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C−History
History · Round Lake Beach

Half of Round Lake Beach’s homes were built after 1986

More historic than 17% of U.S. towns · #667 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Most of Round Lake Beach was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1920 on and the census since 1940.

0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

About Round Lake Beach’s history

How historic is Round Lake Beach?

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More historic than 17% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Round Lake Beach’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Round Lake Beach is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #667 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Round Lake Beach’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19404.3% of homes (±1.3) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 17%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 13%

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 Round Lake Beach’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 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 Round Lake Beach’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Round Lake Beach are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19204 editions of the USGS map, 1920 to 1993. Watch Round Lake Beach change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Round Lake Beach’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Round Lake Beach’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Round Lake Beach on the map, 1920 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Round Lake Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Round Lake Beach on the 1920 USGS mapRound Lake Beach on the 1960 USGS mapRound Lake Beach on the 1972 USGS mapRound Lake Beach on the 1993 USGS map1920Grays 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 Round Lake Beach.

The story so far

Round Lake Beach, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Round Lake Beach yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Round Lake Beach is a northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,252. The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area of northwest Chicago-area suburbs that are separated from Chicago's urban area, with Round Lake Beach as the principal city: the Round Lake Beach–McHenry–Grayslake, IL–WI urban area had a population of 261,835 as of the 2020 census, making it the 155th largest in the United States. The village, along with the rest of the Round Lake area, has a significant Mexican population with many Latino businesses, restaurants, and shops throughout the town. Round Lake Beach has the second highest Latino population…

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 28,175 to 27,252 (-3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Round Lake Beach, 1901 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1901Post officeThe Round Lake post office opens
  3. 1920On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1970Born hereTim Unroe is born here
By decade

Round Lake Beach, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Millennium Trail (north) at its western terminus at Sunset Dr - Round Lake Beach, IL - July 20262026Millennium Trail (north) at its western terminus at S…Fairfield Rd north past Long Lake Dr - Round Lake-Round Lake Beach, IL - July 20262026Fairfield Rd north past Long Lake Dr - Round Lake-Rou…Cedar Lake Rd north entering Round Lake Beach - Round Lake-Round Lake Beach, IL - July 20262026Cedar Lake Rd north entering Round Lake Beach - Round…Blue Gray Gnatcatcher2012Blue Gray Gnatcatcher2010 Census Urbanized Area Reference Map for Round Lake Beach--McHenry--Grayslake, Illinois--Wisconsin20102010 Census Urbanized Area Reference Map for Round La…BookDominicks roundlake2007Dominicks roundlake
People over time

Round Lake Beach, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00019401960198020002020Peak: 28,175

Between 410 and 28,175 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Round Lake Beach’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Long LakeIts storyCGrayslakeIts storyC−Venetian VillageIts storyC−Lake VillaIts storyC−Round Lake HeightsIts storyDRound LakeIts storyDAvon TownshipIts storyC+Lake Villa Township1 historic placeCRound Lake ParkIts storyC−Grant Township1 historic placeB−

Questions about Round Lake Beach’s history

How does Round Lake Beach rank for history?

Round Lake Beach is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #667 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 Round Lake Beach?

4% of Round Lake Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1986.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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), 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) 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.