Arlington Heights

History

Arlington Heights lies mostly in the western part of Wheeling Township, with territory in adjacent Elk Grove and Palatine townships, in an area originally notable for the absence of groves and trees. The land that is now the Village of Arlington Heights was controlled by the Miami Confederacy (which contained the Illini and Kickapoo tribes) starting in the early 1680s. The Confederacy was driven from the area by the Iroquois and Meskwaki in the early 1700s. The French-allied Potawatomi began to raid and take possession of Northern Illinois in the 1700s. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Potawatomi expanded southwards from their territory in Green Bay and westward from their holdings near Detroit, until they controlled in an L-shaped swath of territory from Green Bay to the Illinois River, and from the Mississippi River to the Maumee River. Throughout the 1830s, the Potawatomi maintained a camp in modern-day Arlington Heights that was used for six weeks out of the year as the Potawatomi migrated from their summer encampments to their winter encampments. In 1833, the Potawatomi signed the 1833 Treaty of Chicago with the United States Government. As a result of the Treaty, the United States was granted control of all land west of Lake Michigan and east of Lake Winnebago in exchange for a tract of land west of the Mississippi. The land that is now Arlington Heights was ceded to the U.S. in this treaty, which sparked mass white immigration to the Northern Illinois area. The U.S. Government purchased the land for about 15 cents per acre, and then resold it to white settlers for 1.25 dollars per acre. The Potawatomi would occasionally return to their holdings in Northern Illinois to honor their buried ancestors, but these return visits ended as old villages and…

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Arlington Heights has a total area of , of which (or 99.81%) is land and (or 0.19%) is water. Located primarily in Cook County, a portion extends into neighboring Lake County. Arlington Heights is in the Hot-summer humid continental climate, or Köppen Dfa zone. The zone includes four distinct seasons. Winter is cold with snow. Spring warms up with precipitation and storms. Summer has high precipitation and storms. Fall cools down.

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  58,932
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50,524
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  43,138
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  42,321
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  41,564
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  40,501
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  39,416
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  38,838

Largest nearby schools

• Glenbrook South High School
  High · Glenview · 3,030 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Wm Fremd High School
  High · Palatine · 2,708 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• Palatine High School
  High · Palatine · 2,652 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• J B Conant High School
  High · Hoffman Estates · 2,503 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Maine South High School
  High · Park Ridge · 2,495 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Schaumburg High School
  High · Schaumburg · 2,340 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Prospect High School
  High · Mt Prospect · 2,263 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• Hoffman Estates High School
  High · Hoffman Estates · 2,067 students · 13.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois
• M 3.2 — 2013-11-04
  1 km SSW of Lyons, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois
• M 3.8 — 2010-02-10
  2 km NW of Lily Lake, Illinois