Northbrook, Illinois

Members of the Potawatomi tribe were the earliest recorded residents of the Northbrook area. After signing the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, the Potawatomi ceded their Illinois lands and moved to a place near Council Bluffs, Iowa.[7] Afterward, Joel Sterling Sherman moved from Connecticut with his family and bought 159 acres (64 ha) of land in the northwest quarter of Section 10 for $1.25 per acre; Northbrook's downtown is located on this site.[8] A German immigrant named Frederick Schermer donated a portion of the land he bought from Sherman to be used for the town's first railroad station, which was named after him.[9] By the 1870s, Shermerville (which also took its name from Shermer) was a farming community. In 1901 the community was incorporated as the Village of Shermerville after a close referendum for incorporation. At the time of incorporation, it had 311 residents and 60 houses. In these early years, Shermerville became notorious for rowdy gatherings at its five saloons; by 1921, therefore, residents believed that the name "Shermerville" had a negative reputation and sought to change it.[10] A renaming contest was held, and the name "Northbrook" was submitted by the US postmaster (and then President of the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association)[11] Edward Landwehr. Landwehr was the son of Herman and Anna Helene Landwehr, both German immigrants and early settlers in the community and for whose family Landwehr Road in Northbrook is named. In 1923, "Northbrook", the winning name, was adopted. At the time, Northbrook had 500 residents. Later on, after the end of World War II, Northbrook's population began to rapidly increase.[12] In 1997, President Bill Clinton visited Northbrook to congratulate the 8th-grade students of Northfield Township (which is mainly Northbrook)[13] for getting the highest score on a world science test, and for getting the second-highest score on a world math test.[14] Between 1950 and 1980, the town's population rose from 3,319 to 30,735. Northbrook was the first community not bordering Lake Michigan to filter Lake Michigan water for public use.[15] Owing to the suburbanization of the community, the last working farm in Northbrook, the Wayside Farm, was sold and closed in 1987.[15]

US Census Bureau reference map

Northbrook is a suburb of the city of Chicago, located at 42°7′45″N 87°50′27″W (42.129226, −87.840715).[16] in the extreme northeastern region of Illinois. Whilst the vast majority of the village lies within Northfield Township,[17] its northwest corner is situated in Wheeling Township.[18] Northbrook shares a border with Northfield to its southeast, Glenview and Prospect Heights to its southwest and south, Glencoe directly east, Highland Park to its northeast, Deerfield directly north, Riverwoods to its northwest, and Wheeling directly west.[19] Techny, once a separate community, was annexed by Northbrook in 1989[20] and predominantly lies south of Voltz Road and stretches south to border Glenview.[21] Interstate 294 curves along Northbrook's western edge while the Edens Spur marks most of the village's northern boundary. Illinois Route 68 stretches west from Wheeling into Northbrook, terminating at the Edens Expressway near Glencoe. In addition, a portion of Illinois Route 43 cuts through Northbrook.

According to the 2020 US gazetteer files, the village has a total area of 13.30 square miles (34.4 km²; 3,440 ha), of which 13.24 square miles (34.3 km²; 3,430 ha) is land, and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km²; 18 ha) (or 0.45%) is water.[1] Situated along the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River, Techny Prairie Park and Fields is the largest park in Northbrook at 113.82 acres and features picnic areas, a sled hill, batting cages, the nine-hole Anetsberger Golf Course[22][23] and Techny Prairie Activity Center, a 44,200 square foot facility housing fitness equipment and studios, an indoor track, pickleball courts, and more.[23] One of the biggest lakes in Northbrook, Lake Shermerville, is located within Wood Oaks Green Park, a 55.9 acre open space with fishing platforms, tennis courts, a playground, bike trail, and more.[24][25] Northbrook lies within the Chicago/Calumet Rivers watershed.[26][27]

As of the 2020 census[37] there were 35,222 people, 12,749 households, and 9,347 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,647.28 inhabitants per square mile (1,022.12/km²). There were 14,209 housing units at an average density of 1,067.94 per square mile (412.33/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 77.53% White, 0.76% African American, 0.07% Native American, 16.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races, and 4.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.41% of the population.

There were 12,749 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.61% were married couples living together, 5.79% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.68% were non-families. 24.98% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.31% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 2.55.

The village's age distribution consisted of 20.8% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 17.5% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $128,883, and the median income for a family was $173,545. Males had a median income of $105,262 versus $53,061 for females. The per capita income for the village was $72,969. About 1.7% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

Religion

Techny Towers

Northbrook is home to a diverse religious community including Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus.

The North Shore is known for having a significant Jewish population;[40][41] Northbrook has eight synagogues,[42] a K-8 Jewish Day School,[43] a branch of JCC Chicago,[44] and Hebrew language courses at its high school.[45]

St. Giles Episcopal Church

Besides Judaism, Protestantism and Catholicism are major religions in Northbrook. Northbrook has many churches, including the St. Nortbert Catholic Church,[46] the Village Presbyterian Church of Northbrook,[47] the Northbrook United Methodist Church,[48] the St. Giles Episcopal Church,[49] and the Northbrook Covenant Evangelical Church.[50] There is also a small Eastern Orthodox community.

The Society of the Divine Word constructed Northbrook's Techny Towers in 1901 to house their North American headquarters and St. Joseph's Technical School, which operated for twelve years; Techny's name is derived from this school. St. Mary's Mission Seminary, the first of its kind which prepared priests and brothers for foreign missions, was opened by the Divine Word Missionaries in 1909.[51][52][53]

The Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago is a mosque located in Northbrook.[54] Nearby, the Hanuman Mandir of Greater Chicago is in Glenview[55] and the Bahá'í House of Worship is in Wilmette.[56]

Northbrook has a workforce population of 27,058 people with 15,219 who are employed, according to a 2018 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.[57] The village has over 3,000 businesses providing more than 45,000 jobs, surpassing its population by over 10,000 positions.[58] Northbrook’s economy is centered around the service industry, primarily professional services, health care, administration, retail, and manufcaturing.[59] The village has over 2.4 million square feet of commercial space, 1 million of which is at Northbrook Court.[59][60] The community’s largest employer at 8,000 personnel[61] is Allstate, which is based in an unincorporated area of Northbrook.[62][63] In 2021, the company announced it would sell the property.[64] UL, a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory,[65] is headquartered in Northbrook and employs 2,000 workers.[61] Bell Flavors & Fragrances and Crate & Barrel are also located in the village.[66][67]

Additionally, Northbrook is a base for several multinational corporations including the North American headquarters of Astellas,[68] a Japanese pharmaceutical company, and Italian-based Barilla,[69] the largest pasta company in the world.[70][71]

Approximately 13% of Northbrook workers are employed at businesses inside the city limits, while about 87% commute elsewhere.[72] The majority of the city's employed residents (67%) commute to work in single-occupant vehicles, while 5 percent use carpools and 10 percent use public transportation.[57] Northbrook workplaces have employees who live across Cook county, with 5 percent from within the village, 18.9% from Chicago, 2.4% from Glenview, and 2.2% from Arlington Heights and Wheeling.[72]

The village’s retailers had total sales of $1 billion in 2022 and are mostly concentrated in strip malls inside corridors near major roads including Sanders Road, Skokie Boulevard, and Lake Cook Road.[59][73] Northbrook Court opened in 1976 and has 103 storefronts including shops, restaurants, and an AMC movie theater, although nearly half of the mall’s spaces are unoccupied due to the loss of major retailers and anchor tenants caused in part by the retail apocalypse and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on retail.[74][75][76]

Founded in 1973, the Northbrook Historical Society works to preserve Northbrook's heritage and educate people about it.[78] It operates a museum located in the former Northfield Inn.[79]

Founded in 1980, the Northbrook Symphony is a nonprofit that plays orchestral music in the town.[80]

Just outside of Northbrook lie the Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview and the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.

Lake Shermerville, Wood Oaks Green Park

Northbrook has many parks and golf courses. Parks in Northbrook include Village Green Park, Techny Prairie Park and Fields, Wood Oaks Green Park, Stonegate Park, Crestwood Park, and Greenfield Park. Golf courses in Northbrook include Heritage Oaks Golf Club (formerly Sportsman's Country Club),[84] Anetsberger Golf Course, and Willow Hill Golf Course. Other facilities in the town include the Techny Prairie Activity Center, Northbrook Sports Center, Northbrook Leisure Center, and Meadowhill Aquatic Center.[85] The Skokie Valley Trail passes through the town.

In recognition of the village's vast greenspace, the Arbor Day Foundation has designated Northbrook as a Tree City U.S.A. community since 1994.[86]

The Northbrook Park District, headquartered in Northbrook, operates recreational facilities in Northbrook.[87] The 17.25-square-mile (44.7 km²) park district, formed in June 1927, serves all of Northbrook and some unincorporated areas within Cook County. The park district lies within the townships of Northfield and Wheeling.[88]

Situated along the Des Plaines River Trail upon the Des Plaines River, the River Trail Nature Center houses educational exhibits and events about local biology and wildlife.[89] Among the region's 194 tree species, 37% are native to the area[90] including the American sycamore, the common hackberry, and Northbrook's village tree, the Bebb Oak.[91] Other native plants include white wild indigo, Junegrass, and ninebark.[92]

Northbrook is in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County's Region 3 and Region 4, which encompass nature such as Dam No. 1 Woods-East and Somme Nature Preserve, Prairie Grove, and Woods.[93]

Northbrook's Village Hall

The Village of Northbrook adopted a council-manager form of government after a 1953 referendum. The Village President, six-member Board of Trustees, and the Village Clerk, all of whom must be residents of Northbrook, are elected at large for staggered four year terms. The board establishes policies and hires a village manager to operate the day-to-day business.[94][95] The most recent board election took place in 2021, with Kathryn Ciesla winning 4,263 votes (63.31% of the total vote).[96] The current board consists of:

The Northbrook Police Department provides law enforcement and the Northbrook Fire Department provides fire suppression and emergency medical services for the village and its residents.[97][98] Civil and criminal law cases are heard in the Cook County Circuit Court of the State of Illinois court system,[99] or in the Northern District of Illinois in the federal system.[100] In the state court, the public prosecutor is the Illinois state's attorney; in the Federal court it is the United States attorney.

From 1947 until 1988, Northbrook used a single area code, 312.[170] However, in 1988, the 312 area code was made exclusive to Chicago and the 708 area code was introduced.[171] Then, in 1996, the 708 area code was split into three: 708, 630, and 847.[172] Currently, Northbrook uses the 847 area code as well as the 224 area code[173] which was introduced in 2002.[174]

Mike Brown

• David Abidor (born 1992), soccer player
• Scott Adsit (born 1965), comedian, cast member of 30 Rock, voiced Baymax in the Disney film Big Hero 6
• Steve Bartman, namesake of "Bartman incident" from Game 6 of 2003 National League Championship Series[175]
• Steven D. Binder (born 1971), Hollywood producer and screenwriter
• Mike Brown (born 1985), right wing for several National Hockey League teams
• Nusrat Jahan Choudhury (born 1976), Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She was a childhood resident of Northbrook.[176]
• Meg Waite Clayton (born 1959), novelist[177]
• Chris Collins (born 1974), basketball head coach, Northwestern
• J. T. Compher (born 1995), center for NHL's Colorado Avalanche
• Billy Donlon (born 1977), head coach for Wright State Raiders men's basketball 2010-16
• Han Chae-young (born 1980), actress who primarily stars in South Korean television dramas
• Luol Deng (born 1985), small forward for NBA's Chicago Bulls
• Anne Henning (born 1955), Olympic speed skater, 1972 gold medalist[178]
• Dianne Holum (born 1951), Olympic speed skater, 1972 gold medalist[178]
• John Hughes (1950–2009), film director and screenwriter[144]
• Kaskade (born 1971), professional DJ
• Ken Goldstein (born 1969), documentary director; writer; musician, author of "The Way of the Nerd" book series
• Krewella, EDM group
• Jason Kipnis (born 1987), second baseman for MLB's Chicago Cubs
• Jayson Megna (born 1990), right wing for NHL's Vancouver Canucks
• Pat Misch (born 1981), pitcher for MLB's San Francisco Giants, New York Mets
• John Park (born 1988), former American Idol contestant; currently active as a musician in South Korea
• Kathleen Parker (born 1943), Illinois state senator[179]
• Scott Sanderson (1955–2019), pitcher with several MLB teams
• Johnny Suh (born 1995), K-pop artist, member of the K-pop groups NCT 127 and NCT (group)
• Jon Scheyer (born 1987), American-Israeli All-American basketball player for national champion 2009–10 Duke basketball team, also played for Maccabi Tel Aviv[180][181]

Northbrook became sister cities with Diegem, Belgium, in 1966.[15]

• Index of Illinois-related articles

• Official website
• Historical society