1 of Hanover Township’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 30% of U.S. towns · #554 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Hanover Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1923 on, and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hanover Township is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns, #554 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hanover Township’s overall grade.
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 Hanover Township’s 0.1 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Hanover Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hanover Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1923Barrington 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 Hanover Township.
The story so far
Hanover Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hanover Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hanover Township is one of 29 townships in Cook County, Illinois, USA and is located at the end of the county's panhandle. As of the 2020 census, its population was 100,092 and it contained 35,007 housing units. Hanover Township was established on April 2, 1850. The first reported population of the Township was 672. The Township gets its name from the "Kingdom of Hanover in Western Germany," which is where a majority of the Township's first residents originated from. The primary governmental concerns were collecting taxes, control and collection of stray animals and maintenance of the roads. "Poor relief" was minimal in the early days of the Township and the Clerk was in control of organizi…
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 99,538 in 2010, 100,092 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
Hanover Township, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
Hanover Township is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns, #554 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 Hanover Township?
3% of Hanover Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 (4), the Library of Congress (2), 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.
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2019
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