Streamwood

The area known as Hoosier Grove was home to dairy farmers from the 1830s through the 1950s. In the area of Hanover Township, which would later become Streamwood, the 1950 Census population was roughly 800 people, scattered across dozens of farms.

The farms soon gave way to suburbs. With the end of World War II and the Korean War, veterans were buying homes in the countless instant subdivisions that were sprouting up throughout the nation. A local contractor, Maxon Construction Company, assembled the homes in the area in less than two weeks. Once the community had established enough homes and residents, the builders applied for incorporation as a municipality. On February 25, 1957, the Village of Streamwood was born. 

The builder’s brochures for the new community of Streamwood promised a “Town of Tomorrow,” and the community was marketed to returning war veterans seeking affordable housing. However, new residents faced insufficient well systems, unpaved streets and few municipal services. Homeowners established associations to wrench control of the government away from the builders. They protested waste services and a hike in water and sewer rates. When the new Woodland Heights School opened in 1958, it had only six classrooms to accommodate the hundreds of community children. When four hundred children were required to take classes in split shifts, mothers marched in front of the school and the builder’s sales trailers to discourage buyers. 

By the 1970s, the village grew in size to over five square miles. The new housing developments sparked interest in commercial and industrial growth. 

A new donation in the 1990’s provided schools, parks and libraries with funds to help them grow. True to the roots of Streamwood, a Veterans Memorial was constructed at the new municipal campus. Streamwood became known as one of the fastest growing, most progressive communities in the northwest suburban region.

In the new millennium, Streamwood continued its focus of providing balanced growth, and a commitment to community-oriented public service. Commercial growth opened along Route 59 with the Sutton Park and Streamwood Crossing Shopping Centers. The small ranch-style homes of the 1950s began to blend with larger, executive homes constructed on the west side of town.

In 2017, the village celebrated its 60th Anniversary and began looking forward to its next 60 years.

Source: Village of Streamwood

Skip the chain restaurants and head into Streamwood to discover food made by resident families. Get a taste of the foods the locals are crazy for.

A trip down memory lane will bring you to Hoosier Grove Barn and the one-room schoolhouse museum that once supported the residents of Hoosier Grove (former name of…