Deerfield

History

Originally populated by the Bodéwadmiakiwen (Potawatomi), Myaamia (Miami), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), and Peoria Native Americans, the area was settled by Horace Lamb and Jacob B. Cadwell in 1835 and named Cadwell's Corner. A shopping center located on the site of Cadwell's farm at Waukegan Road and Lake Cook Road still bears that name. The area grew because of the navigable rivers in the area, notably the Des Plaines River and the Chicago River. By 1840, the town's name was changed to "Leclair". Within a decade, settler John Millen proposed a further name change to "Deerfield" in honor of his hometown, Deerfield, Massachusetts and the large number of deer living in the area. At the time, the alternate name for the village on the ballot was "Erin". "Deerfield" won by a vote of 17–13. The village's first school, Wilmot School, was founded in 1847. Originally a one-room schoolhouse, Wilmot is now an elementary school which serves 548 students. It is located on land donated by Lyman Wilmot, whose wife, Clarissa, was the village's first schoolteacher. with a population in the low 400s. In the 1850s, the Deerfield home of Lyman Wilmot served as a stop on the Underground Railroad as escaped slaves attempted to get to Canada. Following World War II, a portion of Waukegan Road (Route 43) that runs through Deerfield was designated a Blue Star Memorial Highway. In 1959, when Deerfield officials learned that a developer building a neighborhood of large new homes planned to make houses available to African Americans, they issued a stop-work order. An intense debate began about racial integration, property values, and the good faith of community officials and builders. For a brief time, Deerfield was spotlighted in the national news as "the Little Rock of the North." Supporters of…

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Deerfield has a total area of , of which (or 99.60%) is land and (or 0.40%) is water. Due to its proximity to the city, Deerfield's climate shares many of the same traits as Chicago. Deerfield lies in a humid continental climate zone (Köppen: Dfa) and experiences four distinct seasons. Like all Chicago suburbs, Deerfield lies within USDA plant hardiness zone 5b.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Adlai E Stevenson High School
  High · Lincolnshire · 4,489 students · 17.8:1 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
• Lake Forest High School
  High · Lake Forest · 1,438 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Oak Grove Elem School
  Elementary · Libertyville · 931 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Aptakisic Junior High School
  Middle · Buffalo Grove · 883 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Daniel Wright Jr High School
  Middle · Lincolnshire · 764 students · 12.5:1 ratio