Today's boom towns began quietly, as men like Joseph Naper, Willard Scott and Jesse Wheaton laid claim to thousands of acres in DuPage, Kane and Will counties.

The first white settlers appeared in 1825, when Scott followed the Indian trails west from New York to Illinois. His family became Evanston's first settlers, before migrating southwest to what is now Naperville.

When the Scotts arrived, they were befriended by Chief Waubonsee and his Potawatomi tribe. Their amiable relationship protected the family during the Black Hawk War in 1832, and they were among only a handful of settlers who did not flee the area during the skirmish.

Following the battle, the refugees returned to their homesteads with dreams of farming and trading. No one had aspirations of turning the towns into the Western suburbs. No one imagined it would become one of the country's wealthiest and fastest-growing areas.

It happened anyway.

Throughout the nearly 100 years after the first white settlers arrived, the population grew at a steady pace. It experienced a slight jump after the Great Chicago Fire when displaced city dwellwers followed the railroads west to find new homes, then again after World War I.

But most recently, a non-stop, 50-year growth spurt has left our older communities anxious to protect their small-town feel but obligated to ensure adequate roads, sewer and water lines.

Most pre-20th century towns have declared historical districts in which the architecture and landscaping must reflect earlier eras.

Bloomingdale officials created Old Town, a small nook in the heart of the village that has become haven for the community's oldest buildings. In an effort to preserve the area, the municipality imposes rigid regulations about the colors, facades and signs used on the buildings. (The lettering on the buildings, for example, must be an antiquated style - no modern fonts allowed.)

In recent years, the district has failed to attract a steady clientele and lost several stores. Departing shopkeepers often blamed Bloomingdale's strict building standards and a perceived indifference to the business community.

The criticism did little to change the village board's stance on Old Town.

"We spent decades trying to preserve the historic area," former Trustee Dorothy Lester once said. "I want to make sure we don't lose that."

In addition to safeguarding the historical area, municipalities also must deal with aging structures built at the beginning of their population burst.

World War II's conclusion sparked a baby boom and a suburban growth spurt. In Naperville, Harold Moser helped returning soldiers obtain no-interest loans to buy their first houses. He started Moser Lumber Co., which supplied most of the materials needed to build his subdivisions. His first neighborhood, located just west of the downtown, had 43 homes - most of them with price tags around $9,000 in 1952.

In neighboring Wheaton, Gen. Richard Smykal capitalized on the housing market and developed three major subdivisions in the city. Most of Smykal's post-war construction featured 1,100-square-foot houses with 60-foot lot lines. For $10,250, young families could have three bedrooms, an attached garage, fireplace, washer and dryer, refrigerator, stove and wall-to-wall carpeting.

Wheaton now spends nearly $4 million each year to improve and replace the housing boom's aging infrastructure. About 15 years ago, the city decided it would be more cost-efficient to revamp its sewers and roads before they deteriorated.

"You need to keep up," Wheaton City Manager Don Rose said. "If you don't, you can really get behind the eight ball."

As communities deal with their older neighborhoods, they also must contend with the young upstarts. The West suburbs have blossomed in the past three decades, partially because the railroad and tollway systems make commuting to downtown jobs easier.

Major corporations also have added to the population by relocating their headquarters or regional offices to the area. Andersen's Worldwide's executive training facility in St. Charles, for example, employs 1,155 people, the vast majority of whom live in Kane and DuPage counties.

The influx of new residents did wonders for the local economy, but wreaked havoc on local roadways. Motorists everywhere now endure traffic snarls and congestion.

In Naperville - where the city's population has increased by 25 percent in the past five years - officials widen streets constantly.

"The growth has been taxing on the roads," Naperville Mayor George Pradel said. "We don't have enough north-south routes."

Infrastructure, though, is not the most difficult aspect of managing an elderly city. For many older towns, the most daunting task is retaining a close-knit hometown feel.

In Itasca, residents did this by electing a mayor who understood the need for development but cherished the village's Mayberry-like atmosphere. Village President Shirley Ketter allowed business parks and industrial districts to built within city limits, but she refused to let them encroach upon the residential areas.

Ketter, who retired in 1997 after nearly 30 years of public office, was the perfect mayoral hybrid: a leader who gave fifth-graders a spirited tour of village hall one day and played hardball with moneyed developers the next.

She could flex her muscles to steer the massive Chancellory office park' development or insist village police officers sport peach irises - the town flower - on their uniforms.

Her actions won her adulation for saving Itasca's small-town feel. The mayor, however, always maintained her strongest attribute was building a consensus among employees, trustees and residents.

"The best thing I did," she said repeatedly, "was build a team."

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