Template:Chicagoland municipality Westmont is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Westmont is a community of six square miles in area, with a 2007 population of 26,211. It is located approximately 22 miles west of the Chicago Loop in the southeastern portion of DuPage County, on the fringe of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.

^[1]== History ==

The area known as Westmont was inhabited by the Potawatami Indians until the year 1833. The U. S. Government made several unsuccessful attempts to persuade the Indians to move from this area, until, in the year 1833, the Indians held a general council in Chicago and, under coercion, agreed to vacate their land for nominal payment.

The Indians had established an elaborate system of trails which later became the white man’s first highways; The Buffalo Trail and the Ottawa and LaSalle Trail passed through the area. The Buffalo Trail, today named Naperville Road, was later used as a stage line between Chicago and Naperville. The Ottawa and LaSalle Trail is today designated as Ogden Avenue or Route 34.

The first permanent settler in DuPage County was Bailey Hobson, who passed through the Westmont area in the year 1829, on his way to the Naperville settlement. The French trapper and hunter, Francois DuPage, after whom the county was named, traveled through the area in the late eighteenth century. Father Pierre Marquette is reported to have walked through the township during his visit to the Indians on the banks of the Des Plaines River.

One of the motivating forces behind the development of Westmont may have been improved canal transportation.

The Illinois-Michigan Canal can be identified with early growth of Westmont.  Although the State of Illinois authorized the building of the canal in the 1820's, construction did not begin until the 1830's.  The economic panic of 1837 brought the rapidly progressing construction to a standstill, which resulted in many of the workers taking up farming in the area around Westmont.                  

The settlers cleared the land and agriculture became the major occupation. Because of their proximity to Chicago, the farmers had a ready market for their agricultural products. Hard work and excellent soil was attractive to New Englanders who settled here and the area around Westmont was one of the most prosperous sections of the state. A nine mile swamp between this area and Chicago resulted in the construction of a plank road. The road, originated in Chicago in the year 1840, passed through Westmont, and was completed to Naperville in the year 1851. The road, which permitted travel in all seasons, proved to be an economical means of sending farm produce to Chicago markets, even though maintenance was a huge problem.

The plank road soon became inadequate for this growing area,

so, in 1858, local incorporated towns and villages petitioned the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad to build a branch line from Chicago to Aurora passing through their towns.  The railroad line was approved and, in 1864, the first train passed through the area.  Greg’s Station, the name by which Westmont was first known, began as a stop to load agricultural and dairy products on the train.  It soon began a gradual transition from an agricultural community to a commuter community.  Fields and dairy herds gave way to developments and formal platting of land began.

In the early 1900's the original plats for the Village of Westmont were laid out and streets were dedicated. These plats remain basically unchanged today. Early growth and development centered around the railroad station of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, which for many years was the major transportation route to Chicago.

In 1921, an election was held and the proponents for incorporation won by a narrow margin. The act of incorporation became official on November 10, 1921, and Vince Pastor was chosen as the first president of the Village Board and held office for two years.

During the next twenty-five years, the Village did not encourage concentrated commercial

or industrial growth. However, it continued to grow as a commuter residence (“bedroom community”) area.  

During the forties there was little growth and few new sub-divisions. During the late forties and fifties, some light industrial and wholesaling firms and some service industries located in Westmont. This, along with a wider range of retail establishments, provided a more diversified economy.

It was not until the sixties and seventies that growth began to force itself upon Westmont. There came a period of new subdivisions, and multiple family housing units which lead to the doubling and tripling of the population. The growth rate has now stabilized as the Village uses up available land for improvement and as development codes become more stringent.

Today the Village of Westmont is a community of six square miles in area, with a 2007 population of 26,211, located approximately 22 miles west of the Chicago Loop in the southeastern portion of DuPage County, on the fringe of the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Westmont is a blend of old and new, with rectilinear or gridiron streets and older housing in the central part of the village, with high rise apartments on the periphery and curvilinear street subdivisions interspersed both north and south,

indicating newer development. Westmont’s attractiveness both as an industrial and residential community is largely due to its location. This desirability is in large part transportation based. Westmont is adequately served by highway, rail and air facilities. The East-West Tollway, located north of the Village, Interstate 55 to the South, Interstate 294 to the East and Interstate 355 to the West, provide convenient access to any portion of the Chicago Region. In addition to the tollway, the urlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad also provides fast, convenient transportation for commuters. Air service is available at nearby O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport, as well as smaller airport facilities in neighboring communities. Westmont is generally bounded on the north by the Village of Oak Brook, on the east by the Village of Clarendon Hills, on the south by the City of Darien and on the west by the Village of Downers Grove. It is nearly wholly within the Township of Downers Grove.

• Muddy Waters, the father of Chicago blues
• Ty Warner, Industrialist and inventor of Beanie Babies

Westmont is located at 41°47′40″N 87°58′35″W / 41.79444°N 87.97639°W / 41.79444; -87.97639Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.794480, -87.976433).Template:GR It is bounded on the north by the Village of Oak Brook, on the east by the Village of Clarendon Hills, on the south by the City of Darien and on the west by the Village of Downers Grove. It is nearly wholly within the Township of Downers Grove.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) is land and 0.20% is water.

As of the special censusTemplate:GR of 2007, there were 26,211 people, 9,900 households, and 5,979 families residing in the village. The population density was 5,014.4 people per square mile (1,934.8/km²). There were 10,269 housing units at an average density of 2,097.1/sq mi (809.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 78.02% White, 5.38% African American, 0.13% Native American, 11.95% Asian, 2.41% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race comprised 6.98% of the population.

There were 9,900 households; 29.1% of these households had children under the age of 18 living with them. 47.1% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.05.

The population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $51,422, and the median income for a family was $64,472. Males had a median income of $42,909 versus $33,690 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,394. About 3.8% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Westmont has a station on Metra's BNSF Railway Line, which provides daily rail service between Aurora, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station). The East-West Tollway, located north of the Village, Interstate 55 to the South, Interstate 294 to the East and Interstate 355 to the West, provide access to the rest of the Chicago Region.

• The beginning and last scene of Disney's Rookie of the Year was shot at the Veterans Memorial Youth Baseball Field, commonly used to host Westmont Youth Baseball Association games.

• Westmont is home for the world headquarters of Ty, Inc., makers of Beanie Babies. Westmont's largest park is named after Ty, Inc.'s founder Ty Warner and is located just south of Ty, Inc. headquarters.

• Westmont is one of largest congregations of car dealers in the state, along with Naperville and Downers Grove, called "The Ogden Avenue Strip." Between the three cities, every mainstream make and model of car available is found on or near Ogden Avenue (U.S. Route 34). Most of the dealers in Westmont itself are owned by McGrath Auto Group and Autonation, where they deal in mainly high-end luxury brands such as Lamborghini, Audi, Acura, Lexus, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes.

Westmont Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau: [1]
Westmont Adventist Church [2]
Westmont Adventst School [3]

http://www91.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=westmont+il

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