Wheeling, Illinois


Wheeling is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is part of Wheeling and Vernon townships. Wheeling is a suburb of Chicago, it is primarily in Cook County, approximately northwest of downtown Chicago. The population was 39,137 at the 2020 census. Wheeling is named after Wheeling, West Virginia.
WWW vi.wheeling.il.us

History

Prior to incorporation

The land that is now Wheeling, Illinois, was controlled by the Miami Confederacy starting in the early 1680s. The Confederacy was driven from the area by the Iroquois and Meskwaki 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 March of 1833. He became the first settler and was able to live peacefully alongside the neighboring Native Americans. The following September, Mr. Sweet sold the cabin to George Strong for $60, making Mr. Strong the first permanent resident in Wheeling Township. In 1834, Mr. Strong purchased 160 acres of land from the government for $200. Today, Strong Street is named after him.
In 1834, Joseph Filkins opened the first tavern-hotel in the township at the intersection of Dundee Road and Milwaukee Avenue. Joseph Filkins was also the owner of a 720 acre farm in Wheeling and he spent 15 years living in Wheeling.  He laid down roads and served as postmaster, supervisor of Wheeling Township, and as the Justice of Peace. He worked alongside George Strong to help settle land claim disputes. 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. In 1845, Wheeling built its first ever school and was named The Wheeling School. Due to a growing population in Wheeling, a new school was built in 1861 which burned and was destroyed in 1870. In 1850, Napoleon Periolat built Wheeling’s first ever industry, a brewery which lasted until 1910.
In 1886, Wheeling built its first railroad station. The railroad station wasn't part of Wheeling until the land was purchased by residents in the area. The Old Wheeling Station was part of the Soo Line and only freight trains travelled through. This forced Wheeling residents to hop on milk trains to get to Chicago and back.

Incorporation and post-incorporation

On June 18, 1894, Wheeling was incorporated as a village through a special election held at the Union Hotel. Forty-three people voted in favor and three voted against. On July 18, 1894, another election was held to officially elect a Village President, six trustees, a Police Magistrate, and a Village Clerk. Incorporation was needed to enforce existing ordinances and control illegal activities. Wheeling was struggling to control railroad workers who would go to taverns and drink. By incorporating, they were able to arrest them until they sobered up.
In 1894, the first Village Hall was built. It contained two jail cells and was used by both the Chief of Police and Chief Magistrate. it also served as the only polling place in the village and was where the Village Board met on the first Monday of each month. The original Village Hall is now the Wheeling Historical Museum located in Chamber Park.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Wheeling had dairy farms like the Buffalo Creek Farm, which supplied milk to restaurants and residents of Wheeling. There was truck farms where vegetables were grown and later sold to markets in Chicago. Spanish-speaking migrants from Texas and Mexico would come and work on the truck farms in Wheeling during the Spring and Summer seasons. Many would go back to their homes when the farming season was over, but some decided to stay year round.
In 1970, the Village of Wheeling became a Council-Manager type of government. Currently, Wheeling has a Village President, six trustees, a Village Clerk, and a Village Manager. The Village is a home-rule community, which allows the Village to make its own laws and carry out its responsibilities.
In 2025, Wheeling introduced a new flag design to mark a new chapter in the village. The previous flag design was used from 1972 to 2025.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of, of which is land and 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

As of the 2020 census there were 39,137 people, 15,148 households, and 9,673 families residing in the village. The population density was. There were 16,190 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 50.33% White, 2.36% African American, 1.42% Native American, 16.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 17.32% from other races, and 11.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.34% of the population.
There were 15,148 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.45% were married couples living together, 9.84% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.14% were non-families. 29.69% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.87% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 2.52.
The village's age distribution consisted of 19.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $71,966, and the median income for a family was $83,406. Males had a median income of $45,470 versus $36,478 for females. The per capita income for the village was $36,999. About 5.6% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 22,89219,70117,80566.36%52.33%45.49%
Black or African American alone 7998068852.32%2.14%2.26%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 3539220.10%0.10%0.06%
Asian alone 3,1834,8266,5069.23%12.82%16.62%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 18260.05%0.01%0.02%
Other race alone 43541720.12%0.14%0.44%
Mixed race or Multiracial 3914626941.13%1.23%1.77%
Hispanic or Latino 7,13511,75813,04720.68%31.23%33.34%
Total34,49637,64839,137100.00%100.00%100.00%

Economy

As of the 2020 Census, Wheeling's economy employs 21,671 people in many different industry sectors. Wheeling was home to video game company Jaleco USA and to the American branch of Taito.
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.
The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago is located in Wheeling.

Parks and Recreation

Wheeling's multiple parks and facilities are owned and managed by the Wheeling Park District.

Parks

  • Avalon Sienna Park
  • Chamber Park
  • Childerly Park
  • Denoyer Park
  • Heritage Park
  • Horizon Park
  • Husky Park
  • Malibu Park
  • Mark Twain Park
  • Meadowbrook Park
  • Northside Park
  • Pleasant Run Park

Facilities

  • Chamber Park Historic Museum
  • Chevy Chase County Club & Golf Course
  • Community Recreation Center
  • Family Aquatic Center Outdoor Pool
  • Health and Fitness Center
  • Sports Complex

Arts and culture

Wheeling has a historical museum located in Chamber Park, and is a cooperative effort with the Village of Wheeling, Wheeling Park District, Indian Trails Public Library.

Libraries

The Indian Trails Public Library District is located in the Village of Wheeling and it serves the majority of its residents. The Indian Trails Public Library District also serves different portions of Buffalo Grove, Prospect Heights, and Arlington Heights. The library also operates a small branch in Prospect Heights.
The Prospect Heights Public Library District serves a part of the Village of Wheeling.

Annual events

The Wheeling International Festival is a cultural event hosted at the Heritage Park Performance Pavilion. The festival takes place during the summer and it features music, dance, and cultural booths to celebrate the diversity in the community.
Rock N Run the Runway is a summer event hosted at the Chicago Executive Airport which features a 5k run, entertainment, food, and ends with a firework show.
Lights Around Wheeling is a Christmas lighting celebration hosted at Friendship Park. The celebration marks the beginning of the holiday season in the community.
Lollipop Lane is an event hosted in Chamber Park every December. The community center, which used to be a church, is decorated to match the Christmas theme. Homemade cookies are sold during the event and kids are able to take a picture with Santa.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Schools located in Wheeling are administered by Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21 and Township High School District 214. They include:

Private schools

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.

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. Metra Trains do not operate in Wheeling during the weekends.
Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Wheeling to Des Plaines, Buffalo Grove, and other destinations.
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