More historic than 4% of U.S. towns · #752 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Rolling Meadows was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rolling Meadows is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #752 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 Rolling Meadows’ 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 Rolling Meadows’ 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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1953.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
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 Rolling Meadows’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Rolling Meadows on the map, 1923 to 1993
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rolling Meadows. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1923Barrington 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 Rolling Meadows.
The first recorded land claim in the area that later became Rolling Meadows was made in 1836 by Orrin Ford, who acquired 160 acres (0.65 km²) in an area known as Plum Grove. Additional farming families, many from Vermont, settled in the area in the following years. By the early 1840s, settlers had constructed a dam across Salt Creek and occupied the broader Plum Grove area.
In 1850, the settlement became part of the newly established Palatine Township as German immigrants settled in the area. In 1862, Salem Evangelical Church was constructed, and its 40-square-foot (3.7 m²) cemetery remains at the corner of Kirchoff and Plum Grove roads.
In 1953, according to Wikidata. the census of 1960 counted 10,879 people here.
How does Rolling Meadows rank for history?
Rolling Meadows is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #752 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 Rolling Meadows?
2% of Rolling Meadows’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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