Western Springs is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago.

[3] It is located along the BNSF Railway (formerly the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad) between Chicago and Aurora, encompassing roughly the area between Willow Springs Road (Gilbert Avenue), Ogden Avenue, Interstate 294, and West Plainfield Road.

Around the turn of the 18th century, nomadic Potawatomi Native Americans settled in the Western Springs area.

Whether they built a village is unclear, but evidence of temporary campsites has been found near Flagg Creek in Forest Hills.

By 1834, after the Black Hawk War, farmer Joseph Vial had moved from New York and built a cabin along what is now Plainfield Road, a former Native American trail in the south of Western Springs.

This cabin served as a stagecoach station, hotel, general store, and post office for the entire area.

The CB&Q Railroad built a line through Western Springs in 1863, filling in much of the westside swamp in the process.

In 1870, the Western Springs Land Association, consisting of promoter Thomas Clarkson Hill, William Page and two sons of Phillip F. W. Peck, bought the three tracts that make up the area for $105,000.

In 1885, the Grand Avenue School replaced the wooden schoolhouse, and the office of village marshal was created as a combination policeman, dogcatcher, and groundskeeper.

The voting townspeople elected a prominent Quaker developer, T. C. Hill, as the town's first president.

[6] A fire in 1991 from a lightning strike caused extensive damage to the roof and interior, but the museum reopened in 1993 following restoration efforts[6] The water tower is seen by residents as a symbol of the town.

[7] Western Springs added many improvements over the years, including a fire department (1894), electric plant (1898), telephones (1899), a park district (1923), and a library (1926).

The village expanded south of 47th Street, annexing the subdivisions of Forest Hills (1927), Springdale (1955), and Ridgewood (1973).

[8] On March 21, 2005, the Village of Western Springs annexed the former Timber Trails golf course, which is now being developed into a new community of single-family homes and townhomes.

His father, Bill Lipinski, was a longtime congressman of the 3rd district, and was able to get his son to replace him on the ballot, though he had not lived in Illinois for 15 years.

Marie Newman defeated Lipinski in 2020, but, due to statewide redistricting, was forced in the 2022 Democratic primary to compete with neighboring incumbent Sean Casten.

The main north–south street in the village is Wolf Road, designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway.

Daily commuter service on that line, connecting Aurora and Chicago, is provided by Metra.

During non-rush hours, a freight train may run along the line as frequently as once every 10 minutes on average[citation needed].