West Chicago is a suburb of Chicago located approximately one hour west of downtown Chicago. Its most recent estimated population was 27,447 in 2015. West Chicago is a diverse community, with slightly over half the population identifying as Latino. It is immediately west of Wheaton in DuPage County. The city was founded in the 1830’s and developed rapidly with the growth of the area’s railroads. At one time there were several railroad lines traversing the city, which lent the city its early name of Junction.
| Living in West Chicago
West Chicago is a thriving community with a vibrant park system and a successful economic and industrial sector. It is the national headquarters of Jel Sert, a snack and beverage company, as well as the home of branch office of General Mills and Siemens Energy and Automation. West Chicago is easily accessible to Chicago via Metra and also is home to DuPage Airport. The city has two high schools: the public West Chicago Community High School and the private Wheaton Academy. It also has seven elementary schools and two middle schools.
What to See A major attraction of West Chicago is the Truitt-Hoff Nature Preserve, part of DuPage County’s West Chicago Prairie Forest Preserve. It is among the largest and best preserved prairie areas in the midwest. Also located in the city is Kline Creek Farm, an 1890’s living history farm operated by the DuPage County Forest Preserve. The farm contains over 200 acres of re-created and restored buildings that are representative of a 19th century DuPage County farm. |
| Congressional Representation
West Chicago is contained predominantly within Illinois’ 6th congressional district but has portions in the 14th District. In the 14th district, the Democratic candidate, Lauren Underwood, is running against the incumbent Republican, Randy Hultgren. Ms. Underwood is a first-time candidate and is a registered nurse, with policy expertise in health care. Affordable health care for residents of the district is one of the main priorities of her campaign. In 2018, Sean Casten is running against the incumbent Peter Roskam, who has held the 6th district congressional seat since 2007. Sean is committed to serving West Chicago and the rest of the 6th district by focusing on facts and working to strengthen the community’s schools and economy. |
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State and local government
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