Elgin

/el"jin/ for 1; /el"gin/ for 2, n.

1. a city in NE Illinois. 63,798.

2. former name of Moray.

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(as used in expressions)

Baylor Elgin

Elgin Marbles

Elgin James Bruce 8th earl of

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▪ Illinois, United States

      city, Kane and Cook counties, northeastern Illinois, U.S. It lies on the Fox River, about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of downtown Chicago. Potawatomi Indians were early inhabitants of the region. Elgin was founded in 1835 by James Talcott Gifford, a settler from New York, and named for a Scottish hymn. In 1838 a dam was built on the river, and soon several mills were in operation. Following the arrival of a railway link in 1850, Elgin quickly became a major dairy-producing centre; by the 1920s, however, the industry had declined dramatically. In 1865 the Elgin Milk Condensing Company was opened by Gail Borden (Borden, Gail); it was closed in 1918. From 1864 to 1969 the city was the home of the Elgin National Watch Company.

      Casino gambling, financial services, and health care are important to Elgin's economy. Manufactures include electronic equipment, industrial bearings, plastics, commercial cooking equipment, and sealing devices. The city is the site of Elgin Academy, a college preparatory school chartered in 1839. Also in Elgin are Judson College (Baptist; 1963) and Elgin Community College (1949). The city has a symphony orchestra, theatre groups, and a natural history museum. Inc. town, 1846; city, 1854. Pop. (1990) 77,010; (2000) 94,487.

▪ Scotland, United Kingdom

 royal burgh (town) and city, in Moray council area and historic county, northeastern Scotland, situated on the River Lossie in the fertile plain of Moray, of which it is the market town.

      On a hill to the west stood the 12th-century castle that in 1291 marked the northern limit of the English occupation of Scotland. The castle was destroyed after the Battle of Bannockburn (1314), which restored Scottish independence. The once-splendid cathedral of Moray, now a ruin, was founded in 1224, and Elgin gained royal burgh status in 1234. Twice destroyed by fire during the Middle Ages, the cathedral was rebuilt in the form of a Jerusalem cross on a scale that made it one of the finest churches in Scotland. The 18th century, when the cathedral finally fell into ruin, was the great period of Scottish town architecture, and much of the High Street was lined with fine stone houses.

      Elgin now serves as an educational and market centre for a wide area. Its industries include whisky distilling and wool milling. The internationally famous Gordonstoun School, an independent boarding school founded in 1934 by the German educator Kurt Hahn, lies 6 miles (10 km) to the north. Elgin is the historic county town (seat) and administrative centre of Moray. Pop. (2004 est.) 20,580.

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