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Getting Here, Getting Around

Nestled within the heart of Chicago’s illustrious northwest suburbs, the City of Des Plaines is privileged to be equipped with a prominent location. Spanning 15.85 square miles, the community is ideally situated a quick 17 miles from downtown Chicago and mere minutes from the region’s extensive transportation web. The convenience of major highway systems, local bus services, commuter rail lines and superior local and international airports are readily accessible and are utilized by businesses, residents and visitors alike. The availability of such a prime transportation infrastructure has greatly supported and encouraged the continued growth and development of Des Plaines.

Part of Cook County, the second most populated county in the country, Des Plaines is afforded easy commute via several vast highway networks. The city sits between Interstates 90 and 294, both providing excellent links to the region’s additional highways, including Interstates 55, 80, 88, 290 and 355, along with the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway and a host of further state thoroughfares.

With gas prices on the rise, more and more people are looking to public transportation as an affordable alternative. Metra commuter rail service is one of the best ways of traveling to downtown Chicago, as well as throughout the Chicagoland area. The Des Plaines station is served by the Union Pacific Northwest line, which stretches from Harvard to Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center. Metra also provides a connection with Amtrak services in Chicago. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is a further significant travel resource in the area, offering a wealth of bus routes and “L” lines throughout the greater Chicago area. What’s more, Pace Northwest Division bus service offers seven regular daily routes in Des Plaines. Pace offers connection to the CTA.

Regional, national and international travel can be found within six miles of Des Plaines at Chicago’s bustling O’Hare International Airport. Fifty-six passenger carriers operate out of 178 gates at O’Hare, carrying more than 76.5 million passengers (2006). Chicago’s Midway International Airport is also close by, as it is reachable in a little over 45 minutes.

Des Plaines has access to Palwaukee Airport, also known as Chicago Executive Airport, located in neighboring Wheeling. The general aviation airport, which currently houses 325 aircraft at its 412-acre facility, is utilized by private aircraft owners, corporate jet aircraft owners, major national corporations, and flight schools. Each year, more than 167,000 aircrafts take off and land on Chicago Executive Airport’s three primary runways, making it the fourth busiest airport in the state.

With all of this, Des Plaines has certainly transformed itself into a transportation hub in the Chicagoland area.