Wheaton, Illinois

The city dates its founding to the period between 1831 and 1837, following the Indian Removal Act, when Erastus Gary laid claim to {{convert|790|acre}} of land near present-day Warrenville.{{cite encyclopedia|last=Kay|first=Thomas O.|title=Wheaton, IL|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1350.html|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|access-date=20 July 2010|year=2005}}{{cite book |last=Moore |first=Jean |date=1974 |chapter=The Arrival of the Wheaton Brothers |chapter-url=http://www.oldplaces.org/dupage_county/wheaton.htm |title=From Tower to Tower: A History of Wheaton, Illinois |location=Wheaton, Ill |publisher=Gary-Wheaton Bank |oclc=1339996|access-date=3 March 2015}} The Wheaton brothers arrived from Connecticut, and in 1837, Warren L. Wheaton laid claim to {{convert|640|acre}} of land in the center of town. Jesse Wheaton later made claim to {{convert|300|acre}} of land just west of Warren's.{{cite web|title=History of Wheaton, Illinois|url=http://www.wheaton.il.us/about/history/default.aspx?id=932|publisher=City of Wheaton|access-date=7 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413182315/http://www.wheaton.il.us/about/history/default.aspx?id=932|archive-date=2014-04-13|url-status=dead}} It was not long before other settlers from New England joined them in the community. In 1848, they gave the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} of right-of-way, upon which railroad officials named the depot Wheaton. In 1850, ten blocks of land were platted and anyone who was willing to build immediately was granted free land. In 1853, the lots were surveyed and a formal plat for the community was filed with the county. The community was then incorporated as a village on February 24, 1859, with Warren serving as its first President.{{cite web|title=History of Wheaton Government|url=http://www.wheaton.il.us/about/history/default.aspx?id=934|publisher=City of Wheaton|access-date=7 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416183820/http://www.wheaton.il.us/about/history/default.aspx?id=934|archive-date=16 April 2014|url-status=dead}} The village was later incorporated as a city on April 24, 1890, when the first mayor of the city was selected, Judge Elbert Gary, son of Erastus Gary and founder of Gary, Indiana.

File:Old DuPage County Courthouse Aerial.jpg (2022)]]

In 1857, the Illinois state legislature authorized an election to be held to decide the question of whether the DuPage county seat should remain in Naperville or be moved to the more centrally located Wheaton, which was on the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad. Naperville won the election by a vote of 1,542 to 762. Hostility between the two towns continued for the next decade and another election was held in 1867, in which Wheaton narrowly won by a vote of 1,686 to 1,635. At a cost of $20,000, the City of Wheaton quickly built a courthouse to house a courtroom, county offices, and a county jail. The building was dedicated on July 4, 1868.{{cite journal|last=Lapinski|first=John|title=History of DuPage County's Courthouses|journal=Journal of the DuPage County Bar Association|volume=12|issue=1999–00|url=http://www.dcbabrief.org/vol120999art3.html|access-date=23 May 2011}}

However, animosity between the two towns continued, and in 1868, as records were moved from the old Naperville courthouse to the new courthouse in Wheaton, Naperville refused to turn over the remaining county records, prompting a band of Civil War veterans from Wheaton to conduct what came to be known as the "Midnight Raid" on the Naperville courthouse. As Wheatonites fled back on Wheaton-Naperville Road, Napervillians were able to secure some of the last remaining records, which were then taken to the Cook County Recorder in Chicago for safekeeping. During this time, Naperville was mounting a lawsuit against Wheaton accusing election judges of leaving their posts for lunch during the vote when duplicate ballot stuffing allegedly occurred. As the courts deliberated the fate of the county seat, the records were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Shortly thereafter, Wheaton was officially proclaimed the county seat.{{cite web|title=Church Bell 1846 |url=http://www.loveandjustice.org/OurHistory/church_bell_1846.htm|publisher=First Congregational UCC Naperville|year=2007|access-date=23 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720090550/http://www.loveandjustice.org/OurHistory/church_bell_1846.htm|archive-date=20 July 2008}}

File:DuPage_county_court_complex_aerial.jpg

As demand for space increased, the courthouse was rebuilt in 1887 at a cost of $69,390, modeled after the courthouse in Aledo. This structure was used for the next 94 years until the county's rapid growth prompted the building of a brand new complex.{{cite web|title=Our History|url=http://www.ewheaton.com/explore/living_history.html|publisher=Wheaton Chamber of Commerce|access-date=23 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929165242/http://www.ewheaton.com/explore/living_history.html |archive-date=29 September 2007|year=2001}} The old courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was formerly used by National Louis University until National Louis moved to Lisle in 2004. It is currently being developed into luxury condominiums.

On November 2, 1990, the courthouse moved to a building about {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} west in a new {{convert|57|acre|ha|adj=on}} complex at the corner of County Farm Road and Manchester Road. It was built at a cost of $52,500,000 and includes a {{convert|300000|sqft|m2|-4|adj=on}} judicial building. In 1992, the county sued the architect and contractor for $4 million after several employees became ill from the ventilation system.{{cite web|title=Examples of Sick Building Legal Cases|url=http://www.aerias.org/DesktopModules/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleId=109&spaceid=2&subid=13#legal-examples|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929205654/http://www.aerias.org/DesktopModules/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleId=109&spaceid=2&subid=13#legal-examples|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 September 2006|work=AQS's IAQ Resource Center|publisher=Aerias|access-date=23 May 2011}} In the end, however, the county received only $120,000 for minor repairs and the jury sided with the defendants, finding that the alleged problems were caused, primarily, by the county's negligent operation and maintenance of the ventilation system.

File:Wheatoncenter1.jpg tracks]]

Wheaton has rapidly expanded since the 1950s, although population growth has slowed since the early 1990s, as the city has become increasingly landlocked. Downtown lost much business after the county courthouse facility moved {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} west in 1990, but in the decade since, the downtown has seen a renaissance of sorts, with the creation of several significant condominium and business developments. One of the most recognizable landmarks of the city is Wheaton Center, a 758-unit apartment complex on {{convert|14|acre}} in downtown Wheaton. The six building complex includes two twenty-story high-rise buildings built in 1975.{{cite web|last=Back|first=Edith E.|title=Wheaton|url=http://www.dupagehistory.org/dupage_roots/Wheaton_23.htm|work=History of DuPage County|access-date=20 July 2010}}

In 1887, Wheaton, which has a large evangelical Christian population, prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages, a ban which lasted until 1985 and applied to all supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, and other establishments.{{cite news|last=Walkup|first=Carolyn|title=How dry they're not: Easing of liquor laws allows Ill. eatery to sell alcohol outdoors|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_19_34/ai_62215632/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708125357/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_19_34/ai_62215632/|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 July 2012|access-date=15 January 2011|newspaper=Nation's Restaurant News|date=8 May 2000}}

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Wheaton has a total area of {{convert|11.49|sqmi|km2|2}}, of which {{convert|11.32|sqmi|km2|2}} (or 98.55%) is land and {{convert|0.17|sqmi|km2|2}} (or 1.45%) is water.{{Cite web |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Census.gov}}

{{US Census population

|1860= 645

|1870= 998

|1880= 1160

|1890= 1622

|1900= 2345

|1910= 3423

|1920= 4137

|1930= 7258

|1940= 7389

|1950= 11638

|1960= 24312

|1970= 31138

|1980= 43043

|1990= 51464

|2000= 55416

|2010= 52894

|2020= 53970

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

}}

As of the 2020 census, there were 53,970 people, 19,218 households, and 13,122 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|4,699.17|PD/sqmi|PD/km2}}. There were 20,885 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,818.46|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 79.01% White, 4.27% African American, 0.16% Native American, 7.50% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.24% from other races, and 6.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.49% of the population.

There were 19,218 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.66% were married couples living together, 6.35% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.72% were non-families. 26.51% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.01% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 2.61.

The city's age distribution consisted of 22.8% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $105,764, and the median income for a family was $129,579. Males had a median income of $73,771 versus $40,560 for females. The per capita income for the city was $51,688. About 3.3% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

In August 2010, the city was listed among the "Top 25 Highest Earning Towns" on CNN Money, citing a median family income of $113,517, and a median home price of $328,866, based on 2009 figures.{{cite news|title=Top-earning towns - Wheaton, IL (25) |url=https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/moneymag/1007/gallery.best_places_top_earning_towns.moneymag/25.html |access-date=9 June 2024 |publisher=CNN Money |date=14 July 2010}}

According to the City of Wheaton's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,{{cite web |title=CY2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report |url=https://www.wheaton.il.us/Archive.aspx?ADID=6081 |publisher=City of Wheaton, Illinois Finance Department |access-date=9 June 2024 |date=31 December 2022}} the top employers in the city were:

Wheaton boasts a vibrant downtown with many restaurants, shops and services. The Downtown Wheaton Association hosts many events throughout the year to promote local businesses, including The French Market, The Chili Cookoff, Vintage Rides, Boo-palooza (Downtown Wheaton Trick-or-Treat), A Dickens of a Christmas, Wheaton Wedding Walk and Wheaton's Wine & Cultural Arts Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.downtownwheaton.com/events/ |title=Events |publisher=Downtown Wheaton Association|date=2020 |access-date=19 December 2020}}

Downtown Wheaton is also home to perhaps one of the narrowest stores in the Chicago area. The Little Popcorn Store on Front Street was formerly an alley between two buildings, and features the exposed brick walls of its neighbors. The store has been around since the 1920s and sells candy for as little as 1¢ apiece, and fresh popcorn.{{Cite web|url=http://www.littlepopcornstore.com|title=The Little Popcorn Store|website=The Little Popcorn Store|language=en|access-date=2017-05-17}}

Other shopping districts in Wheaton include Danada Square West,{{cite web |title=Directory |url=https://www.danadasquarewest.com/directory/ |publisher=Danada Square West |access-date=14 December 2021}} and Danada Square East,{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.danadasquareeast.com/about-us/ |publisher=Danada Square East |access-date=14 December 2021}} named after Dan and Ada Rice, located on the north side of Illinois Route 56 (Butterfield Road), on the west and east side of Naperville Road. Just east of Danada Square East is Rice Lake Square, another open air shopping center.{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://ricelakesquare.com/about-us/ |publisher=Rice Lake Square |access-date=14 December 2021}} Just north of Danada Square East, along Naperville Road, is Town Square Wheaton, which was built in 1992, and is a mixed-use lifestyle center featuring clothing boutiques and restaurants.{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.townsquarewheaton.com/about-us/ |publisher=Town Square Wheaton |access-date=14 December 2021}} Other shopping areas include the Roosevelt Road{{cite web |title=East Roosevelt Road Corridor Area – Comprehensive Plan Update |url=https://www.wheaton.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/3638?fileID=5032 |publisher=City of Wheaton, Illinois |access-date=14 December 2021 |date=February 2019}} and Geneva Road corridors.{{cite web |title=Main Street Plaza |url=https://www.commercialcafe.com/commercial-property/us/il/wheaton/main-street-plaza/ |publisher=Yardi Systems, Inc. |access-date=14 December 2021}}

Wheaton is home to the DuPage County Fairgrounds. Organized in 1954, the DuPage County Fair Association hosts the annual DuPage County Fair in late July. The fair annually attracts major entertainers, such as Ashlee Simpson, Plain White T's (2007), Travis Tritt, Jesse McCartney, Jars of Clay, Corbin Bleu (2008), The Academy Is..., The Original Wailers (2009), and Danny Gokey (2010).

Wheaton is also home to the historic Grand Theater, built in 1925. In recent years,{{when|date=January 2018}} the theater and volunteers undertook a restoration to its original state, complete with a lighted dome ceiling dotted with stars, and a newly painted floor. It celebrated its grand reopening on May 11, 2002, and on August 25, 2005, the theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. There was a sense of growing pessimism that the theater would ever be restored, due to lack of progress and funds. However, there was cause for hope when on January 23, 2010, when many cast members of the off-Broadway show Jersey Boys raised approximately $50,000 for restoration.

On July 10, 2010, the Grand Theater Corp. surrendered the deed to the building, to Suburban Bank and Trust Co, due in part to being delinquent on a $800,000 loan, carried by Suburban Bank and Trust Co.

On November 30, 2012, Jim Atten bought the building, intending to reopen it soon. Since then he has been repairing the property and leading the effort to remove temporary structures within the theater. He has worked closely with an architect and the city staff as the effort progresses.{{Cite web|url=http://wheatongrandtheater.com/|title=Wheaton Grand Theater|website=wheatongrandtheater.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304012826/http://wheatongrandtheater.com/|archive-date=2013-03-04|url-status=dead|access-date=2017-05-17}} According to the Daily Herald newspaper, it will take an estimated $5 million to get the theater up and running again.{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140306/news/140309045/|title=Saving downtown theaters: Wheaton Grand headlines a long list|last=Cilella|first=Jessica|date=2014-03-06|work=Daily Herald|access-date=2017-05-17|language=en-US}}

File:Wheaton Public Library's back enterance.jpg

The Wheaton Public Library is frequently ranked as one of the top ten libraries in the nation compared to other libraries serving similarly sized populations.{{cite web|title=History of the Library |url=http://www.wheaton.lib.il.us/LI_WPLHist.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003131342/http://www.wheaton.lib.il.us/LI_WPLHist.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 October 2010 |publisher=Wheaton Public Library |access-date=23 May 2011 }} In 2006, a three-story addition was added, followed by significant renovations which were completed in 2007, to bring the square footage up from 74,000 to 124,000. The annual public library budget in 2018 was $4.084 million.{{cite web |title=City Budget |url=https://www.wheaton.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4262 |publisher=City of Wheaton |access-date=19 December 2020 |page=454 |date=31 December 2018}} {{As of|2019}}, the total circulation was 1,013,326, the number of items in the collection was 262,745, and the number of visitors was 525,711.{{cite web |title=Annual Report |date=31 December 2019 |url=https://www.wheatonlibrary.org/sites/default/files/pdf/AnnualReport-2019.pdf |publisher=Wheaton Public Library |access-date=19 December 2020}} The previous public library was converted into the DuPage County Historical Museum, between 1965 and 1967.

In May 2016, the library opened Café on the Park, a small restaurant located just inside the Wheaton Public Library's park-side (west) entrance.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cafeontheparkwheaton.com/|title=Cafe on the Park Wheaton – Serious about coffee… and fun!|website=www.cafeontheparkwheaton.com|access-date=2016-05-09}}

File:Cosley Zoo sign.jpg in Wheaton]]

File:Illinoispp1.jpg in Wheaton]]

• The Wheaton Park District oversees 52 parks covering more than {{convert|800|acre}}, including:{{cite web|title=Parks & Facilities: Locations |url=http://wheatonparkdistrict.com/pgs/parks/list_parks.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014011721/http://www.wheatonparkdistrict.com/pgs/parks/list_parks.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 October 2007 |publisher=Wheaton Park District |access-date=23 May 2011 |year=2011 }}
• The {{convert|135|acre|adj=on}} Lincoln Marsh Natural Area, with over 300 species of prairie and wetland plants and animals, and a ropes course.
• Cosley Zoo, founded in 1974, housing over 200 animals that represent over 70 species.
• Two public swimming pools, the Northside Family Aquatic Center, and the Rice Pool and Water Park.
• The Arrowhead Golf Club, renamed in 1929 from the Antlers Golf Club, which was built in 1924. A new clubhouse was built in 2004–2005.
• The Chicago Golf Club is a nearby prestigious private golf club that is located south of Wheaton.
• Cantigny, the former estate of Chicago Tribune owner Robert R. McCormick, contains extensive formal and stylized gardens and two museums, one relating to the Chicago Tribune, and the other devoted to the First Division of the United States Army, as Robert McCormick was a colonel in the First Division during World War I. Adjacent to the park to the south is Cantigny's public golf course.
• The Illinois Prairie Path runs throughout Wheaton.{{cite web |title=Illinois Prairie Path Facts |url=https://www.traillink.com/trail/illinois-prairie-path/ |publisher=Rails-to-Trails Conservancy |access-date=21 August 2023}}

In the United States House of Representatives, Wheaton is located both in Illinois's 3rd congressional district, which is held by Democrat Delia Ramirez,{{cite web |title=Illinois's 3rd Congressional District |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/IL/3 |website=govtrack.us |access-date=21 August 2023}} and Illinois's 6th congressional district, which is held by Democrat Sean Casten.{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/IL/6|title=Illinois's 6th Congressional District|website=govtrack.us|access-date=20 August 2023}}

File:Blanchard_Hall_Wheaton_College.jpg at Wheaton College]]

Wheaton College is located just east of downtown Wheaton. Sometimes referred to as "The Harvard of Evangelical schools", Wheaton College is known for being an interdenominational destination school for devout Christian students seeking an elite liberal arts education.{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/elite-wheaton-college-still-a-school-of-a-different-sort/|title = Elite Wheaton College still a school of a different sort|date = 24 June 2016}}

Wheaton's campus features the Billy Graham Center, named for the college's most famous alumnus, which contains a museum dedicated to both the history of American evangelism and the international ministry of Billy Graham. It features conceptual exhibits intended to convey Christian ideas. Wheaton College is also home to the Todd M. Beamer Student Center, which was dedicated on October 1, 2004, to the memory of Todd Beamer, a hero from United Airlines Flight 93, and two other Wheaton alumni who died in the September 11 attacks.{{cite web|title=Todd M. Beamer Student Center |url=https://www.wheaton.edu/about-wheaton/visit-wheaton/campus-buildings/todd-m-beamer-student-center/ |publisher=Wheaton College |access-date=8 June 2024}}

The Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology is also located in Wheaton, and is home to the School of Applied Technology and offers technology-oriented education and training for working professionals.{{cite web|title=About the School of Applied Technology at IIT|url=http://www.iit.edu/cpd/about/|publisher=Illinois Institute of Technology|access-date=26 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213211458/http://iit.edu/cpd/about/|archive-date=13 February 2014|url-status=dead}}

Several of the private schools in Wheaton are located near the town center; in addition, St. Francis High School is on the far west side of town. Wheaton Academy moved to West Chicago in 1945, and Wheaton Christian Grammar School moved to a new campus in Winfield in 2010, while still retaining its name.{{cite web|title=Our Heritage|url=http://wheatonchristian.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=221097|publisher=Wheaton Christian Grammar School|access-date=19 April 2013|year=2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419145906/http://www.wheatonchristian.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=221097|archive-date=19 April 2013|url-status=dead}}

• Clapham School, founded in 2005, is a classical school with students from pre-K through high school.
• Prairie School of DuPage is located on the grounds of the Theosophical Society in America.{{cite web |title=History |url=https://prairieschoolofdupage.org/history |publisher=Prairie School of DuPage |access-date=20 August 2023}}
• St John Lutheran School serves students in preschool.
• St Michael Catholic Elementary School serves 580 students in preschool through eighth grade.
• Wheaton Montessori School serves children ages 3–12 and is accredited by the Association Montessori International.

• St. Francis High School serves 726 students in ninth through twelfth grade.

Most of Wheaton is part of Community Unit School District 200. The Wheaton public school system is regularly listed among the finest in Illinois, with the School Board receiving the fifth consecutive Governance Award in 2020, from the Illinois Association of School Boards.{{cite web |title=Board receives fifth consecutive School Board Governance Award |url=https://medium.com/district-200-newsroom/board-receives-fifth-consecutive-school-board-governance-award-6fbf0c54790b |publisher=CUSD 200 |access-date=19 December 2020 |date=15 October 2020}} A few families in the northeast corner of Wheaton reside in Glen Ellyn School District 41, and one elementary school that is located in the southeastern part of Wheaton, Briar Glen Elementary School, is part of Community Consolidated School District 89.

• Wheaton North – consists of students from Monroe and Franklin Middle Schools
• Wheaton Warrenville South – consists of students from Edison and Hubble Middle Schools

• Edison – funnels into Wheaton Warrenville South High School{{cite web |title=Boundaries |url=https://www.cusd200.org/domain/2585 |publisher=CUSD 200 |access-date=19 December 2020 |date=2015}}
• Hubble (Warrenville) - funnels into Wheaton Warrenville South High School
• Franklin – funnels into Wheaton North High School
• Monroe – funnels into Wheaton North High School

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• Briar Glen (in CCSD 89)
• Emerson
• Hawthorne
• Lincoln
• Longfellow
• Lowell
• Madison
• Sandburg
• Washington
• Whittier
• Wiesbrook

}}

File:Wheatontrainstation.jpg, rebuilt in 2000]]

The Union Pacific West Line runs through downtown Wheaton and has been a staple of the city since its founding in the mid-1800s. Metra has two stops along the line in Wheaton, one at College Avenue serving Wheaton College, and another at West Street in the heart of the commercial district. It passes under a bridge just west of downtown, and over County Farm Road, just north of the DuPage County Government Complex.{{Cite web |title=Line Map {{!}} Metra |url=https://ridertools.metrarail.com/maps-schedules/train-lines/UP-W/map |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=ridertools.metrarail.com}}

Wheaton was also served by the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad with passenger and freight service from 1902 to 1959. The CA&E right-of-way now constitutes the Illinois Prairie Path, one of the first rail trails. Carlton Avenue, UP Railroad, West Street, and Childs Street are the borders of the former site of the CA&E's headquarters and storage and maintenance facilities.

Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Wheaton to Forest Park, Naperville, and other destinations.{{cite web|url=https://www.rtachicago.org/uploads/files/general/RTA-System-Map.pdf|title=RTA System Map|access-date=January 30, 2024}}

• Illinois Route 38, also known as Roosevelt Road.
• Illinois Route 56, also known as Butterfield Road.
• Illinois Route 64, also known as North Avenue.

Established in 1972 by the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital is a rehabilitation hospital located in a small unincorporated enclave on the west side of Wheaton on Roosevelt Road.{{Cite web|title=Zoning Map|url=https://www.wheaton.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/448|publisher=City of Wheaton|access-date=8 June 2024}} It has been operated by Northwestern Medicine, since 2016.{{cite web |title=Northwestern price tag for Marianjoy: $28 million |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-northwestern-marianjoy-1202-biz-20151201-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com |date=December 2015 |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=27 June 2019}} Marianjoy is a nonprofit hospital dedicated to the delivery of physical medicine and rehabilitation, with 127 beds.{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.marianjoy.org/about-Marianjoy/ |website=Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital |publisher=Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital |access-date=27 June 2019}}

Wheaton has forty-five churches located within city limits and an additional thirty places of worship in the outlying unincorporated areas, representing nearly forty religious denominations.{{cite web|last1=Tully |first1=Catherine L. |first2=Kristin |last2=Roberts |title=Wheaton Worship |url=http://www.villageprofile.com/illinois/wheaton/13/topic.html|work=VillageProfile.com |access-date=22 May 2011|year=2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705171626/http://www.villageprofile.com/illinois/wheaton/13/topic.html|archive-date=5 July 2008}} The Genius Edition of Trivial Pursuit states that Wheaton has the "second most churches per capita in America."

Built in 1926, the national headquarters of the Theosophical Society in America is located on a {{convert|42|acre|ha|adj=on}} estate on the north side of Wheaton.{{cite web|title=Programs|url=http://www.theosophical.org/programs|publisher=Theosophical Society in America |access-date=19 August 2010}}

Wheaton is also the North American headquarters for the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which moved into its new home in June 1946.{{cite web|title=Loretto Wheaton's 60th Anniversary|url=http://www.ibvm.us/LorettoWheaton60th.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722230754/http://www.ibvm.us/LorettoWheaton60th.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 July 2011|publisher=Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary|access-date=22 May 2011|date=28 February 2006}}

On March 18, 2002, St. Michael Catholic Church in downtown Wheaton was destroyed by arson by a Wheaton resident and parishioner, Adam Palinski, now serving 39 years in prison.{{cite web|last=Gutowski |first=Christy|title= St. Michael Church arsonist gets 39-year sentence|url=http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1227616/St-Michael-Church-arsonist-gets.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615050101/http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1227616/St-Michael-Church-arsonist-gets.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 June 2011|work=Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|access-date=25 July 2010|date=24 December 2003}} He lost his appeal, but still maintains his innocence. The church has since been rebuilt at a cost of $13 million, and reopened on March 18, 2006.{{cite web|title=St. Michael's Building News Index|url=http://stmichaelcommunity.org/Building/Progress/buildingindex.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705032625/http://www.stmichaelcommunity.org/Building/Progress/buildingindex.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 July 2008|work=StMichaelCommunity.org|access-date=25 July 2010}}

{{Main|List of people from Wheaton, Illinois}}

Wheaton has been a sister city of Karlskoga, Sweden, since 1973.{{Cite web |title=Karlskoga, Sweden |url=https://www.wheaton.il.us/306/Karlskoga-Sweden |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=City of Wheaton, Illinois}} Karlskoga Street in Wheaton is named after the Swedish city.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} In February 1990, Wheaton also became sister cities with Wheaton Aston, Staffordshire, England.{{cite web |title=Wheaton Aston, England |url=https://www.wheaton.il.us/307/Wheaton-Aston-England |publisher=City of Wheaton, Illinois |access-date=9 June 2024}}{{cite web |title=Members |url=https://iscatoday.org/members |publisher=Illinois Sister Cities Association |access-date=9 June 2024 |date=2021}}{{cite news |title=Sister Cities |url=https://www.westsuburbanliving.net/archives/sister-cities/article_6164009e-76e1-59bf-ac8c-e5ad33ab8056.html |access-date=9 June 2024 |work=West Suburban Living |date=27 February 2018}}{{cite news |title=Spot the difference: Twinning tales of Midlands towns |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/04/19/spot-the-difference-twinning-tales-of-midlands-towns/ |access-date=9 June 2024 |work=Express & Star |date=19 April 2015}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last1=Burnham |first1=Graham |title=Wheaton and Its Homes |url=https://archive.org/details/wheatonitshomes00burn/ |publisher=Marr and Richards |location=Milwaukee, Wis. |date=1892 |oclc=1102355899}}
• {{cite book |last=Call |first=Keith |date=2006 |title=Wheaton |url=https://archive.org/details/wheaton0000call |location=Charleston, SC |publisher=Arcadia Pub |isbn=0-7385-4035-8}}
• {{cite book |last=Moore |first=Jean |date=1974 |title=From Tower to Tower: A History of Wheaton, Illinois |location=Wheaton, Ill |publisher=Gary-Wheaton Bank |oclc=1339996}}
• {{cite book |last=Moore |first=Jean |date=1994 |title=Wheaton, Illinois: A Pictorial History |location=St. Louis, Mo |publisher=G. Bradley Pub |isbn=0-943963-09-5}}

{{commons category}}

{{Wikivoyage|Wheaton (Illinois)}}

{{Americana Poster|year=1920|Wheaton}}

• {{official website}}
• [https://www.wheatonchamber.com/ Wheaton Chamber of Commerce]
• [https://www.discoverdupage.com/communities/wheaton/ Wheaton] at the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau

{{Geographic location

| Centre = Wheaton

| North = Carol Stream

| Northeast = Glendale Heights

| East = Glen Ellyn

| Southeast = Lisle

| South = Naperville

| Southwest =Warrenville

| West =Winfield

| Northwest = West Chicago

}}

{{DuPage County, Illinois}}

{{Chicagoland}}

{{Illinois county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1831 establishments in Illinois

Category:Chicago metropolitan area

Category:Cities in DuPage County, Illinois

Category:Cities in Illinois

Category:County seats in Illinois

Category:Populated places established in 1831