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Wheeling, Illinois (U.S.)

Cook County

Last modified: 2025-09-13 by rick wyatt
Keywords: wheeling | illinois |
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[Wheeling, Illinois flag] image located by Valentin Poposki, 5 September 2025

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Description of the flag

New Flag Design
Village of Wheeling
August 4, 2025
https://www.wheelingil.gov/2277/New-Flag-Design

The Village of Wheeling is excited to introduce a new flag design that will proudly represent our vibrant community moving forward. This decision comes after thoughtful consideration, and we are mindful of the historical significance and emotional attachment many have to our current flag.

That being said, we are truly thrilled about the new design! It’s an update that honors our village’s history while aligning with our current branding. Careful yet simply crafted, it reflects the values and vision we are building together. The design follows the principles of vexillology, ensuring simplicity, distinctiveness, and symbolism. As a result, the flag will be visually striking, meaningful, and easily recognizable wherever it’s displayed.

This new flag marks an exciting new chapter for our community—one that celebrates both our past and our bright future. We look forward to seeing the community embrace this change as a reflection of our shared journey ahead.

Symbolism of the flag
The Flag of the Village of Wheeling features a prominent red wheel centered on a red horizontal bar on a background of white.

The white Background represents the peace and unity upon which the success of the community rests.

The horizontal Bars represents unobstructed travel and transit: on roads and streets, on rail, and on airport runways, both through space and forward in time, from a cherished past to a prosperous future.

The right-spoked Wheel—the symbol of the municipality—derives from the community's name and represents its origins in transportaion and industry. The parts of the wheel represent milestones in Wheeling's history:

  • The Hub represents the 1833 Treaty of Chicago and the first settlement in Wheeling.
  • Spoke One represents the establishment of farming, Wheeling's first industry.
  • Spoke Two represents Wheeling's formal incorporation in 1894
  • Spoke Three represents Wheeling's connection to the world by river, road, and rail
  • Spoke Four represents Wheeling's dining and lodging establishments, providing service and hospitality to the region.
  • Spoke Five represents Wheeling's emergence as a suburban residential community.
  • Spoke Six represents Wheeling's first 100 years as a village.
  • Spoke Seven represents the transformation of the Station Area and the creation of Wheeling Town Center.
  • Spoke Eight represents the 100-year history of Palwaukee Municipal Airport, now Chicago Executive Airport.
  • The Outer Ring represents the diversity the defines and binds the Wheeling of today.
Valentin Poposki, 5 September 2025

Previous flag

[Wheeling, Illinois flag] image located by Valentin Poposki, 23 March 2011

"Back in 1972 the Village of Wheeling had a competition for the design of a flag for the Village sponsored by the Jaycees. Daniel van Loon won that competition as a Wheeling High School Sophomore. Here are the basics about the design. The blue shapes represent the DesPlaines River with the offshoot Buffalo Creek in relation to the white which is the crossroads of Dundee Road and Milwaukee Avenue. At the time of designing the flag this was his (designer's) understanding of the geographical birthplace of the village, the importance of its place on the map, and why the town was christened with the name Wheeling. The green was a popular color in the mid-70s as it is now for the same reasons. The nation was focused on ecology and the environment. We were trying to communicate the notion of Wheeling being a clean and green (ecologically aware) community." - from www.wheelinghistoricalsociety.com/album3/Albump1.htm, including images and photos of the flag and much more of the story.

"Wheeling is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. The population was 34,496 at the 2000 census, and 38,555 at the 2006 special village census." - from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/heeling,_Illinois

Official website: www.vi.wheeling.il.us

Valentin Poposki, 23 March 2011