Half of Indian Head Park’s homes were built after 1977
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #680 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Indian Head Park was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Indian Head Park is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #680 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Indian Head Park’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 Indian Head 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 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 Indian Head Park’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 Indian Head Park. 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 Indian Head Park.
The first Democratic Convention of Cook County was held in the area in 1835. At that time, Indian Head Park was closer to the center of the county, as Cook County then encompassed all of present-day DuPage and parts of Will and Lake counties. During that time the area was known as Lyonsville.
Just north of the village, now on the site of the Timber Trails subdivision, is one of the last camps of the Potawatomi Indians in Illinois.
The Lyonsville Congregational Church on the corner of Joliet and Wolf roads was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.
The Village of Indian Head Park was incorporated on August 4, 1959.
Indian Head Park is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #680 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 Indian Head Park?
4% of Indian Head Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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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