Elmhurst, city, DuPage County, northeastern Illinois, a suburb of Chicago; settled 1836, incorporated as a city 1910. It is primarily residential and has some light industry. The city is the site of Elmhurst College (1871) and the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art. A junior college is also located in the city. The poet and biographer Carl Sandburg lived here from 1918 to 1928. Elmhurst was named in 1869 for its elm trees. Population 44,276 (1980); 42,029 (1990); 42,762 (2000).