Westmont

Westmont is a community of 5.03 square miles in area with a 2010 population of 24,685. It is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) west of the Chicago Loop in the southeastern portion of DuPage County. The area known as Westmont was inhabited by the Potawatami until the year 1833. The development of the Illinois-Michigan Canal, authorized by the State of Illinois in the 1820s but delayed in construction until the 1830s, contributed to Westmont's early growth. In the early 1900s, plats for the Village of Westmont were laid out and roads were dedicated; incorporation, decided by a vote of 41-28, followed in 1921. The Village did not encourage concentrated commercial or industrial growth until the 1950s, with the development of some light service companies, industrial firms, and wholesaling firms. It was not until the 1960s and 1970s the Westmont began to grow in earnest; Westmont High School did not open until 1974. New subdivisions and multiple family housing units led to the tripling of the population. The village was officially incorporated on November 4, 1921; Vince Pastor served as the first president of the Village Board. Westmont is located at 41°4740N 87°5835W (41.794480, -87.976433). It is bounded on the north by the Village. of Oak Brook, on the east by the. Village of Clarendon Hills, and on the south by the City of Darien.

History

The area known as Westmont was inhabited by the Potawatami until the year 1833. The development of the Illinois-Michigan Canal, authorized by the State of Illinois in the 1820s but delayed in construction until the 1830s, contributed to Westmont's early growth. In the early 1900s, plats for the Village of Westmont were laid out and roads were dedicated; incorporation, decided by a vote of 41-28, followed in 1921. The Village did not encourage concentrated commercial or industrial growth until the 1950s, with the development of some light service companies, industrial firms, and wholesaling firms. It was not until the 1960s and 1970s the Westmont began to grow in earnest; Westmont High School did not open until 1974. New subdivisions and multiple family housing units led to the tripling of the population. The town transitioned gradually from an agricultural community to a commuter community, with early growth and development centered around the railroad station. In 1858, local incorporated towns and villages petitioned the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad to build a branch line from Chicago to Aurora, Illinois that would pass through their towns. The railroad line was approved, and the first train in 1864. "Gregg's Milk Station," from which Westmont developed, was a stop to load agricultural and dairy products. The village was officially incorporated on November 4, 1921; Vince Pastor served as the first president of the Village Board. It is located on U.S. Route 34.

Geography

Westmont is located at 41°4740N 87°5835W (41.794480, -87.976433). It is bounded on the north by the Village of Oak Brook, on the east by the village of Clarendon Hills and on the south by the City of Darien. According to the 2010 census, Westmont has a total area of 5.136 square miles (13.30 km²) (or 97.94%) of which is land and 0.106square miles (0.27 km²), (or 2.06%) is water. It is nearly wholly within Downers Grove Township. Westmont is home to the Westmont High School, which was founded in 1903. The school is one of the oldest in the Chicago area, having been founded in 1904. It was the first high school in the state of Illinois to graduate with a bachelor's degree. The high school was also the first in the city to graduate from high school with a master's degree in 2000. It has been home to a number of high schools, including the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology. It also has a high school that was the site of the World War II-era Battle of the Bulge. The town has a post-secondary school that is part of the Illinois State University System. The Westmont Post-secondary School has been in existence since the 1950s. The college has a campus that is now part of Illinois State College.

Demographics

As of the special census of 2007, there were 26,211 people, 9,900 households, and 5,979 families residing in the village. 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. 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 are 87.4 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there is 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. The per capita income for the village is $26,394. About 3.8%. of families and 5.8. of the residents were below the poverty line, including 4. 8% of those under 18 and 8.5%. of those age 65 or over. The village is located on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Transportation

Westmont has a Metra station on Metra's BNSF Railway Line, which provides daily rail service between Aurora, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station) U.S. Route 34, Interstate 88 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. Westmont is located on the Illinois Turnpike, which runs from Chicago to Illinois City, Illinois. It is also on the Chicago River, which flows through Westmont to the city of Chicago. The village has a population of 2,000, with the majority of its residents living in the Westmont area of the village. The Village is located near the intersection of Interstate 88 and Interstate 55, and is also near the junction of Interstate 294 and I-355, which run from the east to the west. It also has a post office, which serves the village of Westmont until the end of the year. The town has a library, which is open to the public. It has a park, which has a playground, and a baseball field, which was built in the 1960s. The Westmont High School is located in the village, which opened in the 1970s. It was the first high school in the Chicago area to open in the area, and was later the site of several other high schools, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Westmont, DuPage County, Illinois = 63.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 47. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 21. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Westmont = 3.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 24,429 individuals with a median age of 40.1 age the population grows by 0.69% in Westmont, DuPage County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,881.89 residents per square mile of area (1,884.88/km²). There are average 2.33 people per household in the 10,100 households with an average household income of $57,937 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.70% of the available work force and has dropped -4.37% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 22.56%. The number of physicians in Westmont per 100,000 population = 386.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Westmont = 36.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 33 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 109. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 187. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 14.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 44, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Westmont, DuPage County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 50.79%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 33 years with median home cost = $242,450 and home appreciation of -1.59%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $18.51 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,808 per student. There are 15.8 students for each teacher in the school, 512 students for each Librarian and 1878 students for each Counselor. 6.14% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 22.98% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 12.13% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).