Brookfield

History

Settlement of the village dates to 1889 when Samuel Eberly Gross, a Chicago lawyer turned real estate investor, began selling building lots plotted from farms and woodlands he had acquired along both sides of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad line, which provided passenger and freight service between Chicago and Aurora, Illinois. "Grossdale", as his development was originally called, offered suburban living at prices affordable to working-class families. The first two buildings Gross erected were a train station south of the tracks at what is now Prairie Avenue, and a pavilion across the tracks. The original train station was moved across the tracks and a few hundred feet east in 1981, and is now the home of the village's historical society and museum, as well as listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The pavilion housed the first post office, general store, Gross' real estate office, meeting rooms, and eventually a dance hall. Gross offered free train outings from Chicago to Grossdale where the prospects were met at the station by a band and treated to a picnic lunch, with a sales pitch from Gross. In addition to parcels of land, he had a number of house designs to offer at "cheap" prices. Gross later added the subdivisions of Hollywood (1893) and West Grossdale (1895), each with its own train station. Residents voted to incorporate as the village of Grossdale in 1893. The name was changed in 1905 after residents became displeased with Gross, whose personal life and fortune had floundered. A contest to choose a new name yielded "Brookfield" in respect for Salt Creek, which runs through the area. Gross also has a school named after him called S.E. Gross. In 1920, the old Plank Toll Road, now called Ogden Avenue (US Hwy 34), was paved, providing…

Geography

Brookfield is located at (41.822681, -87.847532). According to the 2010 census, Brookfield has a total area of , of which (or 99.77%) is land and (or 0.23%) is water. Most of Brookfield is flat land with various small hills and rises. Along Salt Creek is a steep ravine that is home to many oak savannas. These oak savannas are the primary ecosystem of Brookfield, and sprawl out from large, forested areas into small pockets in the village.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  128,637
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  116,149
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  113,323
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  92,850
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  86,357
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  80,459
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  79,576
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  75,021

Largest nearby schools

• 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
• Curie Metropolitan High School
  High · Chicago · 3,178 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
  High · Palos Hills · 2,538 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Unity Jr High School
  Middle · Cicero · 2,054 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Reavis High School
  High · Burbank · 1,986 students · 17.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, 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