Niles dates to 1832, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #385 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Niles was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Its Register listing is the Leaning Tower of Niles, The. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Niles’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Niles is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #385 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Niles’ 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 Niles’ 0.3 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1832.
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 Niles’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Joseph Curtis settled in what became Niles in 1827, and John Dewes followed in 1831. The settlement was originally called "Dutchman's Point", referring to German immigrants who followed, including John Plank of Hesse-Darmstadt (who sold whiskey to passing travelers and remaining Native Americans) and the Ebinger brothers of Stuttgart, as well as John Schadiger, Julius Perren, John-Jackson Ruland (d. 1880) and Revolutionary war soldier John Ketchum.
Passages that mention Niles, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Cook County, Illinois1909 · page 269Read the page →
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upper story for the church purposes. St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church was organized in 1881. The school was started the same year by Rev. Frank Detzer. St. Peter'sxCatholic church at Niles Center was established in 1868, and at first had a membership of about thirty-five. The frame church was built at a cost of over $3,500. The schoolhouse there was erected in 1873 under the direction of Rev. A. J. Thiele. The village of Morton Grove was started in 1879, and soon there were stores, a postofnce, schools,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cook County, Illinois. From the earliest period to the present time1884 · page 469Read the page →
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Paul, tho township of Niles received but limited additions to its population The forests of the township then became valuable, as wood was used for fuel in Chicago almost exclusively, and also by these two roads.
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History of Cook County, Illinois. From the earliest period to the present time1884 · page 745Read the page →
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Late in the year 1833 Mark Noble, Sr.. bought one hundred and sixty acres of timber land in the southwestern portion of Niles Township, of a half-breed named Jean Mirandeau, and in addition took up enough land to make six hundred acres, a part of it in Niles and a part in Jefferson Township, now Norwood Bark.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cook County, Illinois1909 · page 268Read the page →
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The village of Niles is on the North branch not far from Norwood Park. The first residences on the village site were those of John Schadiger and Julius Perrin. They stood on the right bank of the river. These houses were built about the year 1833. Mr.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Niles, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1832, according to Wikidata. Niles’ post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1880 counted 289 people here.
How does Niles rank for history?
Niles is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #385 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 Niles?
One place: the Leaning Tower of Niles, The (listed 2019).
How old are the homes in Niles?
3% of Niles’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1965.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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