Interesting Facts in Northbrook, IL's History

Nestled in the heart of Chicago's northern suburbs, Northbrook, IL is home to Amplivox Sound Systems.

Why blog about a Chicago suburb that has under 35,000 residents? Because Northbrook a rich history that boasts of interesting people and amusing things.



Here's a list of interesting things about Northbrook:

• Brick making used to be a big business in Northbrook after a farmer noticed it had great clay soil for making bricks.
• The name Northbrook was chosen by a town contest in 1923. The previous name? Shermerville, after one of the town founders.
• 1945 marks the year when junk yards were officially prohibited in Northbrook
• Northbrook's general store used to be a popular stop on the road between Milwaukee and Chicago
• In the 1950's the Longmeadow Hunt Club had Fox Hunts that took place in Northbrook.
• In 1997, President Clinton visited Northbrook to announce Northfield Township 8th grade students tested first in the World in Science and second in math

Well known people who have called Northbrook home:

• The film director John Hughes filmed scenes from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Uncle Buck in Northbrook. Several of his movies (Ferris Bueller, Sixteen Candles, National Lampoon's Vacation), are set in "fictitious" Shermer, Illinois, as a shout-out to Hughes' hometown of Northbrook.
• John Scheyer, the All-American guard who helped lead Duke to their 2009-2010 NCAA Championship.

Some companies that have their corporate offices in Northbrook:

• Crate and Barrel
• Underwriters Laboratories
• The Allstate Corporation
• The Land of Nod
  

Here is a list of sites I used in researching Northbrook:
Village of Northbrook, Encyclopedia of Chicago, Northbrook's Wikipedia Page

What do you find most interesting about Northbrook? Leave a comment!