Elk Grove Village

History

The land that is now the Village of Elk Grove 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. 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 Elk Grove 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. Aaron Miner, a revolutionary war veteran, moved to what is now in Elk Grove in 1833. He maintained friendly relations with the remaining Potawatomi, who gave him a firebrand. His wife and daughter often baked cookies which they would trade with the Potawatomi for venison and game. The village was formally incorporated in 1956 in Elk Grove Township and was founded as a planned suburban community. The majority of houses were constructed by Centex Corporation. As part of the original planning concept, the village was to be home to separated residential and industrial areas (the latter of which…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (0.48%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  62,553
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  54,044
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  45,362
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  44,774
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  41,059
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  39,425
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  38,301
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37,757

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 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