Palatine, Illinois

Palatine is a village located in Cook County, Illinois. It is a northwestern residential suburb of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 65,479.

History

The first European-American to settle in Palatine is generally thought to be George Ela, who built a log cabin in the area now called Deer Grove. Ela was one of the first of a wave of pioneers to migrate to northern Illinois following the Black Hawk War. Ela is also the name of a main road just west of the town of Palatine.

Related Topics:
European - Black Hawk War

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The Village of Palatine was founded in 1855. It was built around a station on the new Chicago and North Western Railway. Joel Wood surveyed and laid out the village, earning him the title of Palatine's founder. In 1866, Palatine was finally incorporated as a village.

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Palatine's first suburb-style subdivision was called Palanois Park, built shortly after World War II. The town has experienced truly explosive growth since the 1970s, when it was reached by Chicago's ever-growing suburban sprawl.

Related Topics:
World War II - 1970s

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Palatine is notorious as the location of the Brown's Chicken Massacre in 1993. Seven employees of a local Brown's Chicken & Pasta were shot and their bodies put into the restaurant's freezer, preventing police from establishing a time of death. The unsolved murders scarred Palatine and nearly ruined the Brown's Chicken company. The case was not solved at least until 2002, when DNA evidence finally pointed to Juan Luna and Jim Degorski; one was a former employee, and both were former students at William Fremd High School. These suspects are presently awaiting trial.

Related Topics:
Brown's Chicken Massacre - 1993 - 2002 - William Fremd High School

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