Half of Harwood Heights’ homes were built after 1968
More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #598 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Harwood Heights was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1968. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1950.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Harwood Heights is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #598 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Harwood Heights’ 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 Harwood Heights’ 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 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 Harwood Heights’ 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 Harwood Heights. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1891Riverside 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 Harwood Heights.
The story so far
Harwood Heights, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Harwood Heights yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Harwood Heights is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,065 at the 2020 census. Harwood Heights and neighboring Norridge form an enclave surrounded by the city of Chicago.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 8,612 to 9,065 (+5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Harwood Heights is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #598 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 Harwood Heights?
7% of Harwood Heights’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 (3), 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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