Buffalo Grove

History

The first inhabitants of the region were the Illinois Confederation; they comprised multiple tribes and mainly lived in central Illinois. Throughout the 1700s, the Iroquois, Potawatomi, and others invaded and eventually destroyed the confederation. The Potawatomi's success led them to inhabit areas near the present Buffalo Grove until 1833. Being the dominant group, the Potawatomi would frequently be involved in the conflicts between Europeans, such as the Beaver Wars. The first Europeans to stay the winter in what would become Chicago were the French Jesuit explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673; they established trade relations with the Ojibwe. They were traveling west to find the mouth of the Mississippi River to map its entirety and to spread Christianity. Consistent with Native American history in the United States, the tribes in Illinois were devastated by decades of war, diseases, and the ever-encroaching American settlers. The settlers caused a dwindling of food and game; in 1829, a group of Illinois River Potawatomi signed a land cession treaty that included what would become Lake County in exchange for annual delivery of $12,000 in cash and 50 barrels of salt, $12,000 in gifts, and an exclusive blacksmith shop for them. The Native Americans' efforts to remain on their land failed because of the pressure of westward migration, aided by the recent opening of the Erie Canal. They signed the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which ceded all their lands in Illinois and Wisconsin and opened the area to white settlement. Some Native Americans who left the area would move onto reservations in western Missouri and Kansas, while others went north into Canada or resettled in northern Michigan and Wisconsin. The first settlers in Buffalo Grove were…

Geography

Buffalo Grove is a suburb of the city of Chicago, located in the extreme northeastern region of Illinois. Lake Cook Road splits Buffalo Grove into two parts: the Lake County Vernon Township portion and the Cook County Wheeling Township portion. Around three-quarters of the village is in Vernon Township. Both parts differ in their demographics and similarities with neighboring communities. Buffalo Grove shares a border with Wheeling to its southeast, Arlington Heights to its southwest and south, Riverwoods and Deerfield directly east, Lincolnshire to its northeast, Vernon Hills directly north, and Long Grove to its west and northwest. Unincorporated Prairie View is in two parts of the village. One large portion in the north includes Didier Farms, while the much smaller portion is on the Horatio Gardens subdivision just northeast of the intersection of Weiland Road and Pauline Avenue. Illinois Route 83 leads north towards central Lake County and south towards O'Hare International Airport. East–west streets can take residents east to Lake Michigan and other North Shore suburbs such as Lake Forest, Highland Park, and Glencoe. Buffalo Creek is a forest preserve located adjacent to Buffalo Grove. Before European settlement, the area featured a tallgrass prairie dotted with small wetlands and even now is a nesting spot for grassland birds, including bobolinks and eastern meadowlarks. Improvements in the 2010s include 1.7 miles of trails, seven boardwalks, two scenic overlooks, and a reservoir expansion. Buffalo Creek also functions as flood control and is built to look like a naturally occurring wetland. Buffalo Grove is in the Des Plaines River watershed. Due to its proximity to the city, Buffalo Grove's climate shares many of the same traits as Chicago. Buffalo Grove lies…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  48,864
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  42,462
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  37,954
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37,233
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,739
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  35,627
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  35,177
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  34,976

Largest nearby schools

• Adlai E Stevenson High School
  High · Lincolnshire · 4,489 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• Barrington High School
  High · Barrington · 2,802 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Mundelein Cons High School
  High · Mundelein · 2,212 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Libertyville High School
  High · Libertyville · 1,811 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Lake Zurich High School
  High · Lake Zurich · 1,804 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Highland Park High School
  High · Highland Park · 1,739 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Vernon Hills High School
  High · Vernon Hills · 1,505 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Deerfield High School
  High · Deerfield · 1,483 students · 12.4:1 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