Morton Grove is a village in
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is the List of counties in Illinois, most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, C ...
, United States. Per the
2020 census, the population was 25,297. It is part of the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...
.
The village is named after former United States Vice President
Levi Parsons Morton, who helped finance the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (later the
Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...
), which roughly tracked the North Branch of the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). The river is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chic ...
in the area and established a stop at the old Miller's Mill. Miller's Mill Road, now
Lincoln Avenue, connected the former riverside sawmill to the township's central settlement (Niles Center, now
Skokie). The railroad stop facilitated trade and development; the upstart neighborhood grew enough to incorporate in December 1895.
History
A handful of farmers from England settled in 1830–1832, despite there being no roads from Chicago, only Native American trails, as the defeat of the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...
and the
1833 Treaty of Chicago
The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was an agreement between the United States government and the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes. It required them to cede to the United States government their of land (including reservations) in Illinois, ...
led Native Americans to leave the areas. Farmers from Germany and Luxembourg started arriving by the end of the decade, clearing the land by cutting the walnut, oak, hickory, elm and maple trees. Logs were initially hauled to a sawmill at Dutchman's Point (later
Niles, Illinois
Niles is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located in the townships of Maine Township, Cook County, Illinois, Maine and Niles Township, Cook County, Illinois, Niles, directly neighboring Chicago's far northwest border. Per the 2 ...
) at the corner of what became Milwaukee, Waukegan and Touhy Avenues, and stumps burned for charcoal that could then be hauled to heat homes in expanding Chicago. Immigrant John Miller erected a water-powered sawmill near where the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). The river is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chic ...
met the future Dempster Street shortly after 1841. This simplified homebuilding in the area, as well as facilitated further lumber sales. A road (first known as Miller's Mill Road and after 1915 as Lincoln Avenue) allowed wood from the sawmill (and produce from nearby farms) to be hauled to the largest settlement in the surrounding
Niles Township (initially known as Niles Center and now
Skokie) or even further, into Chicago. Around 1850, the "Northwestern" road to/from Chicago (now known as Milwaukee Avenue) was improved (partly using lumber from Miller's sawmill) to become a single lane plank (toll) road. That reduced a four-day journey into Chicago to about a half day, and also helped sales of produce and farm products from the rich bottomland. Lumber was also hauled to
Jefferson Park to fuel locomotives after the first railroads were built in the area. In 1858, Henry Harms built a toll road from the intersection of Ashland and Lincoln Avenues in Chicago to Skokie, where it met Miller's Mill Road. Harms' Road was later extended through
Glenview.
In 1872, the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad bought Miller's Mill and laid track (which became two lines in 1892). They also dug gravel for railroad and road use nearby, creating a quarry at what later became Austin Park. The stop (later station) at what had been Miller's Mill was named Morton Grove to honor one of the railroad's New York financiers,
Levi Parsons Morton. The Morton Grove settlement began growing from about 100 persons, and by 1874 had grown enough to have its first postmaster, Civil War veteran Medard Lochner. Rural mail service started 21 years later, although a blacksmith shop was opened at the settlement by 1884, and a trading post and saloon had operated since 1847. The first subdivision (177 lots) was platted by real estate developers George Fernald and Fred Bingham in 1891, and a convalescent home for German-American aged was built in 1894. The village formally incorporated on December 24, 1895, just eight days before Morton became the Governor of New York. Morton Grove's first mayor, George Harrer, was of German descent (and became the namesake of the village's largest park), and his brother became Skokie's mayor.
20th century growth
The first greenhouses were built in Morton Grove in 1885 (the railroad transported 135,000 tons of coal annually to heat them in cold weather), and the Poehlman Brothers' floral business grew into one of the world's largest floral firms, receiving international recognition when one of its roses won first place at the
1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The orchid department alone included eight greenhouses, and the nearby railroad station received flowers from the Philippines and South America to service customers with more exotic tastes. By 1915 the Poehlman Brothers' payroll included 400 to 500 people. However, the business went bankrupt in the Great Depression.
Baxter Laboratories bought much of the former Poehlman land, and became a major employer in the following decades. The of land surrounding Greenhouse C was purchased by the Morton Grove Days Committee and ultimately became Harrer Park. Lochner's and the wholesale firm Platz Flowers (retail business name "Jamaican Gardens") continue to operate in the village.
August Poehlman long served as one of Morton Grove's six trustees (and as its second mayor), and his brother Adolph was the village attorney.
The Poehlmans also helped found Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church and its school in 1897.
In 1897, close to the turn of the 20th century, Morton Grove built a public school. A one-room "little red schoolhouse" had existed at Waukegan in Beckwith roads from 1860 until finally torn down in 1990, and the Jerusalem Lutheran pastor also operated a school. The city gained a telephone exchange in 1900, and then established a volunteer fire department in 1904. That year, considerable land in the village became forest preserve property, including the banks of the North Branch of the Chicago River (now part of the Ralph Frese Trail) and a section known as the Skokie marshes.
In 1907, gas lines were installed. In 1911, North Shore Electric Light Company installed 36 street lights and the village installed a cement sidewalk along Miller's Road. The next year, water and sewer lines were completed, and the first sewerage treatment plant began operations in 1914, leading to the new
Metropolitan Sanitary District Treatment Plant at Oakton Street and McCormick Road in Skokie. Morton Grove then outlawed outhouses in 1920. Meanwhile, pickle and sauerkraut plants also operated in the village from 1900 until 1915, when a pickle blight caused them to close. Morton Grove's first bank was constructed in 1912 and a theater began showing silent movies beginning in 1916.
Morton Grove continued to grow and prosper as it welcomed home those who fought in World War I, and new immigrants. Village population exceeded 1000 in the 1920 census.
St. Martha Catholic Church was founded in 1919 as parishioners rented what had been a tavern before Prohibition, then erected their own church in 1923. Catholics had previously traveled to St. Peter's Church in Niles Center or St. Joseph's Church in Grosse Point, which became
Wilmette.
From 1919 to 1932, some farmland was transformed into a small airfield north of Dempster St., and tourist flights and wing-walking continued. One of the owners, Fred Sonne, helped form the Chicago Aerial Survey Company (and was honored for his aerial photography in World War II). Hermine Sonne, who married his partner, Dick Boettcher, became the first woman in the village to fly.
As the "Jazz Age" roared on, Morton Grove also became known for its night clubs and speakeasies, especially the Dells club (originally the Huscher family residence at Austin and Dempster streets, which burned down in 1934), the Lincoln Tavern (now the American Legion hall, it burned down in 1918 and was rebuilt across the street, and became a gambling casino in the 1930s with over 400 slot machines, plus dice tables, roulette, blackjack, etc.), the Light House (later called the Coconut Grove) and the Bit and Bridle, among others. The clubs offered live music and entertainment, dancing, fine food, and ambiance (and discreetly served liquor during Prohibition). Since
Evanston to the east was dry (and headquarters of the Women's Christian Temperance Union) and Skokie in between often hosted temperance lectures, Morton Grove's speakeasies drew visitors in limousines and cars from across the
North Shore. The Morton Grove
Chamber of Commerce & Industry was founded in 1926; the village's resident population reached 1,980 in 1930.
The Great Depression struck the village, then World War II forced it to meet further challenges. Morton Grove gained a Bell & Gossett plant in 1941, which as part of
W.W. Grainger Industrial Supply remained a major employer for decades.
After World War II, a new era of growth and prosperity began as Morton Grove entered the “Baby Boom” era. The population of Morton Grove grew from 2,010 in 1940 to 3,926 by 1950, then soared to 20,533 in 1960. People seeking a better life ventured into the suburbs from Chicago and found Morton Grove, especially after the
Edens Expressway opened and cut commuting time into Chicago. In addition to building new schools, Morton Grove gained a Community Church (affiliated with the Presbyterian denomination; chartered in 1951), as well as St. Luke's United Church of Christ (in 1956), the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation (in 1957) and Jehovah's Witnesses temple (in 1962). Also, one current resident now maintains a repository for memorials from defunct synagogues in northwest Chicago and surrounding communities. However, the railroad station was downsized in 1974, as freight traffic had declined and it was mostly used for commuters into Chicago.
The community's demographic mix continued to change from its predominantly Germanic founding. Morton Grove gained many Filipino immigrants, as well as many from Syria, India and Pakistan, so that by 2010 it had among the largest Asian communities on the North Shore. The northwest Chicago Muslim Community Center (founded in 1969) established a branch in Morton Grove and a school in Skokie. In 2000, Morton Grove had 22,451 residents (74 percent white, 22 percent Asian, 4 percent Hispanic and 0.6 percent black).
The village's population reached 23,270 by the 2010 Census (66 percent white, 28 percent Asian, 4.4 percent Hispanic, 1.2 percent black and 2.7 percent identified themselves as belonging to two or more races).
Handgun ban
In 1981, Morton Grove became the first town in America to prohibit the possession of handguns. Victor Quilici, a local lawyer, sued the city (Quilici v. Morton Grove). The federal district court as well as the Appellate Court ruled the Morton Grove ordinance to be constitutional, thus upholding the gun ban. The
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
declined to hear the case, letting the lower court decision stand. The ban stood as village code 6–2–3. However, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2008 opinion in ''
District of Columbia v. Heller'', it appeared likely that the village would drop the ban. On July 28, 2008, the city dropped its prohibition on handguns. The village board voted 5–1 in favor of removing the ban.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Morton Grove has a total area of , all land.
The
North Branch of the Chicago River runs through the middle of the suburb; land along both banks is within
Cook County Forest Preserve.
Demographics
As of the
2020 census there were 25,297 people, 8,786 households, and 6,338 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 9,278 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 54.24%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 33.98%
Asian, 1.94%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.38%
Native American, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 3.08% from
other races, and 6.38% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 8.07% of the population.
There were 8,786 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% were married couples living together, 7.65% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.86% were non-families. 25.88% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.56% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 2.59.
The village's age distribution consisted of 19.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $87,063, and the median income for a family was $110,549. Males had a median income of $61,258 versus $44,069 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $40,923. About 6.3% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The headquarters for
Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi (; commonly known as Alpha Delt, AD, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP) is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a literary society by Samuel Eells in 1832 at Hamilton College in ...
fraternity is located in Morton.
Principal employers
According to Morton Grove's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the principal employers in the village are:
Government
The Village of Morton Grove is represented by a governing board consisting of a Village President and six Village Trustee. The President and Trustee are elected to four-year terms. The Village President is the presiding officer of Village Board meetings, as well as the Village's chief executive officer. The Village President of Morton Grove since May 27, 2025, is Mayor Janine Witko.
Regularly scheduled Board meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, beginning with a closed door executive session at 6:00 PM. The Village Board is the governing body of the Village and exercises all powers entrusted to it under Illinois statutes. These include police powers related to the community's health, safety, and welfare.
Education
Public school districts serving Morton Grove include:
Elementary school districts:
*
East Maine School District 63: Melzer School, Nelson School.
*
Golf School District 67: Hynes Elementary School, Golf Middle School.
*
Skokie/Morton Grove School District 69: Thomas A. Edison School, Madison School, Lincoln Junior High School.
*
Morton Grove School District 70: Park View School.
High school districts:
*
Maine Township High School District 207
Maine Township High School District 207 is a school district based in Park Ridge, Illinois.
Composed of all of Park Ridge, Illinois, Park Ridge and most of Des Plaines, Illinois, Des Plaines, as well as portions of Glenview, Cook County, Illin ...
:
Maine East High School.
*
Niles Township High Schools District 219:
Niles North High School and
Niles West High School
Niles West High School (NWHS), officially Niles Township High School West, is a public four-year high school located in Skokie, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago, in the United States. NWHS is part of the Niles Township Community High School ...
.
A Muslim K-12 school,
MCC Academy, has its secondary school campus in Morton Grove, while its elementary school is in
Skokie.
Jerusalem Lutheran School is a Christian Pre-K-8 grade school of the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...
in Morton Grove.
Transportation
The
Morton Grove station provides
Metra
Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...
commuter rail service along the
Milwaukee District North Line. Trains travel south to
Chicago Union Station
Chicago Union Station is an Inter-city rail, intercity and commuter rail terminal station, terminal located in the West Loop neighborhood of the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago. Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest, Uni ...
, and north to
Fox Lake station.
Pace provides bus service on multiple routes in the village including on the
Pace Pulse
Pulse is an express bus service and a purported bus rapid transit system operated by Pace, a bus and paratransit agency in the Chicago metropolitan area. Pulse lines incorporate some aspects of a bus rapid transit line like transit signal pri ...
Dempster Line.
Notable people
*
Mike Bartlett — former ice hockey player
*
Bart Conner
Barthold Wayne Conner (born March 28, 1958) is a retired American Olympic gymnastics, gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He owns and operates ...
— two-time gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast
*
Jeffrey Erickson — bank robber
[Green, Michelle (March 2, 1992]
"Bloody Ending to a Double Life"
''People''. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
*
Jeff Garlin
Jeffrey Garlin (born June 5, 1962) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for playing List of Curb Your Enthusiasm characters#Jeff Greene, Jeff Greene on the HBO sitcom ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', and Murray ...
— actor, comedian
*
Harvey Mandel — guitarist
*
Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, activist, and author. Deafness, Deaf since she was 18 months old, Matlin is known for her portrayals of deaf women, and for her activism on behalf of deaf individuals in Cinema of the ...
— Oscar-winning actress
*
Jim Brosnan —
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
pitcher, author
*
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...
- actor
References
External links
Village of Morton Grove official websiteChamber of Commerce official website
{{authority control
Villages in Cook County, Illinois
Chicago metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1895
1895 establishments in Illinois
Levi P. Morton
Villages in Illinois