Half of Pistakee Highlands’ homes were built after 1967
More historic than 4% of U.S. towns · #754 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Pistakee Highlands was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1967. Below: maps from 1920 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pistakee Highlands is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #754 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pistakee Highlands’ 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 Pistakee Highlands’ 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Pistakee Highlands’ 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 Pistakee Highlands. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1920Grays Lake 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 Pistakee Highlands.
The story so far
Pistakee Highlands, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pistakee Highlands yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Pistakee Highlands is a census-designated place (CDP) in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It consists primarily of an unincorporated area of McHenry County adjoining Pistakee Bay, within the McHenry post office, and is located just northeast of Johnsburg. Per the 2020 census, the population was 3,237.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,454 to 3,237 (-6%).
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.
Pistakee Highlands is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #754 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 Pistakee Highlands?
0.0% of Pistakee Highlands’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
