One of the best parts about attending North Central is living in Naperville. Located just steps away from Downtown Naperville, living here provides quick access to all that the vibrant city has to offer. With its small-town charm, abundant green spaces, unlimited shopping, and an unbeatable food scene, as a Cardinal you will be right at home in Naperville! 

Arts & Culture

From watching a blacksmith at the forge or watching “Chicago’s hippest orchestra”, there’s a whole world to explore at Naperville’s renowned museums, galleries and performance venues.

• Museums
  • Naper Settlement and Museum 
  • DuPage Children’s Museum
  • Naperville Trolley Historical Tours
• Visual arts
  • Naperville Art League
  • The Century Walk in Downtown Naperville
  • Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery
  • North Central College community galleries – Schoenherr Gallery, Oesterle Library Gallery
• Music
  • Wentz Concert Hall is home to the:
    • Chicago Sinfonietta
    • Young Naperville Singers
    • Youth Symphony of DuPage 
    • DuPage Symphony Orchestra
  • Naperville Municipal Band
  • Live Music Venues 
    • Empire
    • Quigley’s Irish Pub
    • Frankie’s Blue Room
    • The Matrix Club
    • Potter’s Place
    • Two-Nine
    • Sullivan’s Steakhouse
• Theatre
  • Brightside Theatre
  • Dhrishti Center For Performing Arts
  • Magical Starlight Theatre
  • Summer Place Theatre
  • Center Stage Theatre

Jobs & Internships

Naperville is the perfect place to prepare for your future. In fact, Coworking Cafe ranked it the #1 “Best City to Start a Career After College” and is the second largest economy in Illinois with a AAA bond rating from Moody and S&P. We’re home to many major businesses and corporations, startups, nonprofit organizations and healthcare organizations so Cardinals have plenty of options when it comes to finding internships and building a network early on.

Top Naperville Employers:

• BMO Harris Bank
• City of Naperville
• Eby-Brown
• Edward-Elmhurst Health
• Indian Prairie School District 204
• KeHE Distribution
• Nalco
• Naperville Community Unit School District 203
• Nicor Gas
• Nokia
• North Central College
• Sikich
• Tellabs
• Wilton Brands

Diversity & Inclusion

In Naperville, we welcome all. We are a place that celebrates diverse backgrounds,  identities, and shared histories through shopping, food, festivals, arts, and cultural events.

• The Matrix Club featuring the Dhrishti Center hosts international events and performing arts
• The Mall of India offers shopping, dining, entertainment, education, childcare & community services
• Ethnic cuisines available include Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, Irish, German, Mexican, Burmese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Greek, Argentinian, Spanish, Peruvian, and Japanese
• Local cultural groups- ALMAS, AMICI, Indian Community Outreach
• Festivals: Asian Heritage Festival, Holi Festival, Halal Fest, Irish Fest, India Day
• 99 Ranch Market-Asian-American grocery chain
• Naper Pride Organization
• H-Mart Korean Supermarket
• Patel Brothers Indian grocery chain

Travel & Transportation

Traveling to and around Naperville and Chicago is easy, convenient and affordable. Below are options to get you where you need to go.

Biking

• With plenty of bike racks on campus and an expansive system of sidewalks and side streets, you are encouraged to bring your own bike to campus. In addition, Naperville’s biking system provides easy options for recreation, school, commuting, shopping, and fitness. Visit this site to view bike paths and bike lanes in DuPage County.

Naperville Tuk Tuk

• The Tuk Tuk offers point-to-point rides within a 2.5-mile radius of Downtown Naperville. 

Train

• The Naperville train station is just two blocks North of campus. Metra is the commuter rail service on the BNSF railway connecting downtown Chicago to Aurora. You can be in Chicago in just 30 minutes! Riders can also catch Amtrak trains at this station. 

Bus

• Pace provides weekday on-demand service to the Naperville-Aurora area.

Air

• O’Hare International Airport –Chicago O'Hare International Airport is a major international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately 26 miles from campus.
• Midway International Airport - Chicago Midway International Airport is a major commercial airport on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 30 miles campus.