West Dundee is a village in Kane County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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. The population was 7,686 as of the 2020 US Census. It is considered a far northwest

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suburb. West Dundee lies across the Fox River from East Dundee and

Carpentersville Carpentersville is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 37,983 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History Julius Angelo Carpenter (August 19, 1827 – March 30, 1880) was the fou ...

Geography

According to the 2010 census, West Dundee has a total area of , of which (or 97.35%) is land and (or 2.65%) is water.

Demographics

2000 Census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 5,428 people, 2,059 households, and 1,453 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 2,103 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.02%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.01%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.09% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.07% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.26% of the population. There were 2,059 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.18. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $92,540, and the median income for a family was $158,007. Males had a median income of $101,338 versus $76,111 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $70,674. About 0.09% of families and 0.07% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 0.04% of those under age 18 and 0.6% of those age 65 or over.

History

In 1835, Elder John and Nancy Oatman established a tavern and a store that became the core of the community. Others settlers came, and in 1837 they held a lottery to determine who would name the town. Alexander Gardiner won and named the town Dundee in honor of his Scottish hometown, with which West Dundee is now sister cities. In 1843 Scotsman

Allan Pinkerton Allan Pinkerton (August 21, 1819Mackay (1997), p. 20; August 25 was the date of his baptism, which many sources incorrectly give as his birth date. – July 1, 1884) was a Scottish-American detective, spy, abolitionist, and cooper best known f ...

, later the renowned detective, set up business as a cooper. The town was incorporated in 1887. Dundee was hemmed in from development for years. The Fox River formed a natural eastern barrier. To the north and west, the D. Hill Nursery, founded in 1855 by William Hill, specialized in fruit trees. The business grew to include evergreens, some of which were sent to

for the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

in 1893. Expanding to 900 acres, the nursery survived the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

by running a cattle feed operation that continued through

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Some of the thousands of seasonal workers traveled to work from Chicago by electric rail, while the majority lived on the nursery grounds. In the 1950s, a segment of the Hill property was sold and turned into the Highlands subdivision, which was annexed into West Dundee in 1956. The community also annexed property west of Illinois 31 in 1957, Royal Lane in 1960, and the Old World subdivision in 1966. The nursery eventually sold all of its land and moved to McHenry County. Plans for the

Spring Hill Mall Spring Hill Mall was a shopping mall in West Dundee, Illinois with a small portion in neighborning Carpentersville, Illinois, Carpentersville. The mall's anchor tenants are currently Kohl's and Cinemark. There are four vacant anchor stores that ...

on Hill's land began in 1973 and the project was completed in 1980. The 1.1 million-square-foot mall's retail sales boosted West Dundee's economy and created an estimated 1,600 jobs by 1982. New subdivisions were built to the west of Spring Hill Mall. With a population of 7,331 (2010 Census data), West Dundee has managed to keep its quaintness and small-town feeling intact. Designated historical sites fill the downtown and surrounding residential neighborhood. Restored buildings include structures reported to have provided refuge for slaves on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. Portions of downtown West Dundee are included with the Dundee Township Historic District on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Government

The Village of West Dundee, Kane County, Illinois is a home rule municipality as contemplated under Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution of the

State of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The Village of West Dundee functions as a Council-Manager style of government. The Village President and six-member Board of Trustees are elected at-large on a nonpartisan basis for staggered four-year terms. Board elections are held during odd-numbered years. The Village Manager is employed on a full-time basis at the will of the Village Board to perform the functions and duties specified in Title 1, Chapter 7B of the West Dundee Municipal Code, and to perform such other legally permissible and proper duties and functions as the Village Board shall from time to time designate. The Village Manager oversees the employees and departments of the Village, including Administration, Finance, Community Development, Police, Fire and Public Works. The Village of West Dundee employs fewer than 60 full-time employees.

Transportation

Pace provides bus service on Route 550, 552, and 803 connecting West Dundee to Crystal Lake, Elgin, and other destinations.

Notable resident

* Brogan Rafferty, professional ice hockey player

References

External links

Village website

Chamber of commerce

Heritage festival
{{Authority control Villages in Kane County, Illinois Populated places established in 1835 1835 establishments in Illinois Villages in Illinois