It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago located 28 miles (45 km) west of the city on the DuPage River.

Beginning in the 1960s, Naperville experienced a significant population increase as a result of Chicago's urban sprawl.

[10] There was a major Potawatomi village at the present site of downtown Naperville, reached from Chicago by a trail that became Ogden Avenue.

After the news of the Indian Creek massacre during the Black Hawk War, these settlers were temporarily displaced to Fort Dearborn for protection from an anticipated attack by the Sauk tribe.

Two Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad trains collided "head to tail" on a single track just west of the Loomis Street grade crossing.

[14] A predominantly rural community for most of its existence, Naperville experienced a population explosion beginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1980s and 1990s.

[27][28] The YMCA in Downtown Naperville was announced to close in May 2020 after 109 years of operation, due to economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[29] On June 20, 2021, an EF3 tornado tore through southeast Naperville, uprooting trees, injuring eight people, and damaging 231 homes.

In the north, McDowell Grove Forest Preserve and various office complexes around Diehl Road form a major enclave into the boundary.

There are four distinct seasons: winters are cold and snowy, springs are humid, summers are hot, and falls are cool.

Employers contributing to the population explosion of the 1980s and 1990s included: Bell Labs and Western Electric (once Alcatel-Lucent, now Nokia), Amoco (now BP and Ineos), Nalco, Calamos, Nicor, and Edward Hospital.

[51] Kraft Foods (now Mondelez International) opened their Naperville site in 1968, and employs over 200 individuals at the plant, which supplies all Triscuit products for North America.

The former Office Max headquarters in Naperville was sold, as the merged company moved to Boca Raton.

Land was acquired, and the upper floor of the Naper Boulevard Library opened to the public on December 29, 1992.

Opened in September 2003, it is the newest and largest of the three facilities at 73,000 square feet (6,800 m2)[64] and features a modern architectural style.

The Riverwalk Fine Art Fair hosts artists who work in forms such as painting, ceramic, wood, jewelry, fiber, photography, glass, and metal.

[73] The Century Walk Corporation, founded in 1996, is a nonprofit organization who commissions sculptures, murals and mosaics to be placed throughout the city.

It was listed on the NRHP on September 29, 1977, and It was granted local district designation by the Naperville City Council in 1986.

[76] The buildings represent significant examples of local architecture and are among the city's most important cultural and historical heritage.

[80][81] The 158-foot-tall Moser Tower is just north of Aurora Avenue and at the base of Rotary Hill, just west of Downtown Naperville.

[87] The Park District is responsible for the Naperville Riverwalk, construction of which began in 1981, marking the 150th anniversary of the first Joseph Naper's settlement.

[93] Knoch Knolls Park includes a small mountain biking trail and eighteen-hole frisbee golf course.

[97] Herrick Lake Forest Preserve is composed of 887 acres (359 ha) and has 7 miles (11 km) trails.

[126] The oldest District 203 building still in use is Ellsworth Elementary, constructed in 1928,[127] while the newest is the Ann Reid Early Childhood Center, opened in 2010.

The station airs community-based programming that includes news, sports, talk shows, and community event coverage.

[139] Naperville has multiple radio stations, including 1610-AM WPFP 929, AM 1610, which broadcasts emergency, city and road information.

[140][141] WONC (89.1 FM) broadcasts in an album oriented rock format, and is owned and operated by North Central College.

[147] The Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (the tolled portion of Interstate 88) passes through northern Naperville.

Naperville now has three tracks belonging to the BNSF Railway that run through the north end of town, with passenger rail service provided by Metra and Amtrak.

In addition, Pace directly operates bus route 530 from Naperville to Aurora (which serves Aurora's Fox Valley Mall)[152] and bus route 714 from Naperville to Wheaton (which serves the College of DuPage), both through its Fox Valley division.