Glenview history

The charming suburban community of Glenview, Illinois is located about 20 miles northwest of Chicago. Until the middle of the 20th century, Glenview remained a largely agrarian village, populated mainly by farmers and their families. The area was first settled and cultivated in the 1830s, around the same time the last Native Americans were driven from northern Illinois. The majority of the original colonists came directly from the British Isles and Western Europe - England, Ireland, and Germany, for the most part.

In the latter half of the 19th century, Glenview enjoyed steady growth and prosperity. A dramatic change occurred in the 1870s, though, following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, when much of Chicago was reduced to smoldering ash and embers. Instead of sticking around during the rebuilding process, most of Chicago's wealthy elite fled to the suburbs, with many migrating to Evanston, Kenilworth, Wilmette and yes, Glenview. To aid in Chicago's revitalization after the fire, a new railroad was established to ship materials from Wisconsin and Minnesota into the city. The tracks ran right through Glenview, putting the town on what would became an important trade route for Chicago merchants.

By the turn of the century, the town of Glenview was incorporated despite a strong resistance on the part of several farmers. In the following years, wooden sidewalks and gas streetlamps were added. Gradually, over the course of the 20th century, farmland was steadily converted into residential developments, golf courses, schools, commercial districts and retail zones. In 1997, Glenview's last working farm was finally put on the market. The most visible change in the past couple decades, however, was the conversion of the former Glenview Naval Air Station into a massive retail, commercial and residential complex called The Glen Town Center.