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DHistory
History · Lincolnwood

Lincolnwood dates to 1922

More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #702 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Most of Lincolnwood was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1910.

1922founded
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Lincolnwood began

When was Lincolnwood founded?

1922

Lincolnwood dates its founding to 1922 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 359 in 19102020 census: 13,463104 years

How historic is Lincolnwood?

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: Wikidata.
History grade

What drives Lincolnwood’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lincolnwood is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #702 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lincolnwood’s overall grade.
Founding era1922, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19406.2% of homes (±3.4) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
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 Lincolnwood’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.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1922.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 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 Lincolnwood’s 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 Lincolnwood are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18996 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1993. Watch Lincolnwood change.Old housesHalf of Lincolnwood’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lincolnwood’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lincolnwood’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

Lincolnwood on the map, 1899 to 1993

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

Lincolnwood on the 1899 USGS mapLincolnwood on the 1928 USGS mapLincolnwood on the 1953 USGS mapLincolnwood on the 1963 USGS mapLincolnwood on the 1972 USGS mapLincolnwood on the 1993 USGS map1899Evanston 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 Lincolnwood.

The story so far

Lincolnwood, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lincolnwood yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Lincolnwood (formerly Tessville) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 13,463. An inner suburb of Chicago, it shares its southern, eastern, and a small section of its western boundary with Chicago, also bordering Skokie to the north and west.

Lincolnwood was established in 1922. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 12,590 to 13,463 (+7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Lincolnwood, 1899 to 1985

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1922
    FoundingLincolnwood is established
  5. 1959Born hereJim Irsay is born here
  6. 1964Born hereSteve Marmel is born here
  7. 1985Born hereGeorge Kontos is born here
By decade

Lincolnwood, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Central Park2023Central ParkArthur M. Goebelt Park2023Arthur M. Goebelt ParkTouhy Ave WB at I-94 - Lincolnwood, IL - March 20222022Touhy Ave WB at I-94 - Lincolnwood, IL - March 2022Purple Hotel Brick, Allen Dorfman Assassination2020Purple Hotel Brick, Allen Dorfman AssassinationLincolnwood Village Hall2013Lincolnwood Village HallChicago-style hot dog meal, Bunny Hutch2002Chicago-style hot dog meal, Bunny Hutch
People over time

Lincolnwood, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00019201940196019802000202013,463

Grew from 359 people in 1910 to 13,463 in 2020, more than tenfold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Lincolnwood

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

See all →
Jim IrsayAmerican football team owner · b. 1959
S
Steve MarmelAmerican television writer and producer · b. 1964
George KontosBaseball player from the United States · b. 1985
J
Jerrilyn FarmerAmerican writer
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Lincolnwood Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Lincolnwood
New Light

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.

Skokie5 historic placesB+Niles Township7 historic placesBChicago407 historic placesA+

Questions about Lincolnwood’s history

What year was Lincolnwood founded?

In 1922, according to Wikidata. the census of 1910 counted 359 people here.

How does Lincolnwood rank for history?

Lincolnwood is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #702 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 Lincolnwood?

6% of Lincolnwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1958.

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 (6), 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.