Westchester, Illinois

Westchester, Illinois
Village of Westchester
Village

Location of Westchester in Cook County, Illinois.

Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 41°51′14″N 87°53′1″W / 41.85389°N 87.88361°W / 41.85389; -87.88361Coordinates: 41°51′14″N 87°53′1″W / 41.85389°N 87.88361°W / 41.85389; -87.88361
Country United States
State Illinois
County Cook
Founded 1926
Government
 • Type Village
Area[1]
 • Total 3.69 sq mi (9.55 km2)
 • Land 3.69 sq mi (9.55 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population (2010)
 • Total 16,718
 • Estimate (2016)[2] 16,563
 • Density 4,493.49/sq mi (1,735.02/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s) 60154
Area code(s) 708
FIPS code 17-80047
Wikimedia Commons Westchester, Illinois
Website www.westchester-il.org

Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,718 at the 2010 census.[3] The current Village President is Paul Gattusois.

History

The area now known as Westchester was occupied by German farmers dating back to the mid-19th century. Samuel Insull purchased the land in 1924 with plans to recreate an English-style town. As a result, the town's name and the majority of its street names are of English origin.

The Great Depression slowed construction in the ensuing decade, although the population continued to grow, largely aided by the presence of the western terminal of Chicago's rapid transit line. The extension of the line was removed in 1951. However, the Interstate Highway System's creation in 1956 led to the construction of nearby expressways I-290 and I-294, providing residents with convenient travel.

Expansion has consumed nearly all open land within the village, save for the 85-acre (340,000 m2) Wolf Road Prairie.[4] It is the largest black-soil prairie remnant east of the Mississippi River.[5]

Geography

Westchester is located at 41°51′14″N 87°53′1″W / 41.85389°N 87.88361°W / 41.85389; -87.88361 (41.853890, -87.883712).[6]

According to the 2010 census, Westchester has a total area of 3.69 square miles (9.56 km2), all land. It shares its Western border with Du Page County.[7]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1930358—
194062173.5%
19504,308593.7%
196018,092320.0%
197020,03310.7%
198017,730−11.5%
199017,301−2.4%
200016,824−2.8%
201016,718−0.6%
Est. 201616,563[2]−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 16,718 people residing in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 65.9% White, 14.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.9% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.9% of the population.

Government

Westchester is divided between three congressional districts. The areas south of Cermak Road or west of Haase and Burns Avenues are in Illinois' 3rd congressional district; nearly all of the areas east of Mannheim Road and east of Mayfair Avenue between Canterbury Street and Dorchester Avenue are in the 7th district; the area in between (primarily Oak Ridge and Glen Oak cemeteries) is in the 4th district.

Economy

Westchester is home to Westbrook Corporate Center, located at Wolf Road and Cermak Road. Constructed in 1986 and renovated in 1996, the complex consists of five 10-story towers encompassing more than 1 million square feet (90,000 m²) of office space. Westbrook Corporate Center has won the 2000/2001 BOMA- International Office Building of the Year Award, 2000/2001 BOMA- North Central Region Office Building of the Year Award, and 1998/1999, 1999/2000, 2000/2001 BOMA- Suburban Chicago Office Building of the Year Award.

Top employers

According to the Village's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[10] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer
1 G4S Secure Solutions Inc
2 Corn Products International (Ingredion)
3 Sogeti
4 Chicago Laborers Pension & Welfare Funds
5 CommScope Corp (Andrew Solutions)
6 Insurance Auto Auctions
7 Yellow Book USA, Inc
8 Revenue Cycle Solutions
9 Per Mar Security Services
10 Healthcare Financial Management Association

Education

Public schools

Westchester School District 92.5 serves the city.[11] There are four schools in this district:

  • Westchester Primary School (K–2)
  • Westchester Intermediate School (3–5)
  • Westchester Middle School (6–8)
  • Brittain School (Special Needs)[12]

Proviso Township High Schools district serves high school residents. Zoned students attend Proviso West High School in Hillside.[12] Westchester residents may apply to Proviso Math & Science Academy in Forest Park.

Private schools

The following private schools are located in the village:

  • Divine Infant Jesus School (K–8, Roman Catholic)
  • Divine Providence School (K–8, Roman Catholic)
  • St. Joseph High School (9–12, Roman Catholic)
  • Immanuel Christian Academy (K–8, Lutheran)
  • Westchester Christian School (K-12, Non-Denominational)

Notable people

See also

  • Chicago portal
  • Illinois portal

References

  1. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jun 30, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Westchester village, Illinois". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  4. ↑ Encyclopedia of Chicago. Accessed 2007-04-23
  5. ↑ Wolf Road Prairie - Into the Wild. Chicago Wilderness Magazine Spring, 2004. Accessed 2007-04-23
  6. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. ↑ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  8. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  10. ↑ Village of Westchester Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
  11. ↑ http://www.sd925.w-cook.k12.il.us/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.