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DHistory
History · Hoffman Estates

Hoffman Estates was first counted by the census in 1960, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #701 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Its Register listing is the Sunderlage Farm Smokehouse. Most of Hoffman Estates was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 1960.

1960first census
1on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hoffman Estates began

When was Hoffman Estates founded?

1960

Hoffman Estates first appears in the census in 1960.

First census: 8,296 in 19602020 census: 52,53066 years

How historic is Hoffman Estates?

D

More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hoffman Estates’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hoffman Estates is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #701 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hoffman Estates’ overall grade.
Founding era1960, from the first census: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19401.1% of homes (±0.4) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register1 listing, 0.2 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 14%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 9%

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 Hoffman Estates’ 0.2 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: the first census (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 Hoffman Estates’ past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Hoffman Estates are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19237 editions of the USGS map, 1923 to 1993. Watch Hoffman Estates change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hoffman Estates’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hoffman Estates’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Hoffman Estates on the map, 1923 to 1993

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

Hoffman Estates on the 1923 USGS mapHoffman Estates on the 1935 USGS mapHoffman Estates on the 1953 USGS mapHoffman Estates on the 1961 USGS mapHoffman Estates on the 1972 USGS mapHoffman Estates on the 1980 USGS mapHoffman Estates on the 1993 USGS map1923Barrington 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 Hoffman Estates.

The story

How Hoffman Estates came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hoffman Estates.

Read it all →

Prior to the 1940s, German settlers moved into the area west of Roselle Road and north of Golf Road, then known as Wildcat Grove. The area was sparsely populated until farmers purchased land in the area in the 1940s.

In 1954, Sam and Jack Hoffman, owners of a father-son owned construction company, bought 160 acres of land in the area. The pair constructed homes and began the development of the region which now bears their name. As residents moved in, they voted to incorporate the area, and the Village of Hoffman Estates was incorporated on September 23, 1959. In 1973, six former town officials, including mayors Edward F. Pinger (1959−1965) and Roy L. Jenkins (1965−1969) were indicted on bribery and tax charges.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hoffman Estates, 1860 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1860BuiltSunderlage Farm Smokehouse is built
  3. 20th century
  4. 1923On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1988Born hereAndre Holmes is born here
  6. 1989Born hereJosh Kline is born here
  7. 1990Born hereMelissa Seidemann is born here
  8. 21st century
  9. 2000Born hereJustin Wrobleski is born here
By decade

Hoffman Estates, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Hoffman Estates, IL, USA - panoramio (2)2013Hoffman Estates, IL, USA - panoramio (2)Hoffman Estates, IL, USA2012Hoffman Estates, IL, USAHoffman Estates, IL, USA - panoramio (1)2012Hoffman Estates, IL, USA - panoramio (1)Darren Archibald Wolves2011Darren Archibald WolvesJBConantHighSchool2004JBConantHighSchool
On the National Register

1 historic place in Hoffman Estates

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Sunderlage Farm Smokehouse
Sunderlage Farm Smokehouse, built 1860
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Sunderlage Farm SmokehouseGreek Revival · Built 1860

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Hoffman Estates, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,000196019802000202052,530

Grew from 8,296 people in 1960 to 52,530 in 2020, 6 times over.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hoffman Estates’ Wikipedia page.

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Hoffman Estates

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

See all →
M
Melissa SeidemannAmerican water polo player · b. 1990
Josh KlineAmerican football lineman · b. 1989
Andre HolmesNational Football League player · b. 1988
Justin WrobleskiAmerican baseball player · b. 2000
Rob ValentinoAmerican soccer player · b. 1985
T
Tom NelsonAmerican football safety · b. 1986
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
South Barrington
Gone or out of use
Blackhawk SchoolschoolMeyers SchoolschoolNew Era SchoolschoolSchool Number 10schoolSchool Number 22schoolSchool Number 41school
1cemetery inside Hoffman Estates
Greve

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

SchaumburgIts storyC−South BarringtonIts storyC−StreamwoodIts storyDInvernessIts storyC+Barrington Township4 historic placesA−Palatine Township2 historic placesCBarrington Hills4 historic placesA−Elgin12 historic placesA

Questions about Hoffman Estates’ history

What year was Hoffman Estates founded?

The Hoffman Estates post office opened in 1960, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Hoffman Estates rank for history?

Hoffman Estates is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #701 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.

What is on the National Register in Hoffman Estates?

One place: the Sunderlage Farm Smokehouse (listed 1990).

How old are the homes in Hoffman Estates?

1% of Hoffman Estates’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1976.

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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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.