Westchester, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Westchester, Illinois Village of Westchester
Village
Location of Westchester in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
Founded	1926
Government
• Type	Village
Area
• 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  (2020)
• Total	16,892
• Density	4,582.75/sq mi (1,769.51/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

Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,892 at the 2020 census. The current Village President is Nick Steker, serving in the special role of acting president after the death of the previous president Frank Perry, by cancer.

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. It is the largest black-soil prairie remnant east of the Mississippi River.

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).

According to the 2010 census, Westchester has a total area of 3.69 square miles (9.56 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census 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%).

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. Of all households 26.5% 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.

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, the top employers in the city are:

Education

Public schools

Westchester School District 92.5 serves most of the city. There are four schools in this district:

• Westchester Primary School (Preschool – 2nd grade)
• Westchester Intermediate School (3rd grade – 5th grade)
• Westchester Middle School (6th grade – 8th grade)
• Britten School (Special Needs)

In addition Hillside School District 93, which operates a single K-8 school in Hillside, serves a section of Westchester. In 1968 the school district proposed a bond for a junior high school, on a 12.5-acre (5.1 ha) parcel of land in Westchester. The voters rejected the referendum and the plans were scrapped. The president of Concord Homes, Roger Mankedick, stated in a Chicago Sun-Times stated that the student population that was supposed to surround the school never came. The Chicago Tribune stated there was a decline in students in the area surrounding the school site. In 1998 the district instead sold the land to Concord Homes for $2.6 million.

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

Private schools

The following private Catholic school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago is located in the village:

• Divine Providence School (PS–8)

Other private schools are located in the village:

• Immanuel Christian Academy (K–8, Lutheran)
• Westchester Christian School (K-12, Non-Denominational)
• PAEC Academy (K-8, Special Needs)

Notable people

See also

In Spanish: Westchester (Illinois) para niños