Northbrook, Illinois
Village
Location of Northbrook in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 42°7′45″N 87°50′27″WCoordinates: 42°7′45″N 87°50′27″W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
Township	Northfield
Incorporated	1901
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• President	Sandy Frum
Area [1]
• Total	13.30 sq mi (34.46 km2)
• Land	13.24 sq mi (34.29 km2)
• Water	0.07 sq mi (0.17 km2)  0.45%
Population  (2010)
• Total	33,170
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	32,958
• Density	2,489.27/sq mi (961.14/km2)
	Down 0.8% from 2000
Demonym(s)	Northbrookian
Standard of living (2009-11)
• Per capita income	$51,719
• Median home value	$519,000
ZIP code(s)	60062, 60063
Area code(s)	847 & 224
Geocode	53481
FIPS code	17-53481
Website	www.northbrook.il.us

Northbrook is a suburb of Chicago, located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, United States, on the border of Lake County.

When incorporated in 1901, the village was known as Shermerville in honor of Frederick Schermer, who donated the land for its first train station. The village changed its name to Northbrook in 1923 as an effort to improve its public image. The name was chosen because the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River runs through the Village.^[4]

Glenbrook North High School, founded in 1952 as Glenbrook High School, is located in Northbrook. The village is also home to the Northbrook Park District,^[5] founded in 1927, Northbrook Court shopping mall, the Ed Rudolph Velodrome, the Chicago Curling Club, and the Northbrook Public Library.

History[edit]

Members of the Potawatomi tribe were the earliest recorded residents of the Northbrook area. In 1833 the Potawatomi ceded their Illinois lands and moved to a place near Council Bluffs, Iowa. Afterward, Joel Sterling Sherman and his family bought 159 acres (64 ha) of land in the northwest quarter of Section 10 for $1.25 per acre; as of 2010, Northbrook's downtown is located on this site. A man named Frederick Schermer donated the land used for the first railroad station, named Schermer Station, and later Shermer Station; the community was named Shermerville after him. By the 1870s Shermerville 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.^[6] A renaming contest was held, and the name "Northbrook" was submitted by the US postmaster (and then President of the Rural Letter Carriers Association) Edward Landwehr. Edward 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. After the end of World War II, Northbrook's population began to rapidly increase.^[7] In 1997, President Bill Clinton visited Northbrook to congratulate the 8th-grade students of Northfield township (which is mainly Northbrook^[8]) for getting the highest score on a world science test, and for getting the second-highest score on a world math test.^[9] 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.^[10] The last working farm (called the Wayside Farm) in Northbrook was sold in 1987.^[10]

Geography[edit]

Northbrook is located at 42°7′45″N 87°50′27″W (42.129226, −87.840715).^[11]

According to the 2010 census, Northbrook has a total area of 13.255 square miles (34.33 km²), of which 13.19 square miles (34.16 km²) (or 99.51%) is land and 0.065 square miles (0.17 km²) (or 0.49%) is water.^[12]

Although it is debated, many people consider Northbrook to be a part of the towns in the North Shore (Chicago).