West Chicago history

As its name suggests the suburb of West Chicago is located directly west of Chicago, about 25 miles outside the city limits. Since the year 2000, West Chicago's population has increased by 3,300 - making it one of the fastest growing areas in DuPage County. There are now about 27,000 people living in the suburb and new downtown development has brought a fresh look to a community born on the back of railroad expansion.

As soon as tracks for the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad were laid in the late 1840s, a small settlement arose out of the prairie land that flanked the westbound train route (which would later become the Union Pacific line). Its rail ties were still shiny new when a second railroad was built through the same spot, creating Illinois' very first train junction in present-day West Chicago. People took to calling the area Junction and it blossomed into an active transportation hub. Facilities to house and fuel the locomotives were set up there, as well as a hotel and dining hall to accommodate passenger travel coming through town. Workers and their families moved to Junction throughout the 1860s, many of which were immigrants from the British Isles and Germany, followed by Mexican immigrants in the early 1900s.

Through the remainder of the nineteenth century railroads continued to run lines through the growing town. To attract industrial development, the village was renamed West Chicago (which officials thought had a better 'ring' to it) and free land was offered to anyone who agreed to build a factory along the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern freight line. Employment opportunities opened up and the number of residents in West Chicago increased steadily, a trend that would follow the community into the twenty-first century.

Today, West Chicago has a balanced economical base shared between manufacturing giants, commercial businesses, retail outlets, downtown enterprises and service industries. A solid Latino community has developed within West Chicago, making up nearly half of the population. The surrounding countryside and woodlands provide a peaceful backdrop to raise a family and the median household income exceeds the national average by $20,000 (at the time of the 2000 census).