Des Plaines, city, Cook County, northeastern Illinois, on the Des Plaines River (hence its name), a suburb of Chicago; settled 1833, incorporated as a city 1925. Manufactures include chemicals, paint, plastic goods, furniture, cosmetics, and processed food. A community college is here. Des Plaines was a farm center with some light industry until the mid-1940s, when it began to grow rapidly as a result of suburban expansion and the construction of Chicago-O'Hare International Airport nearby. Population 53,568 (1980); 53,223 (1990); 58,720 (2000).
