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CHistory
History · Elmwood Park

Elmwood Park dates to 1914, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #523 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1920.

1914founded
0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Elmwood Park’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Elmwood Park began

When was Elmwood Park founded?

1914

Elmwood Park dates its founding to 1914 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 1,380 in 19202020 census: 24,521112 years

How historic is Elmwood Park?

C

More historic than 34% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Elmwood Park’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elmwood Park is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #523 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elmwood Park’s overall grade.
Founding era1914, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 194028.6% of homes (±3.6) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 34%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 32%

Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Elmwood Park’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). Two sources give 1914.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Elmwood Park’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 18917 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1993. Watch Elmwood Park change.Old housesHalf of Elmwood Park’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · On the map

Elmwood Park on the map, 1891 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elmwood Park. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Elmwood Park on the 1891 USGS mapElmwood Park on the 1900 USGS mapElmwood Park on the 1928 USGS mapElmwood Park on the 1953 USGS mapElmwood Park on the 1963 USGS mapElmwood Park on the 1972 USGS mapElmwood Park on the 1993 USGS map1891Riverside sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Elmwood Park.

The story

How Elmwood Park came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Elmwood Park.

Read it all →

Elmwood Park was incorporated as a village in early April 1914 in order to prevent annexation by the greater city of Chicago. Today, one can still see evidence of a minority of landowners, or share farmers, who voted for annexation to the city in 1915 by the odd chunk taken out of Elmwood Park's northeast corner, which kept the community from achieving a full square rectangular border.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Elmwood Park, 1891 to 1997

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1914
    FoundingElmwood Park is established
  5. 1936Born hereRay Nitschke is born here
  6. 1938Born hereRoger Linquist is born here
  7. 1940In the archiveNielsen's Restaurant Elmwood Park Illinois postcard
  8. 1946Born hereLee Loughnane is born here
  9. 1981In the archiveChicago vicinity, Elmwood Park, Saint Celestine Catholic Parish - summer 1981 (kościół pa…
  10. 1997In the archive19970217 02 Metra
By decade

Elmwood Park, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1940s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s1 item
Nielsen's Restaurant Elmwood Park Illinois postcard1940sNielsen's Restaurant Elmwood Park Illinois postcardPostcard
1950s–1970snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1980s–1990s4 items
Chicago vicinity, Elmwood Park, Saint Celestine Catholic Parish - summer 1981 (kościół parafialny p.w. św. Celestyna)1981Chicago vicinity, Elmwood Park, Saint Celestine Catho…19970217 02 Metra199719970217 02 Metra19970217 04 Metra199719970217 04 Metra19970217 05 Metra199719970217 05 Metra
Date unknown1 to date
Westwood Evangelical Church and Parsonage, 7810 Elmgrove DriveDate?Westwood Evangelical Church and Parsonage, 7810 Elmgr…
Today10 recent
KCS 47022025KCS 4702Untitled photo2025Untitled photoJoey "The Clown" Lombardo Arrest Location2020Joey "The Clown" Lombardo Arrest LocationElmwood Park Metra station 20162016Elmwood Park Metra station 2016Elmwood Park IL 2009 reference map2009Elmwood Park IL 2009 reference mapMapRussell's Bar B Q2006Russell's Bar B QRussell's Bar B Q2006Russell's Bar B QRussell's Bar B Q2006Russell's Bar B QRusell's Bar B Q2006Rusell's Bar B QNTSB Elmwood Park train crash2005NTSB Elmwood Park train crash
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Nielsen's Restaurant Elmwood Park Illinois postcard
Retake this viewNielsen's Restaurant Elmwood Park Illinois postcard, 1940s

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Elmwood Park’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Elmwood Park, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 26,160

Between 1,380 and 26,160 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Elmwood Park’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Elmwood Park

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Ray NitschkeAmerican football player · b. 1936
L
Lee LoughnaneAmerican musician, member of Chicago · b. 1946
A
Ashley ObrestAmerican softball coach
R
Roger LinquistAmerican businessman · b. 1938
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Ellsworth

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Elmwood Park’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewNielsen's Restaurant Elmwood Park Illin…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

River Grove1 historic placeBLeyden Township1 historic placeB−Chicago407 historic placesA+

Questions about Elmwood Park’s history

What year was Elmwood Park founded?

In 1914, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1920 counted 1,380 people here.

How does Elmwood Park rank for history?

Elmwood Park is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #523 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Elmwood Park?

29% of Elmwood Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1955.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (15), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.