More historic than 8% of U.S. towns · #736 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Lynwood was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1960.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.
History grade
What drives Lynwood’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lynwood is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #736 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 Lynwood’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 Lynwood’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 C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 points). Two sources give 1959.
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 Lynwood’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 Lynwood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Calumet 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 Lynwood.
The story so far
Lynwood, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lynwood yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lynwood is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a south suburb of Chicago. The population was 9,116 at the 2020 census. Lynwood was founded in 1959. The village is bordered by Lansing to the north, Glenwood to the west, Ford Heights and Sauk Village to the south, and Dyer, Indiana, to the east. The Indiana state line borders the entire southeastern edge of Lynwood. The village is currently a mix of suburban neighborhoods with a substantial amount of remaining farmland.
Lynwood was established in 1959. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 9,007 in 2010, 9,116 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
In 1959, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1960 counted 255 people here.
How does Lynwood rank for history?
Lynwood is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #736 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 Lynwood?
3% of Lynwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 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.
