Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is a city in and the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Milton and Winfield Townships, approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, Wheaton's population was 53,970, making it the 27th-most populous municipality in the state.
History
Founding
The city dates its founding to the period between 1831 and 1837, following the Indian Removal Act, when Erastus Gary laid claim to of land near present-day Warrenville. The Wheaton brothers arrived from Connecticut, and in 1837, Warren L. Wheaton laid claim to of land in the center of town. Jesse Wheaton later made claim to of land just west of Warren's. It was not long before other settlers from New England joined them in the community. In 1848, they gave the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad of right-of-way, upon which railroad officials named the depot Wheaton. In 1850, ten blocks of land were platted and anyone who was willing to build immediately was granted free land. In 1853, the lots were surveyed and a formal plat for the community was filed with the county. The community was then incorporated as a village on February 24, 1859, with Warren serving as its first President. The village was later incorporated as a city on April 24, 1890, when the first mayor of the city was selected, Judge Elbert Gary, son of Erastus Gary and founder of Gary, Indiana.Establishment as county seat
In 1857, the Illinois state legislature authorized an election to be held to decide the question of whether the DuPage county seat should remain in Naperville or be moved to the more centrally located Wheaton, which was on the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad. Naperville won the election by a vote of 1,542 to 762. Hostility between the two towns continued for the next decade and another election was held in 1867, in which Wheaton narrowly won by a vote of 1,686 to 1,635. At a cost of $20,000, the City of Wheaton quickly built a courthouse to house a courtroom, county offices, and a county jail. The building was dedicated on July 4, 1868.However, animosity between the two towns continued, and in 1868, as records were moved from the old Naperville courthouse to the new courthouse in Wheaton, Naperville refused to turn over the remaining county records, prompting a band of Civil War veterans from Wheaton to conduct what came to be known as the "Midnight Raid" on the Naperville courthouse. As Wheatonites fled back on Wheaton-Naperville Road, Napervillians were able to secure some of the last remaining records, which were then taken to the Cook County Recorder in Chicago for safekeeping. During this time, Naperville was mounting a lawsuit against Wheaton accusing election judges of leaving their posts for lunch during the vote when duplicate ballot stuffing allegedly occurred. As the courts deliberated the fate of the county seat, the records were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Shortly thereafter, Wheaton was officially proclaimed the county seat.
As demand for space increased, the courthouse was rebuilt in 1887 at a cost of $69,390, modeled after the courthouse in Aledo. This structure was used for the next 94 years until the county's rapid growth prompted the building of a brand new complex. The old courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was formerly used by National Louis University until National Louis moved to Lisle in 2004. It is currently being developed into luxury condominiums.
On November 2, 1990, the courthouse moved to a building about west in a new complex at the corner of County Farm Road and Manchester Road. It was built at a cost of $52,500,000 and includes a judicial building. In 1992, the county sued the architect and contractor for $4 million after several employees became ill from the ventilation system. In the end, however, the county received only $120,000 for minor repairs and the jury sided with the defendants, finding that the alleged problems were caused, primarily, by the county's negligent operation and maintenance of the ventilation system.
Expansion
Wheaton has rapidly expanded since the 1950s, although population growth has slowed since the early 1990s, as the city has become increasingly landlocked. Downtown lost much business after the county courthouse facility moved west in 1990, but in the decade since, the downtown has seen a renaissance of sorts, with the creation of several significant condominium and business developments. One of the most recognizable landmarks of the city is Wheaton Center, a 758-unit apartment complex on in downtown Wheaton. The six building complex includes two twenty-story high-rise buildings built in 1975.In 1887, Wheaton, which has a large evangelical Christian population, prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages, a ban which lasted until 1985 and applied to all supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, and other establishments.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Wheaton has a total area of, of which is land and is water.Demographics
As of the 2020 census, there were 53,970 people, 19,218 households, and 13,122 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 20,885 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 79.01% White, 4.27% African American, 0.16% Native American, 7.50% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.24% from other races, and 6.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.49% of the population.There were 19,218 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.66% were married couples living together, 6.35% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.72% were non-families. 26.51% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.01% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 2.61.
The city's age distribution consisted of 22.8% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $105,764, and the median income for a family was $129,579. Males had a median income of $73,771 versus $40,560 for females. The per capita income for the city was $51,688. About 3.3% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
In August 2010, the city was listed among the "Top 25 Highest Earning Towns" on CNN Money, citing a median family income of $113,517, and a median home price of $328,866, based on 2009 figures.
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | % 2000 | % 2010 | ||
| White alone | 48,494 | 44,232 | 41,819 | 87.51% | 83.62% | 77.49% |
| Black or African American alone | 1,525 | 2,324 | 2,251 | 2.75% | 4.39% | 4.17% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 50 | 55 | 41 | 0.09% | 0.10% | 0.08% |
| Asian alone | 2,680 | 2,708 | 4,021 | 4.84% | 5.12% | 7.45% |
| Pacific Islander alone | 11 | 12 | 4 | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone | 45 | 58 | 201 | 0.08% | 0.11% | 0.37% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial | 588 | 888 | 2,129 | 1.06% | 1.68% | 3.94% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,023 | 2,617 | 3,504 | 3.65% | 4.95% | 6.49% |
| Total | 55,416 | 52,894 | 53,970 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Economy
According to the City of Wheaton's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
| 1 | DuPage County Government Center | 2124 |
| 2 | Community Unit School District 200 | 1785 |
| 3 | Wheaton Park District | 983 |
| 4 | Wheaton College | 794 |
| 5 | DuPage County Health Department | 752 |
| 6 | Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital | 666 |
| 7 | First Trust Partners | 595 |
| 8 | Wyndemere Senior Living Campus | 370 |
| 9 | Jewel-Osco | 368 |
| 10 | City of Wheaton | 302 |
Business districts
Wheaton boasts a vibrant downtown with many restaurants, shops and services. The Downtown Wheaton Association hosts many events throughout the year to promote local businesses, including The French Market, The Chili Cookoff, Vintage Rides, Boo-palooza, A Dickens of a Christmas, Wheaton Wedding Walk and Wheaton's Wine & Cultural Arts Festival.Downtown Wheaton is also home to perhaps one of the narrowest stores in the Chicago area. The Little Popcorn Store on Front Street was formerly an alley between two buildings, and features the exposed brick walls of its neighbors. The store has been around since the 1920s and not only sells fresh popcorn, but candy for as little as 1¢ apiece.
Other shopping districts in Wheaton include Danada Square West, and Danada Square East, named after Dan and Ada Rice, located on the north side of Illinois Route 56, on the west and east side of Naperville Road. Just east of Danada Square East is Rice Lake Square, another open air shopping center. Just north of Danada Square East, along Naperville Road, is Town Square Wheaton, which was built in 1992, and is a mixed-use lifestyle center featuring clothing boutiques and restaurants. Other shopping areas include the Roosevelt Road and Geneva Road corridors.