Bob Bruegmann, a University of Illinois at Chicago professor of urban planning. "It's really not a problem at all,'' he said. "There are many, many other suburbs that envy the retail base of Niles.''

Niles, which was incorporated in 1899, got its start when the plank road that would become Milwaukee Avenue allowed farmers from the area to transport their goods to the markets in downtown Chicago.

Those roots planted in commerce flourished after World War II, when the automobile culture took hold, Bruegmann continued. Because it became easier to reach close-in suburbs like Niles, the village was able to create a substantial industrial base as well as a retail one.

"While I wouldn't say Niles generates an instant image, it's been a very successful community that allows residents to live close to their jobs,'' he said.

Instead of just one major business center, Niles has many retail districts along the Milwaukee Avenue corridor and other main thoroughfares.

"We have some real destination shops like and an enormous banquet business at the '' which are businesses that make Niles worth a special visit from Chicago or other suburbs, said Katie Schneider, executive director of the Niles Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber, which has 460 members representing manufacturers and professional services firms as well as retailers, touts the village as a place to shop. "It's a town that has shopping all over the map, both geographically and in the mix of big box and mom & pop stores," Schneider said. "That's a huge identity for us."

The village has created a centralized municipal services area at Oakton Street and Waukegan Road that hosts the public library, village hall, village fitness center, senior center and a U.S. Post Office adjacent to shopping that creates a "downtown feel" although it isn't in the center of town, said Village Manager George Van Geem.

"People know us as a very stable community in a great location,'' Van Geem said. "You can be on the interstate in five minutes or on a train downtown after a short drive to Park Ridge or Morton Grove. We have great schools and offer terrific services that keep families and businesses here,'' he observed.

Likely the most unique service is the Niles Free Bus, which is just what its name implies. The three routes that operate during the day, seven days a week, serve shopping areas, senior and recreation centers and the municipal campus. Some buses connect with other Pace or CTA routes as well.

In addition, many residents say the village is known for excellent services including snow and leaf removal. The park district offers facilities on a par with affluent nearby suburbs, including a golf course, an indoor ice arena, mini-golf, batting cages and a pool.

"We have some of the lowest retail vacancy rates around and low home foreclosure rates, so those things make us a great place to work and live. I think we're well known for these factors," Van Geem said. "We keep things safe and clean, which makes it a great place to raise a family.''

So if the Golf Mill façade or the Leaning Tower YMCA come to mind when you think of Niles, the village fathers probably won't mind. Van Geem said, "We don't need to do a lot of marketing.''

Note: As part of Niles Patch's one-year anniversary, we are re-featuring this article from Sept. 30, 2010.