History · Forest Lake

Forest Lake’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Forest Lake. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1935established
0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Forest Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Ela Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,784. The community was founded in 1935 as a vacation community for Chicago residents.

Forest Lake was established in 1935. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,659 to 1,784 (+8%). Half of its homes were built before 1995.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Forest Lake yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Start Forest Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Forest Lake’s history is told.

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By decade

Forest Lake, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

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Forest Lake

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01