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A+History
History · La Grange

La Grange dates to 1830, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 98% of U.S. towns · #12 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 16 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1880.

1830founded
4on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
16old photos & papers
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From La Grange’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How La Grange began

When was La Grange founded?

1830

La Grange dates its founding to 1830 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 531 in 18802020 census: 16,321196 years

How historic is La Grange?

A+

More historic than 98% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1866.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives La Grange’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, La Grange is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #12 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of La Grange’s overall grade.
Founding era1830, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194036.1% of homes (±3.6) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register4 listings, 986 historic buildings, 616 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 98%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)#12 of 768

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 La Grange’s 616 sits above most of its state (99% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 986 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1830.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points).

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 La Grange’s past

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

On the map since 18918 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1993. Watch La Grange change.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s La Grange.A town in old photos16 old photos, postcards and papers, 1903–1997.Old housesHalf of La Grange’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · On the map

La Grange on the map, 1891 to 1993

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

La Grange on the 1891 USGS mapLa Grange on the 1900 USGS mapLa Grange on the 1928 USGS mapLa Grange on the 1953 USGS mapLa Grange on the 1963 USGS mapLa Grange on the 1972 USGS mapLa Grange on the 1980 USGS mapLa Grange 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 La Grange.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

La Grange’s post office has been open since 1876. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hazel Glen
1866–1868
West Lyons
1868–1876
Kensington
1872–1894
La Grange
1876–today
18601940today
1cemetery inside La Grange
LaGrange

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

By decade

La Grange, decade by decade

7 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s7 items
Free Public Library1903Free Public LibraryBirds eye view of La Grange, Illinois from Lawrence Captive Airship at 1000 ft. elevationc. 1908Birds eye view of La Grange, Illinois from Lawrence C…Birds eye view of La Grange, Illinois from Lawrence Captive Airship at 1000 ft. elevationc. 1908Birds eye view of La Grange, Illinois from Lawrence C…[La Grange, Illinois, at 800 ft. elevation]c. 1908[La Grange, Illinois, at 800 ft. elevation]La Grange, Illinois, at 800 ft. elevation1908La Grange, Illinois, at 800 ft. elevationBirds eye view of La Grange, Illinois from Lawrence Captive Airship at 1000 ft. elevation1908Birds eye view of La Grange, Illinois from Lawrence C…Birds eye view of La Grange, Ill. from Lawrence Captive Airship at 800 ft. elevation1908Birds eye view of La Grange, Ill. from Lawrence Capti…
1920s–1940s5 items
AlfredSchimekFrenchCountryHome(Back)1925AlfredSchimekFrenchCountryHome(Back)AlfredSchimekFrenchCountryHome(Front)1925AlfredSchimekFrenchCountryHome(Front)Original La Grange Public Library Building1929Original La Grange Public Library BuildingGeneral Motors Electro Motive Diesel Locomotive plant1930sGeneral Motors Electro Motive Diesel Locomotive plantPostcardSanta Fe EMD F3s at Electro Motive Plant 19481948Santa Fe EMD F3s at Electro Motive Plant 1948
1960s–1990s4 items
Missouri Pacific 1374 and 1386 awaiting disposition at EMD, La Grange, IL on October 6, 19621962Missouri Pacific 1374 and 1386 awaiting disposition a…National Railways of Mexico SD40-2 19721972National Railways of Mexico SD40-2 1972San Francisco Zephyr in La Grange, November 19741974San Francisco Zephyr in La Grange, November 1974Amtrak and Metra passing in LaGrange, February 19971997Amtrak and Metra passing in LaGrange, February 1997
Today8 recent
La Grange, Illinois downtown2011La Grange, Illinois downtownI think this is an sd70ACE, I can't see the hood though2011I think this is an sd70ACE, I can't see the hood thou…WLTL x-mitter2010WLTL x-mitterEMDSD89MAC2008EMDSD89MACLyons Township High School Reber Center2006Lyons Township High School Reber Center20050305 23 Amtrak200520050305 23 Amtrak20050305 18 Pace bus200520050305 18 Pace bus20040511 47 CN LaGrange , IL200420040511 47 CN LaGrange , IL
The story

How La Grange came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of La Grange.

Read it all →

The area around La Grange was first settled in the 1830s, when Chicago residents moved out to the west due to the rapid population increase in the city in the decade since its incorporation. The first settler, Robert Leitch, came to the area in 1830, seven years before the City of Chicago was incorporated. La Grange's location, at approximately 13 miles (21 km) from the Chicago Loop, is not considered far from the city by today's standards, but at the time, the area was not yet well-connected to any major hubs.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

La Grange, 1830 to 1982

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830
    FoundingLa Grange is established
  3. 1866Post officeThe Hazel Glen post office opens
  4. 1868Post officeThe Hazel Glen post office closes
  5. 1868Post officeThe West Lyons post office opens
  6. 1872Post officeThe Kensington post office opens
  7. 1876Post officeThe West Lyons post office closes
  8. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1894Post officeThe Kensington post office closes
  10. 20th century
  11. 1903In the archiveFree Public Library
  12. 1919Born hereLeona Woods is born here
  13. 1920Born hereJohn Lewis is born here
  14. 1925In the archiveAlfredSchimekFrenchCountryHome(Back)
  15. 1930In the archiveGeneral Motors Electro Motive Diesel Locomotive plant
  16. 1948In the archiveSanta Fe EMD F3s at Electro Motive Plant 1948
  17. 1962In the archiveMissouri Pacific 1374 and 1386 awaiting disposition at EMD, La Grange, IL on October 6, 1…
  18. 1966Born hereByron Irvin is born here
  19. 1972In the archiveNational Railways of Mexico SD40-2 1972
  20. 1982Born hereTim Stapleton is born here
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.

Free Public Library
Retake this viewFree Public Library, 1903

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

4 historic places in La Grange

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

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
986
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Lyons Township Hall
Lyons Township HallLa Grange Village Historic DistrictGeorge E. Purple HouseEmmanuel Episcopal Church
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Georgian Revival1
Neo-Colonial1
Victorian1
Vernacular1
Shingle1
Italianate1
Lyons Township HallGeorgian Revival
La Grange Village Historic DistrictVictorian
George E. Purple HouseItalian Renaissance
Emmanuel Episcopal ChurchBuilding

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

People over time

La Grange, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 17,814

Between 531 and 17,814 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

13 famous people were born in La Grange

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

See all →
John LewisAmerican jazz pianist, composer and arranger · b. 1920
Leona WoodsAmerican nuclear physicist · b. 1919
Tim StapletonAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1982
B
Byron IrvinAmerican basketball player · b. 1966
C
Carter PannAmerican composer and composition professor · b. 1972
H
Helen LyndAmerican sociologist and social philosopher · b. 1896
Help out

Finish La Grange’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
7 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFree Public Library: 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.

CountrysideIts storyDLa Grange ParkIts storyC+Lyons Township10 historic placesAProviso Township20 historic placesA−

Questions about La Grange’s history

What year was La Grange founded?

In 1830, according to Wikidata. La Grange’s post office opened in 1866, and the census of 1880 counted 531 people here.

How does La Grange rank for history?

La Grange is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #12 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 La Grange?

4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Lyons Township Hall (listed 1978, the first). 986 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in La Grange?

36% of La Grange’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 1953.

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 (20), the Library of Congress (4), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.