West Chicago, located in DuPage County, Illinois, had a population of 25,614 according to the 2020 census. Initially named Junction and later renamed Turner after John B. Turner, the president of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (G&CU) in 1855, the city has a rich history dating back to its founding. The city’s early development was centered around the first junction of railroad lines in Illinois, and today, it continues to be served by the Union Pacific West Metra service via West Chicago station.
During the 1980s and 1990s, concerns about nuclear waste contamination in the city arose. Toxic waste from the Rare Earths Facility had been improperly disposed of in the community since the 1930s, when the Lindsay Light and Chemical Company established a plant. It was discovered that Reed-Keppler Park had been built on top of a landfill that had received waste from the facility. Kerr-McGee, which acquired the facility in 1967 and operated it until 1973, agreed to a settlement with the city and took responsibility for cleaning up the waste.
The 2021 census gazetteer files report that West Chicago encompasses a total area of 15.72 square miles, with 15.38 square miles consisting of land and 0.34 square miles consisting of water, resulting in a landmass that makes up 97.82% of the total area and water covering 2.18%.
The corporate headquarters of Jel Sert is located in West Chicago.
The global headquarters of Ball Horticultural Company is located in West Chicago.
Until 2017, General Mills operated a manufacturing plant in West Chicago.
The West Chicago Public Library downtown is managed by the city.
The city contains Kline Creek Farm, a living history farm from the 1890s, and also the West Chicago City Museum, situated in a historic structure that previously functioned as the Town Hall.
The DuPage Airport is situated within the city limits. The Chicago Aviation Field Office of the National Transportation at the airport, serving as the NTSB Aviation Central Region’s main office in the area.
The Union Pacific West Line has a Metra station.
The Union Pacific West Line has a Metra station.
Within the city of West Chicago, there are two high Community High School, a public school, and Wheat a private school. Additionally, there are seven public elementary schools (Currier, Pioneer, Wegner, Turner, Indian Knoll, Gary, and Norton Creek) and two middle schools (Benjamin and Leman Middle School) in the area. The sports teams representing West Chicago Community High School are known as the West Chicago Wildcats.
West Chicago is in a sister city relationship with Taufkirchen, Bavaria, Germany.