Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,892 at the 2020 census.
History
The area now known as Westchester was occupied by German farmers beginning in the mid-19th century. Samuel Insull purchased the land in 1924 with plans to develop it for residential use and create an English-style town. As a result, the town's name and the majority of its street names are of English origin.
The Great Depression slowed development during the 1930s, although the population continued to grow. The town's suburban development was stimulated by its being the western terminal of Chicago's Garfield Park rapid transit line. The extension of the line was removed in 1951. In 1956, the federal government began postwar construction of the Interstate Highway System, resulting in the construction of nearby expressways I-290 and I-294. These have provided residents with car-based travel in the region, however they also serve as barriers against access to neighboring communities.
Residential and retail development has consumed nearly all open land within the village, save for the protected of Wolf Road Prairie. It is the largest black-soil prairie remnant east of the Mississippi River.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Westchester has a total area of , all land. It shares its western border with Du Page County.