Concerns have been raised over the environmental impact these plants will have on the town and surrounding areas in the future.

On November 6, 1990, Burlington was incorporated as a village, along with nearby Lily Lake and Virgil, in an effort to establish stricter guidelines regarding plastic manufacturing and chemical dumping in the area.

[6] From 1910 to 2019, Burlington held an annual fall festival on the first week of September every year.

[7] The village consists of a small "downtown" section, and is surrounded mostly by horse ranches and cornfields.

It lies approximately halfway between Elgin and Sycamore, and is 20 miles north of the City of Aurora.

According to the 2022 American Community Survey, Burlington has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.87 km2), all land.