A village of wooded lots and open land about 35 miles northwest of Chicago, with a downtown that grew up around an 1840s crossroads.
01 — At a Glance
Long Grove is a village in Ela and Vernon townships, about 35 miles northwest of Chicago. The 2020 census counted 8,366 residents. Gazetteer files put the total area at 12.61 square miles, with 12.39 square miles of land. Most of the village uses the 60047 ZIP code, and some addresses use 60060 or 60049. Long Grove incorporated in 1956, and Village Hall is at 3110 Old McHenry Road.
02 — History
German farm families settled here in the 1840s and called the place Muttersholtz. A century later, residents incorporated to keep the countryside from being cut into small lots, and the old crossroads downtown became what Long Grove calls Illinois’ first historic district.
1840s
The first settlers came from Germany in the 1840s and named the town Muttersholtz, “Mother’s Wood,” after their ancestral home. Local legend says the long grove of trees reminded them of the land they’d left. Over time, the name Long Grove won out.
1846
Long Grove Community Church grew out of the area’s German immigrant community and dates its history to 1846. The church still stands on Robert Parker Coffin Road.
1847
The Village Tavern dates to 1847 and is known as the oldest restaurant in continuous operation in Illinois. Farmers once stopped in while they stocked up and had their horses shod. Today the dining room seats more than 125 under hand-hewn oak beams.
1956
Property owners organized against a major development plan and called for three-acre minimum lots instead. After litigation and a referendum, Long Grove incorporated in 1956. Guy Reed, father of Barbara Turner and benefactor of today’s Reed-Turner Woodland, was the first village president.
Source: Daily Herald, 2019 · Daily Herald, 2016
1974–1977
The Long Grove Historical Society formed in March 1974 to accept the old Drexler Tavern as a gift. The building was moved to a site behind Kildeer Countryside School, and the village made it Village Hall in 1977. Archer School and the mid-1800s Ruth Barn were relocated beside it.
Source: Long Grove Historical Society: About Us · Daily Herald, 2016
2018–2020
The downtown bridge is a rare pin-connected pony truss, more than a century old, with a cover designed by longtime village president Robert Parker Coffin and added in 1972. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, was badly damaged by a truck two weeks later, and reopened on August 15, 2020.
Source: Long Grove Historical Society: Save the Bridge · Daily Herald, 2019
Long Grove’s story starts as a farming settlement of German pioneers. They arrived in the 1840s and named the town Muttersholtz, “Mother’s Wood,” after their ancestral home, and legend says the long grove of trees reminded them of the country they’d left. Long Grove Community Church traces its history to 1846.
The crossroads of today’s Robert Parker Coffin and Old McHenry roads became the place to buy supplies and have horses shod, often with a stop at The Village Tavern, which opened in 1847 and is still serving.
By the early 1950s, Long Grove was mostly dairy farms and residential estates, with no subdivisions. Residents formed civic groups to deal with zoning, and property owners opposed a major development plan, calling for three-acre minimum lots and open space instead. After litigation and a referendum, the village incorporated at the end of 1956.
The first board was appointed informally to represent every part of the new village, farmers and commuters alike. Guy Reed served as the first village president. For the first two years the village had no income, and everyone serving was a volunteer. Robert Parker Coffin, an architect and one of the founding trustees, became president in 1959 and led the village until 1981, then spent 22 more years on its plan commission.
The first full-time employee, Superintendent Tony Berg, started on October 1, 1970, working from a basement office in the old creamery building. Early board meetings were held in the Kildeer Countryside School cafeteria, and official records were kept in officials’ homes.
In March 1974 the Long Grove Historical Society formed to accept the old Drexler Tavern as a gift. The building was moved behind Kildeer Countryside School and became Village Hall in 1977. Archer School, a one-room schoolhouse, and the mid-1800s Ruth Barn were later moved to the same site, where the society runs a program for local schoolchildren.
The bridge over Buffalo Creek downtown is a pin-connected pony truss more than a century old. Coffin designed its cover, which was added in 1972 to protect it. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, and two weeks later a truck badly damaged it. After a fundraising effort, it reopened on August 15, 2020, with a new foundation and covering.
In 2016 the village counted about 8,500 residents in 60 subdivisions and neighborhoods, with roughly 2,500 acres of protected open space. Downtown keeps its 19th-century scale, with more than 20 shops and about a dozen places to eat and drink around the crossroads.
Source: Historic Downtown Long Grove: History & Heritage · Long Grove Community Church · Daily Herald: Village of Long Grove turning 60 · Daily Herald: Robert Parker Coffin, a founding father of Long Grove · Long Grove Historical Society · Long Grove Historical Society: Save the Bridge
03 — Shopping & Dining
Almost everything is downtown, within a short walk of the covered bridge at Robert Parker Coffin and Old McHenry roads. Historic Downtown Long Grove counts more than 20 shops and about a dozen places to eat and drink.
American tavern · Since 1847
The oldest restaurant in continuous operation in Illinois, with a big brick fireplace, hand-hewn oak beams and room for more than 125 diners.
135 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteItalian
Italian cooking served in an 1876 Victorian home on Old McHenry Road.
343 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteFine dining · Rustic setting
A fine-dining menu in a rustic atmosphere, with daily specials, beer, cocktails and reservations taken.
330 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteSeasonal menu & wine
A seasonal menu and wines from around the world, with a patio and lawn for warm nights.
132 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteCraft brewery & biergarten
German- and Belgian-style beers brewed in a former downtown art studio and poured in a Bavarian-style taproom and biergarten.
360 Historical Ln., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteDetroit-style pizza
Detroit-style pizza in the Mill Pond Shops since 2016.
235 Robert Parker Coffin Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteHandmade chocolates
Chocolates made by hand since 1975, sold from the company’s village store downtown.
114 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteIrish imports & gifts
Irish imports from a shop that’s been part of downtown for more than 40 years.
228 Robert Parker Coffin Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteOlive oils & balsamics
Olive oils and balsamic vinegars, now back in Long Grove at a new location.
302 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteWomen’s apparel & gifts
An upscale women’s boutique with seasonal apparel, accessories and gifts, run by owner Lynne Jankovec since 1991.
144 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteHandmade artisan work
A downtown shop of handmade work by artisans.
130 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit WebsiteAntiques & folk art
A showroom of antiques and folk art on Robert Parker Coffin Road.
427 Robert Parker Coffin Rd., Long Grove, IL 60047
Visit Website04 — Education
Long Grove doesn’t have one school district of its own. Depending on the address, children attend Kildeer Countryside District 96, Diamond Lake District 76 or Fremont District 79 through eighth grade, then Stevenson High School in District 125 or Mundelein High School in District 120.
Boundaries follow the address. Confirm school assignment for each address with the district before you buy.
Search HomesPublic · PreK–8
Kildeer Countryside, Country Meadows and Woodlawn Middle School are in Long Grove. The district’s graduates go on to Stevenson High School.
Public · PreK–8
Serves part of the village, from preschool through eighth grade, and is a Stevenson sender district.
Public · PreK–8
Three schools take students from preschool through eighth grade. Fremont is also a Stevenson sender district.
Public · Grades 9–12
Adlai E. Stevenson High School opened in 1965 and serves all of Long Grove within its 42-square-mile district, along with all or parts of 15 other communities.
Public · Grades 9–12
Some Long Grove addresses are assigned to Mundelein High School instead. Check the address with the district.
Independent · Nearby
Carmel Catholic is a Catholic high school in Mundelein. Lake Forest Academy is a college-preparatory boarding school in Lake Forest.
05 — Lifestyle
Life here runs on open space. Weekends mean a walk in the woods, a festival downtown or a game on the ball fields, and the trains into Chicago are a short drive away.
About 50 acres of the original oak and hickory grove the village was named for, with wood-chip trails open dawn to dusk and a nature center at 3849 Old McHenry Road.
Walking TourA 408-acre preserve on Checker Road with 5.5 miles of gravel trails, restored prairie, boardwalks and fishing in the reservoir.
Preserve DetailsFive acres of green space in the middle of downtown, with the gazebo that’s hosted plenty of wedding ceremonies.
Park DetailsThree days downtown each May with chocolate treats at the shops and restaurants, live music on three stages and a carnival. Proceeds go to downtown projects like Covered Bridge Park.
Festival InfoA late-June weekend of strawberry specials around town, tribute bands on the main stage, pie-eating contests and kids’ crafts in Fountain Square.
Festival InfoLate September brings apple pies, donuts, caramel and candied apples and apple wine, with music and local artisans throughout downtown.
Festival InfoRecreational soccer for boys and girls ages 3 to 18, serving Long Grove, Kildeer, Hawthorn Woods, Lake Zurich and nearby towns.
Club WebsiteA volunteer-run nonprofit, around since 1998, with baseball and fast-pitch softball programs for kids ages 5 to 18 from Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, Long Grove and nearby towns.
LZBSA WebsiteThe Long Grove Park District’s baseball and softball field at 6302 Gilmer Road.
Field DetailsKeeps the village’s past in view, from the relocated Archer School and Ruth Barn behind Village Hall to the school programs that show kids what life was like here.
Historical SocietyA downtown museum holding the Guinness record for the largest collection of handmade sock monkeys.
Museum WebsiteThe library district for much of Long Grove, with a full calendar of programs for kids, teens and adults.
Library WebsiteNorth Central Service trains to Chicago Union Station from 825 Commerce Court, with 1,050 parking spaces and Pace routes 234, 272 and 626.
Station DetailsUnion Pacific Northwest trains to Ogilvie Transportation Center from 137 W. Wood Street, with 1,368 parking spaces.
Station DetailsRoutes 53 and 83 are the main north-south drives, and Route 22, Half Day Road, runs east-west through the area.
Village OverviewPrivate Client Representation