1830Military
== 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...
1841Economy
Immigrant John Miller erected a water-powered sawmill near where the Chicago River met the future Dempster Street shortly after 1841.
1850Culture
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...
1858Architecture
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.
1860Education
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.
1872History
In 1872, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St.
1874Military
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.
1884Architecture
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.
1891Architecture
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.
1892Infrastructure
Paul Railroad bought Miller's Mill and laid track (which became two lines in 1892).
1895Government
The railroad stop facilitated trade and development; the upstart neighborhood grew enough to incorporate in December 1895.
1897Education
The Poehlmans also helped found Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church and its school in 1897.
1900Disaster
The city gained a telephone exchange in 1900, and then established a volunteer fire department in 1904.
1907History
In 1907, gas lines were installed.
1911Government
In 1911, North Shore Electric Light Company installed 36 street lights and the village installed a cement sidewalk along Miller's Road.
1912Architecture
Morton Grove's first bank was constructed in 1912 and a theater began showing silent movies beginning in 1916.
1914Architecture
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...
1915History
By 1915 the Poehlman Brothers' payroll included 400 to 500 people.
1919Government
Martha Catholic Church was founded in 1919 as parishioners rented what had been a tavern before Prohibition, then erected their own church in 1923.
1920History
Morton Grove then outlawed outhouses in 1920.
1926Government
The Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce & Industry was founded in 1926; the village's resident population reached 1,980 in 1930.
1940History
The population of Morton Grove grew from 2,010 in 1940 to 3,926 by 1950, then soared to 20,533 in 1960.
1941Culture
Morton Grove gained a Bell & Gossett plant in 1941, which as part of W.W.
1951Government
In addition to building new schools, Morton Grove gained a Community Church (affiliated with the Presbyterian denomination; chartered in 1951), as well as St.
1956History
Luke's United Church of Christ (in 1956), the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation (in 1957) and Jehovah's Witnesses temple (in 1962).
1969Government
The northwest Chicago Muslim Community Center (founded in 1969) established a branch in Morton Grove and a school in Skokie.
1974Infrastructure
However, the railroad station was downsized in 1974, as freight traffic had declined and it was mostly used for commuters into Chicago.
1981History
=== Handgun ban ===
In 1981, Morton Grove became the first town in America to prohibit the possession of handguns.
2000History
In 2000, Morton Grove had 22,451 residents (74 percent white, 22 percent Asian, 4 percent Hispanic and 0.6 percent black).
2008History
Supreme Court's 2008 opinion in District of Columbia v.
2010History
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.
2020History
== Demographics ==
As of the 2020 census there were 25,297 people, 8,786 households, and 6,338 families residing in the village.
2025Government
The Village President of Morton Grove since May 27, 2025, is Mayor Janine Witko.