[7] Its other early settlers included the Blodgett, Curtiss, Blanchard, Stanley, Lyman, and Carpenter families.

Both the Lyman and Blodgett homes are of cultural significance, as they were both built by abolitionist families and served as former stops on the Underground Railroad.

In April 1947, the wreck of a Burlington Railroad Twin Cities Zephyr passenger train killed three people, including the engineer.

The streamliner struck a large tractor which had fallen from a freight train and two passenger cars crashed through a wall of the Main Street Station.

Downers Grove has developed into a bustling Chicago suburb with many diverse businesses, including the headquarters for Devry University, FTD, Ambitech Engineering Corp, Dover, Heartland Food Corporation, and HAVI Global Solutions.

Downers Grove has witnessed one of the highest teardown rates in the Chicago area; small older residences are being demolished and replaced with much larger new houses.

Downers Grove has been designated a Tree City USA 28 times by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

The state of Illinois as a whole, has a $68,428 Median Household Income and a 12.0% poverty rate Located 20 miles west of the Chicago Loop, Downers Grove residents commonly commute via the village's three Metra BNSF line stations or highway connections.

The village itself also serves as headquarters for multiple businesses, including Advocate Aurora Health and Fortune 500 members Dover Corporation and Univar Solutions.

The village is also home to regional satellite offices of numerous national corporations, including Microsoft, MetLife, and State Farm.

Built in 1928, with an initial seating capacity of 1,390, The Tivoli was the first theatre in DuPage County to show "talkies".

Replaced in 1992, the current instrument, dubbed "Opus 942", originally came from the Indian Theatre in East Chicago, Indiana.

[32] The 360 acres (150 ha) Hidden Lake Forest Preserve contains a glacier-dug pond that provides boating access to the nearby DuPage River (East Branch).

In 1996, residents of Downers Grove passed the referendum to protect Lyman Woods from residential and commercial development.

The Commissioners of Downers Grove are Greg Hose, Nicole Walus, Leslie Sadowski-Fugitt, Rich Kulovany, Chris Gilmartin and Danny Glover.

The majority of the Village of Downers Grove is within the Illinois Senate 41st Legislative District, which is represented by John Curran (Republican) as of 2023.

A portion of northern Downers Grove is within the Illinois Senate 24th Legislative District, which is represented by Suzanne Glowiak (Democratic) as of 2019.

In August, local Republican officials chose David S. Olsen, previously the mayor pro tem of Downers Grove, as the new Representative of the 81st District.

In 2006, the July 4 parade in Downers Grove featured both of the major Illinois gubernatorial candidates at the time, Judy Baar Topinka (R) and Rod Blagojevich (D).

[38] Downers Grove has two Catholic Schools, St. Joseph's and St. Mary's of Gostyn, that enroll students from pre-school through 8th grade.

[40] Founded in 1906 and in its present location in Downers Grove since 1929, it is a private K-8 school, known for its math and science-oriented teaching as well as its focus on the arts and foreign language.

[41] Downers Grove Christian School celebrated their 50 year anniversary in 2020 and offers classes for Preschool 2 and 3, Pre-K 4, K-8th Grade.

Metra's BNSF Line has three stops in Downers Grove at Belmont Road, Main Street, and Fairview Avenue.