Westchester, Illinois
Template:Geobox 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.[1] The current Village President is Sam D. Pulia.
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.[2] It is the largest black-soil prairie remnant east of the Mississippi River.[3]
Geography
Westchester is located at 41°51′14″N 87°53′1″W / 41.85389°N 87.88361°W (41.853890, -87.883712).[4]
According to the 2010 census, Westchester has a total area of 3.69 square miles (9.56 km2), all land.[5]
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 358 | — | |
| 1940 | 621 | 73.5% | |
| 1950 | 4,308 | 593.7% | |
| 1960 | 18,092 | 320.0% | |
| 1970 | 20,033 | 10.7% | |
| 1980 | 17,730 | −11.5% | |
| 1990 | 17,301 | −2.4% | |
| 2000 | 16,824 | −2.8% | |
| 2010 | 16,718 | −0.6% | |
| 2014 (est.) | 16,807 | [6] | 0.5% |
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 16,824 people, 7,015 households, and 4,924 families residing in the village. The population density was 5,265.2 people per square mile (2,029.9/km²). There were 7,123 housing units at an average density of 2,229.2 per square mile (859.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 86.15% White, 7.20% African American, 0.07% Native American, 3.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.99% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.68% of the population.
The top five ancestries reported in Westchester as of the 2000 census were Italian (20.9%), German (19.9%), Irish (17.1%), Polish (15.0%) and Czech (8.7%).[9]
There were 7,015 households out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the village the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $58,928, and the median income for a family was $70,313. Males had a median income of $48,737 versus $36,921 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,634. About 1.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Westchester is divided into 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:
Education
Public schools
Westchester School District 92.5 serves the city.[1] 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)[11]
Proviso Township High Schools district serves high school residents. Zoned students attend Proviso West High School in Hillside.[11] 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)
Notable people
- Philip Caputo, author and journalist (A Rumor of War); born in Westchester
- Marco D'Amico, mafia member of the Chicago Outfit
- Mario Anthony DeStefano, member of the Chicago Outfit
- Jim Durkin, state legislator representing Illinois' 82nd District
- Kathryn Hahn, actress (Crossing Jordan); born in Westchester
- Michael Sarno, member of the Chicago Outfit
- Daniel P. Ward, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court; lived in Westchester
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Chicago. Accessed 2007-04-23
- ^ Wolf Road Prairie - Into the Wild. Chicago Wilderness Magazine Spring, 2004. Accessed 2007-04-23
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Template:PDFlink. U.S. Census Bureau. Accessed 2007-04-14.
- ^ Village of Westchester Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
- ^ a b "Links & Contacts," Village of Westchester, Illinois
