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1930s photo on milwaukee ave in wheeling

Our Past & Present

From a legacy of healthy economic growth to up-and-coming commercial districts, the Village of Wheeling provides the kind of business opportunities and assets that new, prospective and existing businesses seek today. 

Wheeling’s convenient location in Chicagoland’s North Shore trade area makes us a strategic choice for industry and manufacturing. 

We feature a community of over 850 businesses and are home to a diverse population of 400,000 that soars upwards to 60,000 during the workday.  

Wheeling’s local government works to be business friendly and is based on a Council-Manager structure with the support of a professional staff. Our dedicated manager directs day-to-day operations, while an elected board of trustees takes up any necessary policymaking for the Village.

Early History

  • 1680s – Illini and Kickapoo tribes control the land (Miami Confederacy)

  • 1700s – Iroquois and Meskwaki drive the Miami Confederacy out of the territory

  • Late 1700s - Early 1800s – Potawatomi tribe expands down from the North

historic photo of wheeling house

Establishing the Village

  • 1830s – The Village becomes a destination stop for travelers passing to and from Chicago. Inns, trading posts, taverns, and eateries begin to form today’s Restaurant Row  

  • 1834 – Filkins Stage Coach Tavern, one of Wheeling’s first tavern/hotels opens

  • 1850s – Township government forms on April 2, 1850

  • 1886 – Wisconsin Central Railroad brings a line through town with a station just south of Dundee Road

  • 1894 – Village of Wheeling is incorporated

union hotel in wheeling 1934

Booming Growth

  • 1944 – Wheeling Park District established

  • 1950-1970 – Village of Wheeling population grows from 916 to 14,746

  • 1960s – Wheeling emerges as a thriving center for industry and commerce. Particularly noted for its landscape nurseries

Uptown 500 Mural

Modern Day

  • 1986 – Village of Wheeling and City of Prospect Heights purchases Chicago Executive Airport (formerly Palwaukee Municipal Airport)

  • 1994 – Wheeling celebrates its centenary 

  • 2000 – Population of Wheeling increases to 34,496

  • 2024 – Wheeling is thriving employment center with a daytime population topping 60,000Â