Willowbrook is a village in DuPage County,

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, in the

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area. Per the 2020 census, the population was 9,236. It is a southwestern suburb of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

History

Originally an unincorporated area of nearby Darien, Willowbrook grew from the Ridgemoor subdivision. It was named after a Grove of

Willows Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

along a local creek, which flows into Waterfall Glen. It was incorporated as a village in 1960 Construction of

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

along Willowbrook's south edge led to the development of several new gas stations and restaurants. In 1946, Ervin "Irv" Kolarik opened Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket on Route 66. The restaurant became a staple in the community. It continues to operate as one of the last surviving stops on Route 66 in Illinois. The building is listed 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 ...

. In the 1980s, new development began along IL-83 and I-55 as the village population continued to grow. In 1990, a swampy pond along Route 83, was cleaned up and designated as "Willow Pond". A trail has since been built around the pond, and it is known as a popular

Ice skating Ice skating is the Human-powered transport, self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. ...

spot during the winter season.

Geography

The Village of Willowbrook is located at (41.767153, -87.949281). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Willowbrook has a total area of , of which (or 97.94%) is land and (or 2.06%) is water. Willowbrook is around from

. It is bordered by the suburban villages of Hinsdale, Westmont, Clarendon Hills, Burr Ridge, and Darien, along with unincorporated areas of DuPage County.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 9,236 people, 3,916 households, and 2,337 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 4,509 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 71.77%

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 ...

, 4.48%

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 ...

, 0.30% Native American, 14.63% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.75% from other races, and 6.03% 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 7.94% of the population. There were 3,916 households, out of which 19.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.61% were married couples living together, 7.02% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.32% were non-families. 35.29% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.89% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 2.17. The village's age distribution consisted of 15.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $86,364, and the median income for a family was $117,415. Males had a median income of $65,748 versus $45,833 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 $54,805. About 5.0% of families and 5.4% 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 4.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

High cancer rates

In September 2018, the Illinois Department of Public Health began a cancer incidence study based on the recommendation of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The Willowbrook area shows a '300 in a million' cancer risk based on the 2014 National Air Toxics Assessment, far higher than neighboring communities with a '40 in a million' cancer incidence. A local facility, Sterigenics International, Inc., uses a 'probable carcinogen' called Ethylene Oxide to sterilize medical equipment. According to the EPA fact sheet, 'Long-term exposure to ethylene oxide can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs, and harm the brain and nervous system (causing effects such as headaches, memory loss, numbness). Studies show that breathing air containing elevated ethylene oxide levels over many years increases the risk of some types of cancers, including cancers of the white blood cells (such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, myeloma and lymphocytic leukemia); and breast cancer in females.' On September 30, 2019, Sterigenics announced the closing of the Willowbrook facility eliminating key source of cancer causing chemical.

References

External links

Willowbrook official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willowbrook, Dupage County, Illinois Villages in DuPage County, Illinois Populated places established in 1960 1960 establishments in Illinois Villages in Illinois