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, a number of businesses were built. Owners of the early taverns lobbied to incorporate the town to prevent annexation of the dry town of Maywood. Incorporation occurred in 1900, and the town took the name of 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. The land west of Mannheim Road was annexed in 1926 and migration continued, causing the population to rise to almost 5,000 by 1930. Large industries were established on the east side after World War II. Residential development within other sections was encouraged by 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 to space and then to the moon. Cernan left the last traces on the lunar surface and in his autobiography he paid tribute 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 changing 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 is still a residential suburb with Georgian houses, 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 several transportation modes, access to and from this town is extremely convenient.