Just 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop is the 2.4 square mile town of Bellwood, IL, which is home to just over 19,000 people. Although the boundaries include the Union Pacific Railroad Proviso and Eisenhower Expressway yards, life is far from the bustling activity of the city. With the motto ‘Your family is our future’, this town is proud of its traditional values.
The beginnings of Bellwood, IL
The flat prairie created the perfect conditions for farmland, which occupied this territory until the early 1890s. After the initial subdivision was established, several businesses were built. The owners of the early taverns lobbied to incorporate the town to prevent the annexation of the dry town of Maywood. Incorporation occurred in 1900, and the town took its name from its second subdivision.
More people soon arrived, and the population doubled between 1910 and 1920. Many of the early residents were of Russian or German descent. Land west of Mannheim Road was annexed in 1926 and migration continued, causing the population to increase to nearly 5,000 by 1930. Large industries were established in the eastern part after World War II. Residential development within other sections was encouraged by the local passenger rail service.
Bellwood, IL, becomes a traveler’s paradise
Completed during the 1950s, the Eisenhower Expressway made Bellwood very attractive to travelers. The population more than doubled between 1950 and 1960, increasing to approximately 20,730. With little vacant land remaining, construction slowed and the population increased only slightly until 1970. This town received worldwide notoriety in the early 1970s when native Eugene Cernan traveled into space and then to the moon. Cernan left the last footprints on the lunar surface and in his autobiography he paid homage to his hometown.
During the same decade, the town received a different kind of publicity when it became involved in a US Supreme Court case protesting the racial stewardship of a local real estate company. In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court granted legal rights to municipalities regarding the use of fitting rooms and the ability to sue for discrimination. Between 1970 and 1990, Bellwood’s African American population increased from 1.1 to 70 percent.
Although this town has changed in many ways, it remains a residential suburb with Georgian homes, ranches, and brick bungalows. Since the turn of the century, high priority has been given to economic development. Located just minutes from Chicago and at the crossroads of various modes of transportation, access to and from this town is extremely convenient.
