WHEELING, IL

Wheeling is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it is primarily in Cook County, approximately northwest of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,137. Wheeling is named for Wheeling, West Virginia.

History

The land that is now Wheeling, Illinois, was controlled by the Miami Confederacy which contained the Illini and Kickapoo tribes) starting in the early 1680s. The Confederacy was driven from the area by the Iroquois and Fox in the early 1700s.

The French-allied Potawatomi began to raid and take possession of Northern Illinois in the 1700s. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Potawatomi expanded southwards from their territory in Green Bay and westward from their holdings in Detroit, until they controlled in an L-shaped swath of territory from Green Bay to the Illinois River, and from the Mississippi River to the Maumee River.

The descendants of the Potawatomi who once inhabited the land that is now Wheeling currently live on a reservation in Mayette, Kansas.

The first cabin in Wheeling Township was built by a Mr. Sweet in 1833. He sold it to George Strong for $60, making Mr. Strong the first permanent resident in Wheeling Township.

In 1834, Joseph Filkins opened the first tavern-hotel in the township at the intersection of Dundee Road and Milwaukee Avenue. By 1835, there were 18 cabins in the township, and a post office was established in Filkins’ Tavern.

In 1837, Russell Wheeler and Charles Daniels opened a general store and trading post next to Filkins’ Tavern. The settlers who migrated to that area formed the Village of East Wheeling, which later became known as simply Wheeling.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of , of which (or 97.26%) is land and (or 2.74%) is water.

Climate

The climate in Wheeling can be classified as temperate. Winters are usually very cold and snowy. Summers are often hot and humid, but can be pleasantly warm as well. Precipitation is uniformly distributed throughout the year.

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.

2010 Census

At the 2010 census there were 34,496 people, 13,280 households, and 8,459 families living in the village. The population density was 4,106.5 people per square mile (1,585.6/km²). There were 13,697 housing units at an average density of 1,630.5 per square mile (629.6/km²). The racial make-up of the village was 76.68% White, 2.44% African American, 0.23% Native American, 9.26% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 9.18% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.68%.

Of the 13,280 households 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.1% of households were one person and 8.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.26.

The age distribution was 23.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median household income was $55,491 and the median family income was $63,088. Males had a median income of $41,586 versus $32,262 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,989. About 2.7% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

A famous hotel called the Union Hotel used to be located on Milwaukee Avenue. It was built in 1856 and reconstructed following a fire in 1925. Over the years, the building evolved into several restaurants. Billy and Company, a restaurant, was the last occupant of the building, which was torn down in 1996 to make way for Union Commons condominiums.

Camp Ramah, a Jewish day camp, is located in Wheeling.

Wheeling was home to video game company Jaleco USA and to the American branch of Taito.

The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago is located in Wheeling.

Arts and culture

Wheeling is served by the Indian Trails Public Library District and Prospect Heights Public Library District.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21 is located in Wheeling. It comprises five elementary schools and three middle schools. Elementary schools include Walt Whitman Elementary School, Robert Frost Elementary School, Booth Tarkington Elementary School, Mark Twain Elementary School and Eugene Field Elementary School. Middle schools include Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School and Jack London Middle School.

In addition to students from District 21, a small portion of students attend schools in Prospect Heights School District 23. Schools in this district include Betsy Ross Elementary School (2-3), Anne Sullivan Elementary School (4-5), Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School (PreK-1) and Douglas MacArthur Middle School (6-8).

Most Wheeling students attend Wheeling High School, though a portion of Wheeling students attend Buffalo Grove High School. Both schools belong to Township High School District 214, which is Illinois' second largest high school district by enrollment.

Students can also attend one of many private schools in town or in the area. J. Slowacki School serves pre-kindergarten through 11th grade. East Capitol High School serves grades 9-12. St. Viator High School also serves grades 9-12. St. Joseph the Worker school was formerly a Catholic grade school which served grades K-8. St. Alphonsus Ligouri School is also a Catholic grade school which serves K-8 in nearby Prospect Heights which serves Wheeling and which is also located in Wheeling High School's boundaries.

Colleges and universities

National Louis University is an accredited, private, non-profit undergraduate and graduate institution of higher learning, organized in colleges of education, arts and sciences, and business and management. Worsham College of Mortuary Science is an accredited, private institution offering associate degrees and diplomas in mortuary science. William Rainey Harper College, based in Palatine, is the community college serving Wheeling.

Other education

The Consulate-General of South Korea in Chicago maintains the Korean Education Center in Wheeling.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Wheeling has a station on Metra's North Central Service, which provides daily commuter rail service between Antioch and Chicago Union Station Monday through Friday.

Chicago Executive Airport, a busy general aviation airport, is located in Wheeling and Prospect Heights and jointly run by both villages. Formerly known as Palwaukee Municipal Airport, it is the third busiest airport in Illinois, after Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports.

Notable people