Westmont, IL

Rail travel shaped Westmont before it had village government and still runs through its downtown. Village history records Potawatomi presence before their coercive removal in 1833, followed by canal workers who turned to farming after the Panic of 1837 halted Illinois and Michigan Canal construction. The first Chicago, Burlington and Quincy train passed through in 1864, and Gregg's Station developed as a place to load agricultural and dairy products. The community later took the name Westmont because it stood at the railroad's highest elevation west of Chicago, then incorporated in 1921. The 2020 census counted 24,429 residents. Census estimates for 2020–2024 show 55.1 percent owner occupancy, a median owner-occupied value of $379,100, monthly costs of $2,342 for owners with a mortgage, and median gross rent of $1,533. That railroad corridor now joins regional commuting with a compact civic and commercial district.

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The BNSF Metra line connects Westmont station with Chicago Union Station; a 2026 village redevelopment document listed 33 weekday inbound trains. Restaurants and shops line Cass Avenue and nearby streets, which also host the annual Taste of Westmont and a summer series of Thursday Cruisin' Nights. Away from the station, the Westmont Park District operates a community center, parks, Twin Lakes Golf Club, and the Gregg House Museum. The museum occupies the village's oldest building, while a separate exhibit at Westmont Centre preserves artifacts from blues musician Muddy Waters, who lived in Westmont from 1973 until his death in 1983. Westmont Public Library supports another layer of routine activity with storytimes, technology tutorials, a Makery, museum-pass programs, book clubs, English conversation meetings, gardening and crafts groups, and reservable study and community rooms.