Bellwood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located west of Chicago's downtown Loop, the Village of Bellwood is bounded by the Eisenhower Expressway (south), the Proviso yards of the former Chicago & Northwestern, now Union Pacific Railroad (north), and the suburbs of Maywood (east) and Hillside and Berkeley (west). The population was 18,789 at the 2020 census.
History
Bellwood was incorporated on May 21, 1900. The municipality took its name from one of the village's early subdivisions, "Bellewood". However, in later years, the final "e" was dropped.
The region, which was mostly flat grassland, was initially mostly farmland. A few businesses, including a few taverns, were drawn to the initial subdivision. In reaction to dry Maywood's effort to annex the area, businesses that served alcohol petitioned for incorporation. Between 1900 and 1930, Bellwood's population numbers increased steadily. By 1920, the village's population of 943 had more than quadrupled, with many German and Russian immigrants. The increase to 4,991 persons in 1930 is due to the annexation of territory west of Mannheim Road in 1926, as well as ongoing migration.
The Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railway and the Chicago & North Western Railway provided rail passenger service, which promoted residential growth in neighboring portions of Bellwood. The 1970s saw racial upheaval and inclusion in a Supreme Court case in the United States. Bellwood sued a local real estate company in 1975, alleging racial discrimination. Four years later, the Supreme Court issued a historic decision allowing governments to utilize testers and sue when discrimination occurs. The black population of Bellwood jumped from 1.1 percent in 1970 to 35 percent in 1980 and 70 percent in 1990.
A few major firms exist in Bellwood today, but the collapse of many other large sectors has resulted in a decrease in employment and tax revenue. Despite these contributions, the community saw some new development as a result of various minor industrial and commercial organizations.
Geography
Bellwood is located at (41.882924, -87.876428).
According to the 2010 census, Bellwood has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
2020 Census
As of the census of 2010, there were 19,071 people, 6,440 households, and 5,100 families living in the village. The population density was 8,608.0 people per square mile (3,317.4/km). There were 6,683 housing units at an average density of 2,801.4 per square mile (1,079.6/km). The racial makeup of the village was 11.75% White, 81.73% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.79% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.94% of the population.
There were 6,440 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 25.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.57.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $52,856, and the median income for a family was $57,037. Males had a median income of $38,015 versus $30,428 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,420. About 5.9% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Andre F. Harvey is the current and Bellwood's first African-American mayor. https://chicagocrusader.com/bellwood-gets-first-black-mayor-in-117-years/
Education
The Bellwood School District 88 comprises seven schools: Grant Primary School, Grant Elementary School, Lincoln Primary–Early Childhood Center, Lincoln Elementary School, McKinley Elementary School, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and Roosevelt Middle School. Some portions are zoned to Berkeley School District 87.
It has one private school:
MECA Christian Academy
Proviso Township High Schools District 209 operates public high schools. The community is served by Proviso West High School in Hillside. Bellwood residents may apply to Proviso Math & Science Academy in Forest Park.
Infrastructure
Transportation
The village is serviced by a Metra railroad station with commuter service to Chicago. In November 2011, Union Pacific Railroad announced plans to renovate and upgrade Bellwood's Metra station and add a third rail line. The project, estimated at $4 million, was expected to be completed by the fall of 2012 at no cost to residents.
Notable people
Lee J. Archambault, NASA astronaut, served aboard two space shuttle missions (STS-117 & STS-119)
Eugene Cernan, NASA astronaut, commander of the Apollo 17 mission and "last man on the Moon," grew up in Bellwood.
Robert Covington, small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, was born in Bellwood.
Ben Tennyson, the famous American superhero and the saviour of the universe, was born in Bellwood.
