Western Springs, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Western Springs is an affluent suburb of Chicago located in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 12,493. It is twinned with the town of Rugeley, England.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Schools
4 Transportation
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Western Springs is located at 41°48'20" North, 87°54'4" West (41.805531, -87.901035)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2000 the village had a total area of 6.8 km² (2.6 mi²). 6.8 km² (2.6 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

On March 21, 2005, the Village of Western Springs annexed the former Timber Trails golf course which is now being developed into a new community of homes, townhomes and parks. The property added 105.9 acres to the village which converts to approximately .17 square miles.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 12,493 people, 4,318 households, and 3,614 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,834.1/km² (4,756.7/mi²). There were 4,444 housing units at an average density of 652.4/km² (1,692.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.32% White, 0.18% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,318 households out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.1% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the village the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $98,876, and the median income for a family was $108,870. Males had a median income of $82,580 versus $41,214 for females. The per capita income for the village was $43,699. 0.9% of the population and 0.7% of families were below the poverty line. 1.0% of those under the age of 18 and 1.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit] Schools

McClure Jr. High School, 480 students, 6-8
Laidlaw Elementary School, 417 students, k-5
Field Park Elementary School, 284 students, k-5
Forest Hills Elementary School, 244 students, k-5

[edit] Transportation

The BNSF Railway runs through Western Springs. Daily commuter service on that line, connecting Aurora and Chicago, is provided by Metra.

A new train station was built in 2004-2005. The new station is a virtual replica of a train station that was demolished in 1972 and replaced by another station. Some residents questioned the necessity of building new stations in 1972 and 2004 as in both cases, the older train station was completely functional.