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Entries : Kildeer, IL
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Kildeer, IL

Kildeer, IL

Lake County, 30 miles NW of

the Loop. The first government land survey in 1837 indicates a cabin built by Hermann H. Pahlman near what is now Long Grove Road in Kildeer. The area consisted of rich, rolling, heavily forested land, with streams and small lakes. German farmers bought land from the U.S. government for $1.25 per acre. Ela Township was organized in 1849, named after an early landowner, George Ela. In 1852 a post office called Ela was installed in Quentin's general store, which was located in a trading center at the intersection of Rand and Quentin Roads.

Paved highways made commuting easier and brought weekend visitors and vacationers to surrounding lakes in the early 1900s. In 1958 Brickman Builders announced that they intended to build 16,000 single-family houses, 6,000 apartment units, a high school, four junior high schools, 29 elementary schools, a shopping mall, and an industrial park for a projected population of 60,000.

Local residents fought this development by incorporating as the village of Kildeer. To preserve their environment, a one-acre minimum on residential lots was established by the village government, along with narrow country-style roads, and severely restricted commercial development. In 2000 Kildeer's population was 3,460.


Kildeer, IL (inc. 1958)
Year Total
(and by category)
  Foreign Born Native with foreign parentage Males per 100 females
1960 173  
1990 2,257   5.8% 103
  2,208 White (97.8%)      
  3 American Indian (0.1%)      
  44 Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%)      
  2 Other race (0.1%)      
  25 Hispanic Origin* (1.1%)      
2000 3,460   8.5% 98
  3,246 White alone (93.8%)      
  32 Black or African American alone (0.9%)      
  148 Asian alone (4.3%)      
  13 Some other race alone (0.4%)      
  21 Two or more races (0.6%)      
  80 Hispanic or Latino* (2.3%)      
Bibliography
Brown, Clayton W. A Little Bit of History. 1997.