Berkeley

History

Farmers, mostly of German and Dutch heritage, began to settle in the region that would become Berkeley around 1835. The Dutch sought to be truck farmers, dwelling on farms spanning from 40 to 160 acres, whereas the Germans conducted general farming. In 1848, a small group of farm families founded Sunnyside, a one-room school. Sunnyside Elementary School is still in operation today, however it is now located in a bigger and newer structure. Farmland was provided for what is now known as Old Settler's Cemetery a short distance west on St. Charles Road (which was finished in 1836). Many of the area's earliest settlers remain buried there. The Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad (interurban) opened in 1902, providing the area with its first passenger rail service at Berkeley. Subdivisions were made in 1908 and again in 1914–1915 introduced new residential building and new inhabitants to the region, who were mostly English. Berkeley became a village in 1924, thanks to the efforts of these people. The early 1900s population surge paled in comparison to the post-World War II population explosion in Berkeley, which saw the village population triple from 1,882 in 1950 to 5,792 in 1960. Berkeley also lost a number of homes when the Interstate 290 expansion was built in the late 1950s, cutting a north–south swath across the village's western part. The Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railway ceased passenger service in 1957 when traffic was transferred to the new expressway system, but its path is still preserved through the community by the Prairie Path for bicyclists. Berkeley bought property from the railroad in the 1960s to stretch its northern borders, enabling for the development of a small industrial park. Electrical contractors, printing firms, warehouses, wholesalers, and the…

Geography

Berkeley is located at (41.886794, -87.910528). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Berkeley has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  106,706
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  90,751
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  90,551
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  61,881
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  60,035
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  59,324
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  56,065
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  55,677

Largest nearby schools

• Taft High School
  High · Chicago · 4,464 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Lyons Twp High Sch
  High · La Grange · 3,842 students · 15:1 ratio
• J Sterling Morton West High Sch
  High · Berwyn · 3,533 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• J Sterling Morton East High Sch
  High · Cicero · 3,445 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• Oak Park & River Forest High Sch
  High · Oak Park · 3,304 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Maine South High School
  High · Park Ridge · 2,495 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Unity Jr High School
  Middle · Cicero · 2,054 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Elk Grove High School
  High · Elk Grove Village · 2,000 students · 17.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois
• 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