The Village of Schaumburg was incorporated on March 7, 1956, but the heritage of Schaumburg dates back to the much earlier times when the first inhabitants of the area were members of the Sauk, Fox, Pottawatomie, and Kickapoo Indian tribes. By the mid-nineteenth century, settlers first began to arrive from Germany and the eastern United States. Legend has it that the earliest settler was Trumball Kent from Oswego, New York. Kent, a "Yankee," as settlers from New England were called in the west, founded a settlement in 1835 not far from what is now called Olde Schaumburg Centre, formerly known as Sarah's Grove. However, the first recorded settler of Schaumburg Township was German born Johann Sunderlage. According to legend, Sunderlage was a member of a survey team that divided Cook County into townships around 1833. He liked the area so much that, upon completion of the project, he brought his family from Germany and settled in the area around 1836.
Sunderlage and his family occupied their land in the Township until the federal land sale of 1842 allowed them to purchase the property and obtain the deed. Sunderlage and Kent represented the predominant groups that settled Schaumburg Township in its early days. In 1840, 56 percent of the Township households originated from the eastern United States, while 28 percent were German-born. By the 1850s, the population mix had settled to 28 percent “Yankee” and 48 percent German.
By 1870, Schaumburg Township had become completely German. Land records show that all the property in the Township was owned by German immigrants or their descendants. This pattern emerged as many Yankee settlers continued to travel west for the promise of newly opened lands on the Great Plains. The land they occupied in Schaumburg was then purchased by German-born immigrants.
Schaumburg Township remained almost exclusively under German ownership until the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression caused the foreclosure on some German-owned farms which were then purchased by non-German individuals and companies. Nonetheless, German heritage remained important in the area. German was the first language of the majority of households until the 1950s. St. Peter Lutheran Church, the community's oldest church which was constructed in 1847, held services in German as late as 1970.
Schaumburg Township was originally known as Sarah's Grove. This name was derived from a grove of woods that ran through the northwest portion of the Township, which was named for three young women whose families lived adjacent to the grove: Sarah McChesney, Sarah Frisbe, and Sarah Smith. However, the name was never made official. Until 1851, the area's official name was Township 41. At the 1850 Township meeting, residents discussed two names for the Township; Lutherville and Lutherburg. In the middle of the discussion Frederick Nerge, a prominent German landowner, put his fist down on the table and called out, "Schaumburg ichall et heiten!" (It will be called Schaumburg!). With this statement, a consensus was reached on the Township's official name.
This chosen name derived from Schaumburg-Lippe, the part of Germany where many of the Township's residents originated. The majority of German settlers were from the Hesse-Kassel or Hanover districts, but apparently those from the Schaumburg area had more influence in the community's affairs.
Schaumburg Township prospered during its early days. The area's main occupation was farming, with potato growing, dairy products and raising cattle as main sources of income. The land was a very large meadow surrounded by extensive wilderness. Wildlife such as geese, ducks, quail, prairie chickens, rabbits, and deer were very abundant.
In 1858, a small market area emerged at what is now the intersection of Schaumburg and Roselle Roads. Schaumburg Centre functioned as the central service district for the surrounding agricultural producers. It included two general stores, four cheese factories, a cobbler, a tailor, a wagon maker, and a blacksmith.
Most of the early growth in the Northeast region of Illinois occurred along the Fox River Valley and the major rail lines. Since neither of these transportation networks served Schaumburg Township, the Township remained rather isolated. Few roads existed, and several were often impassable. To reach the market, Schaumburg farmers had to travel 27 miles by oxen or horses to Chicago, which only had about 35,000 inhabitants at that time.
In 1900, during a period of German nationalism, a 50 year anniversary brochure reported the following account: "Schaumburg has, as an important English daily newspaper said: 'The reputation of being the model community of Cook County. Also, the town of Schaumburg is an example of a community for all other towns in Cook County and probably in other counties, too. Schaumburg is prompt in the payment of its taxes; it supports churches and schools; it has also the best roads in the land and - Schaumburg has never had a jail.' Finally, it is not just for the settlers only, but also for foreigners."
This isolation was broken, however, as the automobile became the primary means of transportation. Two projects, the expansion of O'Hare Field into a major international airport in 1955 and the construction of the Northwest Tollway in 1956, put Schaumburg in an ideal location for suburban growth. In response to development pressures, the area encompassing what was known as Schaumburg Centre, was incorporated in 1956. At the time of incorporation, the Village consisted of two square miles and a population of 130 residents.
Incorporation enabled the village to control its growth and development. Early village leaders are credited with the foresight and planning that has made later economic growth possible. The original comprehensive plan adopted by the Village Board in 1961, reserved large tracts of land for industrial, commercial, and office development. Growth in these sectors has made the village a major area employer and the State's second largest retail center.
Schaumburg's expansion during the 1960s changed the character of the community dramatically. Schaumburg was no longer a quiet rural community. In 1959, Alfred Campanelli began construction of the first large residential subdivision in the Village, known as Weathersfield. The subdivision now contains several thousand single-family homes built in 22 stages over two decades. In all, Campanelli constructed over 6,800 housing units or approximately 20% of the Village's housing stock. In 1967, the International Village apartment complex opened as Schaumburg's first multiple-family housing development. The following year, Motorola began to construct its corporate headquarters in the community on a site located adjacent to the Northwest Tollway.
The 1970s saw a continuation of the tremendous growth that took place in the previous decade. By 1970, the village population had grown to 18,730. That same year, a second expressway, Interstate 290, opened on the eastern boundary of the village. This provided another link to Chicago and further enhanced its stature in the eyes of the region's many developers. The following year, Woodfield Mall shopping center opened in Schaumburg. During the remainder of the decade, Schaumburg experienced phenomenal commercial, office, industrial and residential development.
In 1978, the Village Board formally established the Olde Schaumburg Centre Overlay District to preserve the character of the area generally located at the intersection of Schaumburg and Roselle Roads. The Olde Schaumburg Centre Commission, also established in 1978, reviews new development and restoration projects in the District to ensure the continued historic appeal of the area.
By 1980, Schaumburg had expanded to 18.3 square miles of land area, and its population had swelled to 53,305 residents. During the early and mid 1980s, development focused on large corporate office buildings and the emerging Woodfield Regional Center along Golf Road. The late 1980s was characterized by the vast expansion of small manufacturing and warehouse uses in the industrial and business parks in the village's northeast and southwest quadrants. Other development such as large manufacturing facilities, commercial retail centers, and large suite hotels boomed in the 1980s.
By 1990, Schaumburg's population, while still increasing, was beginning to slow as land available for residential development was rapidly disappearing. The population in 1990 had risen to 68,586, an increase in 15,281 persons since 1980. Although this was still an impressive growth rate, it was apparent Schaumburg was nearing residential build-out and that future increases would be diminishing.
Office development in the 1990s had also slowed. The once booming office market slumped due to the large supply of office space in the northwest suburbs and the limited demand by typical users in the financial, insurance, and real estate sectors. Yet, the Schaumburg commercial market enjoyed substantial expansion during this period. Since 1990, Schaumburg has witnessed the development of 2.0 million square feet of commercial space including a variety of retail uses. One Schaumburg Place, now known as Streets of Woodfield after being redeveloped, and Woodfield Village Green were built in the early 1990s. A bright future was also reflected by the Woodfield Mall expansion which included approximately 500,000 square feet of commercial space to accommodate Nordstrom department store and several other retail stores. IKEA, an internationally known home furnishings store, opened a 458,000 square foot facility in the Woodfield Regional Center in the late 1990s.
The mid 1990s also experienced an influx of retail food establishments. Pizzeria Uno, Outback Steakhouse, Chevy's, Boston Market, Champps, Chandlers, Hooters, Rainforest Cafe, Joe's Crab Shack and Maggiano's all opened in the village during this time.
In the fall of 1993, the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway opened. This expressway connects Schaumburg to neighboring communities to the southwest and Interstate 290 to the southeast. It also provides convenient access to Spectrum Industrial Park and the nearby Schaumburg Regional Airport, which the village purchased in 1994 and expanded in 1995.
The village finalized the purchase of the Town Square shopping center in 1995, clearing the way for the complete redevelopment of the property. The 27-acre site at the southwest corner of Schaumburg and Roselle Roads has been transformed into a diverse development offering a grocery store, the township library, restaurants, general retail development, and a public amphitheater. The new development was designed to respect the historic character of the Olde Schaumburg Centre, providing late 19th century and early 20th century architectural design and a park to entice residents to casually walk the area and stop at the various establishments.
Minor league baseball came to the village in the spring of 1999. Alexian Field, the 7,000 seat baseball stadium, was built in partnership with the Schaumburg Park District just north of the commuter rail facility. Alexian Field acts as home to the Schaumburg Flyers, a member of the independent Northern League.
In 2000, the village purchased 45 acres of land at the northeast corner of Interstate 90 (Northwest Tollway) and Meacham Road. The purchase was made to reserve the last large parcel of property for possible use as a convention center, hotel, and performing arts center. Schaumburg has been working for over 15 years to bring a convention center to the village that would bring new jobs, new visitors, and significant new economic activity.
In July 2004 a groundbreaking was held for the Schaumburg Convention Center and Hotel at Meacham Road and I-90. Soon to be the showpiece of Schaumburg, this new Hotel/Convention Center will propel the Village of Schaumburg into a new realm of commerce and tourism. Soon Schaumburg will be recognized as a destination of choice for business travelers and convention planners. Slated for completion in summer 2006, this mixed-use project incorporates a Convention Center with 100,000 sq. ft of exhibition space and a 500-room hotel. Guests will enjoy the highest level of personal service and amenities including a business center, health club, pool and whirlpool/spa, fine dining and an executive club. The design is under the direction of John Portman & Associates, known for its vision, creativity and understanding of the human response to space, nature, and light.
As Schaumburg moves into the twenty-first century and readies itself for the 50th anniversary of its incorporation, continued expansion is expected albeit at a slower rate than in years past. With a population of 75,386 in 2000, minimal residential growth both in the single-family and multiple-family market is expected as little residential land remains. Office development activity in the Woodfield Regional Center began to increase in 1997 after almost a decade of absorption. Nearly 2 million square feet of office space has been added to the Woodfield Regional Center in the last five years. Industrial development has remained steady throughout the 1990s with activity increasing in 1996 and 1997 during a period of economic boom. The majority of industrial development is expected to occur in the Spectrum Industrial Park, Woodfield Business Center and Copley Center. Finally, future redevelopment should also occur around the proposed Suburban Transit Access Route (STAR line) transit stop, proposed to be located south the Walden International PUD and north of IKEA and Windy Point Office Park along the Northwest Tollway.
Schaumburg has a home to fit every lifestyle, from single-family homes in a wide variety of styles and design, to garden homes and multifamily communities situated in park-like settings, handsome duplexes and townhomes, manor homes and more. Many neighborhoods border parks or nature preserves and are convenient to shopping, transportation and other amenities. As much as Schaumburg is recognized as a center of business and commercial activity, the residents who make their homes here have a genuine sense of community.
Schaumburg presently contains 13,250,000 square feet of industrial space occupying over 1,600 acres of land. Such development consists primarily of light industrial and warehousing facilities located in the Village's nine industrial parks. The only single-user industrial park is the Motorola property. This park is unique because it includes a mix of uses, including office, museum, and a day care center, beyond the dominant industrial use. The Copley Center and Woodfield Business Center II are also unique in that they still contain a great deal of development potential.
Schaumburg has grown to become the retail commercial hub of the northwest suburbs. Only the City of Chicago surpasses Schaumburg in retail sales in the State of Illinois. Current retail sales in the village totaled over $3 billion. The largest sales generators have been automobile dealerships and service stations, general merchandise establishments, and apparel stores. The village presently contains 9,527,597 square feet of commercial space, the bulk of which is located in and around Woodfield Mall. The village has many other tourist opportunities such as Medieval Times, Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary, and many restaurants and hotels to make your visit enjoyable.
Schaumburg is the largest center of economic development in the State of Illinois, outside the City of Chicago. In addition to the 9.5 millions square feet of retail & commercial space, the village has over 12 million square feet of office space and 13.5 million square feet of industrial space. With a daytime population of 150,000, thousands of businesses, highly educated workforce, superb location and high quality of life, Schaumburg is 'The Place for Business.'
The Village of Schaumburg is proud to provide the highest quality programs and services to its residents and those who visit our community. You will find many services here from how to fill out a Customer Service Request to Senior and Disabled Citizens Services. Please take a moment to browse through them.
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