Westmont, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Westmont is a village in DuPage County
, Illinois
, United States
. Westmont is a community of six square miles in area, with a 2007 population of 26,211. It is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) west of the Chicago Loop
in the southeastern portion of DuPage County, on the fringe of the Chicago
Metropolitan Area.
to move from the area, in 1833, the Native Americans agreed under coercion to vacate their land for nominal payment.
The development of the Illinois-Michigan Canal, authorized by the State of Illinois in the 1820s but delayed in construction until the 1830s, contributed to Westmont's early growth. When the economic Panic of 1837
halted canal construction, many of the workers turned to farming, and agriculture
became the major occupation, with produce sold in nearby Chicago
. The area around Westmont became one of the most prosperous sections of the state.
In order to transport agricultural products into the city of Chicago, construction of a plank road originating in Chicago began in 1840. The plank road was placed over the nine-mile (14 km) swamp separating Chicago and the area that became Westmont, and reached Naperville, Illinois
by 1851.
The plank road soon became inadequate; in 1858, local incorporated towns and villages petitioned the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
to build a branch line from Chicago to Aurora, Illinois
that would pass through their towns. The railroad line was approved, with the first train in 1864. "Greg’s Station," from which Westmont developed, was a stop to load agricultural and dairy products. The town transitioned gradually from an agricultural community to a commuter community
, with the early growth and development centered around the railroad station.
In the early 1900s, plat
s for the Village of Westmont were laid out and roads were dedicated; incorporation, decided by only a narrow margin, followed in 1921. Westmont was officially incorporated on November 10, 1921; Vince Pastor served as the first president of the Village Board.
The Village did not encourage concentrated commercial or industrial growth until the 1950s, with the development of some light service companies, industrial firms, and wholesaling firms. However, it was not until the 1960s and 1970s the Westmont began to grow in earnest; Westmont High School
did not open until 1974. New subdivisions and multiple family housing units led to the tripling of the population.
and transportation company SIRVA is based in Westmont.
, on the east by the Village of Clarendon Hills, on the south by the City of Darien
and on the west by the Village of Downers Grove. It is nearly wholly within the Township of Downers Grove.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) is land and 0.20% is water.
As of the special census of 2007, there were 26,211 people, 9,900 households, and 5,979 families residing in the village. The population density
was 5,014.4 people per square mile (1,934.8/km²). There were 10,269 housing units at an average density of 2,097.1 per square mile (809.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 78.02% White, 5.38% African American, 0.13% Native American, 11.95% Asian, 2.41% from other races
, and 2.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race comprised 6.98% of the population.
There were 9,900 households; 29.1% of these households had children under the age of 18 living with them. 47.1% were married couples
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.05.
The population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $51,422, and the median income for a family was $64,472. Males had a median income of $42,909 versus $33,690 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $26,394. About 3.8% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
on Metra
's BNSF Railway Line
, which provides daily rail service between Aurora, Illinois
and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station
). The East-West Tollway, located north of the Village, Interstate 55
to the South, Interstate 294
to the East and Interstate 355
to the West, provide access to the rest of the Chicago Region.
DuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Westmont is a community of six square miles in area, with a 2007 population of 26,211. It is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) west of the Chicago Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
in the southeastern portion of DuPage County, on the fringe of the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Metropolitan Area.
History
The area known as Westmont was inhabited by the Potawatami until the year 1833. After several failed attempts by the U. S. Government to persuade the Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
to move from the area, in 1833, the Native Americans agreed under coercion to vacate their land for nominal payment.
The development of the Illinois-Michigan Canal, authorized by the State of Illinois in the 1820s but delayed in construction until the 1830s, contributed to Westmont's early growth. When the economic Panic of 1837
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis or market correction in the United States built on a speculative fever. The end of the Second Bank of the United States had produced a period of runaway inflation, but on May 10, 1837 in New York City, every bank began to accept payment only in specie ,...
halted canal construction, many of the workers turned to farming, and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
became the major occupation, with produce sold in nearby Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The area around Westmont became one of the most prosperous sections of the state.
In order to transport agricultural products into the city of Chicago, construction of a plank road originating in Chicago began in 1840. The plank road was placed over the nine-mile (14 km) swamp separating Chicago and the area that became Westmont, and reached Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
by 1851.
The plank road soon became inadequate; in 1858, local incorporated towns and villages petitioned the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
to build a branch line from Chicago to Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
that would pass through their towns. The railroad line was approved, with the first train in 1864. "Greg’s Station," from which Westmont developed, was a stop to load agricultural and dairy products. The town transitioned gradually from an agricultural community to a commuter community
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
, with the early growth and development centered around the railroad station.
In the early 1900s, plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
s for the Village of Westmont were laid out and roads were dedicated; incorporation, decided by only a narrow margin, followed in 1921. Westmont was officially incorporated on November 10, 1921; Vince Pastor served as the first president of the Village Board.
The Village did not encourage concentrated commercial or industrial growth until the 1950s, with the development of some light service companies, industrial firms, and wholesaling firms. However, it was not until the 1960s and 1970s the Westmont began to grow in earnest; Westmont High School
Westmont High School (Westmont, Illinois)
Westmont High School, or WHS, is a public four-year high school located in Westmont, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Westmont Community Unit School District 201...
did not open until 1974. New subdivisions and multiple family housing units led to the tripling of the population.
Economy
The toy company TyTy Inc.
Ty Inc. is an American plush animal company based in Westmont, Illinois. By far their most famous line of products are the Beanie Babies, but Ty also manufactures other lines of stuffed toys...
and transportation company SIRVA is based in Westmont.
Top employers
According to Westmont's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | manroland | 350 |
| 2 | SIRVA | 320 |
| 3 | AutoNation AutoNation AutoNation, the largest auto retailer in the USA, was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H. Wayne Huizenga, also founder of Blockbuster and Waste Management. The company is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The current Chairman and CEO is Mike Jackson, former CEO of Mercedes Benz North America... |
260 |
| 4 | Westmont Community Unit School District 201 Westmont Community Unit School District 201 Westmont Community Unit School District 201 is a school district headquartered in Westmont, Illinois, United States that serves students from Westmont, Clarendon Hills, and Downers Grove.-Demographics:... |
237 |
| 5 | Oak Brook Hills Marriott Marriott Hotels & Resorts Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's flagship brand of full service hotels and resorts. The company, based in Washington D.C., is repeatedly included on the Forbes Best Companies to Work for list, and was voted the 4th best company to work for in the UK by The Times in 2009.As of... Resort |
235 |
| 6 | Jewel-Osco Jewel (supermarket) Jewel-Osco is a supermarket chain headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Jewel-Osco has 182 stores across northern, central, and western Illinois; eastern Iowa; and portions of northwest Indiana.Jewel-Osco and Jewel are currently wholly owned subsidiaries of Eden Prairie,... |
233 |
| 7 | Burgess Square | 229 |
| 8 | Village of Westmont | 207 |
| 9 | Westmont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | 202 |
| 10 | Manor Care | 191 |
Notable residents
- Kira SalakKira SalakKira Salak is an American writer, adventurer, and journalist known for her travels in Mali and Papua New Guinea. She has written two books of nonfiction and a book of fiction based on her travels and is a contributing editor at National Geographic magazine....
, writer - Muddy WatersMuddy WatersMcKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
, the father of Chicago bluesChicago bluesThe Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,... - Ty WarnerTy WarnerH. Ty Warner is an American toy manufacturer and businessman. He is chairman, CEO, sole owner and founder of Ty Inc., which manufactures and distributes Beanie Babies, Beanie Baby 2.0s, Ty Girlz, Pluffies , LI'L Ones, Beanie Boos and other plush items...
, industrialist and inventor of Beanie Babies
Geography
Westmont is located at 41°47′40"N 87°58′35"W (41.794480, -87.976433). It is bounded on the north by the Village of Oak BrookOak Brook, Illinois
Oak Brook is a village in DuPage and Cook Counties, in Illinois. The population was 8,702 at the 2000 census. A suburb of Chicago, it is the headquarters of McDonald's and Lions Clubs International.-History:...
, on the east by the Village of Clarendon Hills, on the south by the City of Darien
Darien, Illinois
Darien is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, USA. The population was 22,086 at the 2010 census.A suburb of Chicago, Darien was named after a town in Connecticut.-Popular culture:...
and on the west by the Village of Downers Grove. It is nearly wholly within the Township of Downers Grove.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) is land and 0.20% is water.
Demographics
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,014.4 people per square mile (1,934.8/km²). There were 10,269 housing units at an average density of 2,097.1 per square mile (809.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 78.02% White, 5.38% African American, 0.13% Native American, 11.95% Asian, 2.41% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race comprised 6.98% of the population.
There were 9,900 households; 29.1% of these households had children under the age of 18 living with them. 47.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.05.
The population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $51,422, and the median income for a family was $64,472. Males had a median income of $42,909 versus $33,690 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $26,394. About 3.8% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Westmont has a Westmont Metra stationWestmont (Metra)
Westmont is a station on Metra's BNSF Railway Line in Westmont, Illinois. The station is from Union Station, the east end of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Westmont is in zone D. There is a staffed station building across the street from the Westmont Village Hall...
on Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's BNSF Railway Line
BNSF Railway Line
The BNSF Railway Line is a commuter rail line in the United States, provided by Metra and operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs...
, which provides daily rail service between Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
). The East-West Tollway, located north of the Village, Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...
to the South, Interstate 294
Interstate 294
Interstate 294 is a tolled Interstate Highway in northeastern Illinois, U.S.A.. It forms the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois. I-294 runs from South Holland at Interstates 80 and 94, and Illinois Route 394 to Northbrook at I-94. Interstate 294 is long; are shared with I-80....
to the East and Interstate 355
Interstate 355
Interstate 355 , also known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway, is an Interstate Highway and tollway in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Like most other toll roads in the northeastern portion of the state, I-355 is maintained by a State Highway Authority...
to the West, provide access to the rest of the Chicago Region.