Westchester, Illinois


Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,718 at the 2010 census. The current Village President is Paul Gattuso.

History

The area now known as Westchester was occupied by German farmers beginning in the mid-19th century. Samuel Insull purchased the land in 1924 with plans to develop it for residential use and create an English-style town. As a result, the town's name and the majority of its street names are of English origin.
The Great Depression 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, resulting in the construction of nearby expressways I-290 and I-294. 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 remnant east of the Mississippi River.

Geography

Westchester is located at .
According to the 2010 census, Westchester has a total area of, all land. It shares its Western border with Du Page County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 16,718 people living in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 65.9% White, 14.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.9% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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' 3rd congressional district; 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 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 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:
#Employer
1G4S Secure Solutions Inc
2Corn Products International
3Sogeti
4Chicago Laborers Pension & Welfare Funds
5CommScope Corp
6Insurance Auto Auctions
7Yellow Book USA, Inc
8Revenue Cycle Solutions
9Per Mar Security Services
10Healthcare Financial Management Association

Education

Public schools

serves most of the city. There are four schools in this district:
In addition Hillside School District 93, which operates a single K-8 school in Hillside, serves a section of Westchester.
In 1968 the school district proposed a bond for a junior high school, on a parcel of land in Westchester. The voters rejected the referendum and the plans were scrapped. The president of Concord Homes, Roger Mankedick, stated in a Chicago Sun-Times stated that the student population that was supposed to surround the school never came. The Chicago Tribune 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 district serves high school residents. Zoned students attend Proviso West High School in Hillside. Westchester residents may apply to Proviso Math & Science Academy in Forest Park.

Private schools

The following private schools are located in the village: