Westmont, Illinois

Chicagoland municipality
muni-name= Westmont
muni= Village
date= 1921
state= Illinois
county= DuPage
township= York, Downers Grove
gov= Mayor-trustee
head_label= Mayor
gov_head= Bill Rahn
pop= 24,554
status= up
percent= 15.67
prevyear= 1990
density-km= 1,934.8
density-mi= 5,014.4
white= 78.02
black= 6.38
hispanic= 6.98
asian= 11.95
islander= 0.00
native= 0.13
other= 2.41
zips= 60559
acode= 630 and 331
area-km= 12.7
area-mi= 4.9
pci= 26,394
geocode= 80645
mhi= 51,422
mnhv= 180,200 (2000)
mhv= 200,814
website= www.westmont.il.gov/

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 22 miles west of the Chicago Loop in the southeastern portion of DuPage County, on the fringe of the Chicago 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 Indians 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 the early growth of Westmont. However, when the economic Panic of 1837 brought canal construction to a standstill, many of the workers began to farm the area instead. Agriculture soon became the major occupation, with the inhabitants selling their agricultural products 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 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, plats 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.

Famous residents

*Muddy Waters, the father of Chicago blues
*Dan Benton, 4 time track and field all-American and 400 meter specialist who boast a record time of 53.96 seconds

Geography

Westmont is located at coor dms|41|47|40|N|87|58|35|W|city (41.794480, -87.976433).GR|1 It is bounded on the north by the Village of Oak Brook, 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.

Demographics

As of the special censusGR|2 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/sq mi (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.

Transportation

Westmont has a station 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.

Trivia

*The beginning and last scene of Disney's "Rookie of the Year" was shot at the Veterans Memorial Youth Baseball Field, commonly used to host Westmont Youth Baseball Association games.

*Westmont is home for the world headquarters of Ty, Inc., makers of Beanie Babies. Westmont's largest park is named after Ty, Inc.'s founder Ty Warner and is located just south of Ty, Inc. headquarters.

*Westmont is one of largest congregations of car dealers in the state, along with Naperville and Downers Grove, called "The Ogden Avenue Strip." Between the three cities, every mainstream make and model of car available is found on or near Ogden Avenue (U.S. Route 34). Most of the dealers in Westmont itself are owned by McGrath Auto Group and Autonation, where they deal in mainly high-end luxury brands such as Lamborghini, Audi, Acura, Lexus, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes.

References

External links

Westomont Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau: [http://www.westmontchamber.com/]