Westchester is a village in

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States. It is a western suburb of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The population was 16,892 at the 2020 census. The current Village President is Nick Steker, serving in the special role of

acting president An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or a vacation) or when the post is vacant (such as for death, injury, resignation, dismissal ...

after the death of the previous president Frank Perry from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

History

The area now known as Westchester was occupied by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

farmers beginning in the mid-19th century.

Samuel Insull Samuel Insull (November 11, 1859 – July 16, 1938) was a British-born American business magnate. He was an innovator and investor based in Chicago who greatly contributed to create an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States ...

purchased the land in 1924 with plans to develop it for residential use and create an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-style town. As a result, the town's name and the majority of its street names are of English origin. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

slowed development during the 1930s, although the population continued to grow. The town's suburban development was stimulated by its being the western terminal of Chicago's rapid transit line. The extension of the line was removed in 1951. But in 1956 the federal government began postwar construction of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

, resulting in the construction of nearby expressways

I-290 Interstate 290 may refer to the following Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 290 (Illinois), a highway from Chicago, Illinois, to Rolling Meadows, Illinois * Interstate 290 (Massachusetts), a highway in Massachusetts that connects ...

and

I-294 Interstate 294 (I-294) is a tolled auxiliary Interstate Highway in northeastern Illinois. It forms the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois. I-294 runs from South Holland at I-80/ I-94 and Illinois Route 394 (IL 394) to ...

. These have provided residents with convenient travel in the region. Residential and retail development has consumed nearly all open land within the village, save for the protected of Wolf Road Prairie. It is the largest black-soil

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

remnant east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

Geography

Westchester is located at (41.853890, -87.883712). According to the 2010 census, Westchester has a total area of , all land. It shares its western border with Du Page County.

Transportation

Residents of Westchester have a small variety of transportation options available to them.

Cermak Road Cermak Road, also known as 22nd Street, is a 19-mile, major east–west street on Chicago's near south and west sides and the city's western suburbs. In Chicago's street numbering system, Cermak is 2200 south, or twenty-two blocks south of the ...

and Roosevelt Road are two major

stroads A stroad is a type of thoroughfare that is a mix between a street and a road. The word ''stroad'' is a portmanteau of ''street'' and ''road'', coined by American civil engineer and urban planner Charles Marohn in 2011, as a commentary about pav ...

that cut through the village. Residents also have bus service through Pace Bus Service, with routes 301, 317, and 330 serving the community. Route 317 follows the former extension to the

CTA Blue Line The Blue Line is a Chicago "L" The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated") is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA ...

before it was removed. There have been calls to restore Blue Line service to the community and plans have existed, however, CTA currently has no plans to extend the Blue Line from

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

. Westchester has a

Walk Score Walk Score, a subsidiary of Redfin, provides walkability analysis and apartment search tools. Its flagship product is a large-scale, public access walkability index that assigns a numerical walkability score to any address in the United States, U ...

of 43, meaning most errands require driving a car. The village also has several zoning provisions that foster

car dependency Car dependency is the concept that some city layouts cause cars to be favoured over alternate forms of transportation, such as bicycles, public transit, and walking. Overview In many modern cities, automobiles are convenient and sometimes nec ...

, such as

minimum parking requirements A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2010 Census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 16,718 people living in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 65.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 14.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 3.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 14.9% of the population.

Government

Westchester is divided among three congressional districts. The areas south of Cermak Road or west of Haase and Burns avenues are in

Illinois's 3rd congressional district Illinois's 3rd congressional district includes part of Cook County, and has been represented by Democrat Marie Newman since January 3, 2021. The district was previously represented by Dan Lipinski from 2005 to 2021, and by Lipinski's father Bi ...

; 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; and the area in between (primarily Oak Ridge and Glen Oak cemeteries) is in the state's 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, the top employers in the city are:

Education

Public schools

Westchester School District 92.5 Westchester most commonly refers to Westchester County, New York, immediately north of New York City. __NOTOC__ It may also refer to: Geography Canada *Westchester Station, Nova Scotia, Canada United States *Town of Westchester, the original seat ...

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)Links & Contacts
. Village of Westchester, Illinois. In addition Hillside School District 93, which operates a single

K-8 school K8 or K-8 may refer to: * K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas * K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight * AMD K8, the internal designation for the ...

in Hillside, serves a section of Westchester.Home
Hillside School District 93. Retrieved on March 18, 2017. "About Since 1918 Hillside School District 93 .. - See also

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

br>School District Map page 4
of Cook County In 1968 the school district proposed a bond for a junior high school, on a parcel of land in Westchester. "Concord purchased the land in an auction in 1998. Hillside School District 93 had .. The voters rejected the referendum and the plans were scrapped. The president of Concord Homes, Roger Mankedick, stated in a ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' stated that the student population that was supposed to surround the school never came. The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' 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 Proviso Township High Schools District 209, established in 1910, is located in western Cook County, Illinois, US, near Chicago. Its headquarters are in Forest Park, Illinois, Forest Park.Proviso West High School Proviso West High School (PWHS) is a public high school located in Hillside, Illinois, United States. It is a part of Proviso Township High Schools District 209, and was opened in 1958. Its sister schools are Proviso East High School and Provi ...

in Hillside. Westchester residents may apply to

Proviso Math & Science Academy Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy is a selective enrollment high school in Forest Park, Illinois, United States that opened its doors to 126 freshmen in 2005. It is one of the newest schools in the Proviso Township High Schools District 20 ...

Private schools

The following private Catholic school of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 an ...

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)

Recreation

The Village of Westchester is home to the Westchester Park District, which provides many recreational amenities and activities for both residents and non-residents. Additionally, Westchester is home to Eden Lanes Bowling Alley, Focus Time Escape Rooms, the Wolf Road Prairie, the Westchester Woods Sledding Hill, 4 youth sports organizations, and multiple forest preserves.

Parks and playgrounds

*Camberly Park *Community Park *Dury Lane Park *Gladstone Park *High Ridge Park *Mayfair Park *Middle School Athletic Fields *Norfolk Park *Primary School Park *Sweetbriar Park * Forest the Fox's Playbox at the Mayfair Recreation Center

Fitness

Anytime Fitness Anytime Fitness is a franchise of 24-hour health and fitness clubs that is headquartered in Woodbury, Minnesota, United States. The company operates over 5,000 franchised locations in 50 countries. The gym facilities are open 24 hours a day, 36 ...

*Westchester Community Center *Mayfair Recreation Center

Aquatics

John J. Sinde Community Swimming Pool serves as Westchester's public

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky po ...

. The facility was dedicated with a ribbon-cutting event on June 5, 1977, and officially opened on June 11, 1977. The facility features a beautiful 50-meter pool with a 12-foot-deep diving well. Other enjoyable features are a separate zero-depth wading pool with bubblers. The main pool has a 25-foot-high, 150-foot-long water slide and an SCS interactive water play structure in the shallow end. A concession stand and grass area round out the facility. The facility is typically in operation from

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

through

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

Notable people

Philip Caputo Philip Caputo (born June 10, 1941) is an American author and journalist. He is best known for '' A Rumor of War'' (1977), a best-selling memoir of his experiences during the Vietnam War. Caputo has written 16 books, including two memoirs, five b ...

, author and journalist (''

A Rumor of War A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes' ...

''); born in Westchester * Marco D'Amico, mafia member of the

Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit (also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or The Organization) is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate or crime family based in Chicago, Illinois, tha ...

Mario Anthony DeStefano Mario Anthony DeStefano (March 21, 1915 – August 12, 1975) was a "made" member of the Chicago Outfit and a leading loan shark. Born Mario Antonio DeStefano, he later anglicized his middle name. DeStefano grew up in Little Italy, Chicago, with h ...

, member of the Chicago Outfit *

Jim Durkin James Brian Durkin (born January 28, 1961) is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 82nd District since 2006 when he was sworn in to replace Eileen Lyons after she retired mid-term. Durkin previously rep ...

, state legislator representing Illinois' 82nd District *

Kathryn Hahn Kathryn Marie Hahn (born July 23, 1973) is an American actress and comedian. She began her career on television, starring as grief counselor Lily Lebowski in the NBC crime drama series ''Crossing Jordan'' (2001–2007). Hahn gained prominence ap ...

, actress (''

Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in ...

''); born in Westchester *

Julian Love Julian Love (born March 19, 1998) is an American football safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame. Early years Love attended Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Illinois. ...

, NFL player (

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

) *

Cameron Meredith Cameron Meredith (born September 21, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played college football at Illinois State. He also played for the New Orleans Saint ...

, NFL player (

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

) *

Gene Pingatore Eugene Louis Pingatore (October 25, 1936 – June 26, 2019) was an American basketball coach who served as the head boys' basketball coach at St. Joseph High School (Westchester, Illinois), St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a suburb ...

, basketball coach at St. Joseph High School; lived in Westchester * Michael Sarno, member of the Chicago Outfit *

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Şaba (Romanian for Shabo), a town of the Odesa Oblast, Ukraine * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Saba (river), ...

, rapper and record producer * Daniel P. Ward, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court; lived in Westchester

References

External links

Village of Westchester official website
{{authority control Chicago metropolitan area Populated places established in 1926 Villages in Cook County, Illinois Villages in Illinois 1926 establishments in Illinois