More historic than 29% of U.S. towns · #565 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Long Grove was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1963 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Long Grove post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1956.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Long Grove’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Long Grove is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #565 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Long Grove’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 Long Grove’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1956.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Long Grove’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The village now has very strict building ordinances to preserve its "pristine rural charm", including prohibitions on sidewalks, fences, and residential street lights. The Long Grove area is now known for its historic downtown, its exclusive million dollar homes and the annual events including the chocolate, strawberry and apple festivals that take place in May, June and September, respectively. The Robert Parker Coffin Bridge, on the edge of the city's downtown, is a historic 1906 bridge that is featured on the Long Grove's logo and welcome signs. Due to the 8-foot-6-inch (2.59 m) clearance height of its covering, it has been struck by vehicles dozens of times in recent years.
The Long Grove post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1956.
How does Long Grove rank for history?
Long Grove is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #565 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 Long Grove?
0.3% of Long Grove’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1988.
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), 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.
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