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Plano, Illinois
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| City of Plano | |
Buildings in downtown Plano, 2007.
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| Etymology: From plano, Spanish for plain[1] | |
| Motto(s):
Birthplace of the Harvester, Home of the Reapers
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Location of Plano in Kendall County, Illinois.
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Location of Illinois in the United States
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| Coordinates: 41°40′33″N 88°31′46″W[2] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Kendall |
| Township | Little Rock |
| Founded | April 10, 1872 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mike Rennels |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.02 sq mi (23.37 km2) |
| • Land | 8.98 sq mi (23.26 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2) |
| Elevation | 633 ft (193 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 11,847 |
| • Density | 1,319.41/sq mi (509.43/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
60545
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| Area codes | 630/331 |
| FIPS code | 17-60352 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2396223[2] |
| Wikimedia Commons | Plano, Illinois |
| Website | www.cityofplanoil.com |
Plano is a city near Aurora in Kendall County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 11,847 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, being about 55 miles (90 km) from Chicago. The city was home to the Plano Harvester Company in the late 19th century, as well as the Plano Molding Company more recently. In 2011, downtown Plano was used as a set for Man of Steel.
History
In the early 1860s, the Marsh brothers began producing their Marsh Harvester in Plano. From 1863 to the beginning of the twentieth century the Plano Manufacturing Company, as it became known, provided the foundation for Plano’s development.[4][5] Because of this, Plano High School has adopted the reaper as its mascot.
Plano was the one-time headquarters for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Joseph Smith III, son of slain LDS movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr., moved to Plano in 1866 and ran the church’s printing operation from there.[6] As the schism with the Utah branch of the Latter Day Saints deepened, he moved with the church headquarters to Lamoni, Iowa in 1880 to be closer to what the Community of Christ believed to be the true church headquarters at Temple Lot in Missouri rather than in Utah.[7]
Community development has been centered around a strong agricultural setting, with the only inhabitants of the area before its incorporation being the owners of grist mills.[8] This development was supported by the city’s location along US Route 34 and the Illinois Zephyr Amtrak passenger rail service.[9]
The Plano Molding Company, manufacturer of fishing tackle equipment as well as other plastic domestic containment units, has its headquarters in Plano.[10] Both of its original factories within Plano are still in operation, but the main bulk of production is now in nearby cities Sandwich and Mendota.
Plano and Sandwich have developed a sibling-like relationship. Both deeply agricultural cities are situated along a major trading route and rail artery. The two cities’ high schools have developed a rivalry that has become known to the local press as the “War on 34”,[11][12] due to their location along US Route 34.