Restaurant row is only one of Wheeling's many delicacies
Wheeling's claim to fame is its recent recognition by Family Circle magazine as one of the top 10 towns in the country to live and raise kids. The magazine looked for towns that have an affordable cost of living, good jobs and good schools.
Other traits that helped rate Wheeling among the best were its diverse population, environmental initiatives and the transformation of vacant lots into pocket parks with green spaces, benches, waterfalls and flowers.
"To me that was so exciting to have this recognition," said Connie Hoos, broker-associate with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Northwest. Hoos, also a resident of Wheeling, enjoys singing its praises because she thinks so highly of the community and everything it offers.
One of Wheeling's main attractions is its affordable housing, which allows young people starting a family to find suitable and reasonably priced single-family homes in older, tree-lined neighborhoods. Also, the diversity of housing and pricing draws buyers to the community.
"We have high-end, low-end homes; we're all over the board. We have condos for $100,000 and homes into the high $700,000s," said Michael Kurgan, broker-owner of Century 21 Real Estate Finders.
"As your family grows, there's always a selection of homes. Someone could move into a townhouse in Chelsea Cove and later move across the street and stay in the same school district. We bought our first home in Dunhurst, a starter area, and as our family grew, we moved to Highland Glen.
"Wheeling has made so many improvements in the village with all the redevelopment," Kurgan said. "We have an award-winning park district and school district; the park district recently won the Distinguished Agency award. And we just approved redevelopment of the 80-acre Heritage Park, which is the largest park in Wheeling. Wheeling has everything; there's no reason to leave."
Also of interest is that Wheeling residents are a diverse group of people from all over the world. "I think such diversity of cultures is a nice atmosphere for kids and families," Hoos said.
Northwest Suburban High School District 214 just purchased another lot in Wheeling to build a home for the building trades program. Teachers and contractors work with students to build a house that they sell with proceeds going back into the program. "It's a really nice for students throughout the district. Right now there's a trade home for sale on 9th Street," Hoos said.
Hoos lives in a subdivision adjacent to Wheeling High School and enjoys the benefits of the location as well as the accomplishments of the school. "There's a soccer game going on as we speak," she said. "And when they have band practice, the students march right in front of our house. They have one of the best jazz programs in the country. And recently sports teams have had a number of state championship runs."
Another Wheeling attraction is its renowned Restaurant Row. When Wheeling was an overnight stop for travelers from Chicago to Wisconsin, the string of inns, taverns and eateries established in the 1830s was the start of this phenomenon.
Today, the well-known stretch of Milwaukee Avenue is home to more than 40 restaurants with everything from upscale breakfast eateries to fine dining establishments. Next spring, Superdawg will start serving up hot dogs from its new home on Milwaukee Avenue.
Emerging as a center for industry and commerce in the 1960s, Wheeling continues to be a strong industrial center with growth in population and employment during the past few decades. The Chicago Executive Airport, a small public airport located in Wheeling and Prospect Heights, is operated jointly by both villages.
Everything in Wheeling is on the upswing. There's economic and population growth, an increase in employment and businesses as well as household income. These are indications that Wheeling is a good place to live, work, play and do business.