More historic than 31% of U.S. towns · #551 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Pingree Grove was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2010. Below: maps from 1925 on and the census since 1910.
Founding year: the first Pingree Grove post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 2007.
History grade
What drives Pingree Grove’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pingree Grove is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #551 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 Pingree 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 Pingree 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 (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 2007.
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 Pingree Grove’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pingree Grove yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Pingree Grove ( PING-GREE) is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 124 at the 2000 census. However, with rapid development in the following years, the 2010 census indicated 4,532 residents, and the 2020 census was 10,365.
Its first post office opened in 1848. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,532 to 10,365 (+129%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Pingree Grove in 1878
Passages that mention Pingree Grove, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The past and present of Kane County, Illinois1878 · page 445Read the page →
Read the text
by the Pingrees, who not only donated the ground, but built the depot, which is an elegant one, at their own expense. They have made the station what it is, and justly merit the reward of giving to it their family name. A great deal of freight is shipped from Pingree Grove Station ; but, like Gilbert's, the bulk of it is milk, and goes mostly to Chicago. The receipts for freight shipped during the year 1877 are as follows : For milk, $4,085.80 ; for other freights, $833.35 ; total, $4,919.15. Freight and travel are rapidly increasing from this point, which is destined, in our opinion, to become one of the main stations on the line.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The past and present of Kane County, Illinois1878 · page 446Read the page →
Read the text
of the milk is bought direct, while a part is worked up for his patrons, as is the usual custom with the factories in the county. A very great portion of the milk of Rutland Township is shipped to other points. Some is shipped from Pingree Grove, some from Gilbert's Station, while a large portion is taken to factories across the lines. The milk and dairy business comprises the principal source of industry, and is increasing in volume every year.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pingree Grove. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1925Elgin 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 Pingree Grove.
Famous people
Famous people close to Pingree Grove
Nobody well known was born in Pingree Grove itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Pingree Grove post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 2007.
How does Pingree Grove rank for history?
Pingree Grove is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #551 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 Pingree Grove?
0.9% of Pingree Grove’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 2010.
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 (2), 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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