A village about 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, with a busy downtown around the Metra station and two stops on the Union Pacific Northwest Line.
01 — At a Glance
Arlington Heights is a village about 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. The 2020 census counted 77,676 residents, and the village covers 16.64 square miles. ZIP codes 60004 and 60005 serve the village. The settlement took the name Arlington Heights in 1874 and incorporated in 1887.
02 — History
The town was Bradley, then Dunton, before it was Arlington Heights. A stonecutter’s family laid it out, the railroad depot shaped its downtown, and a German soda maker’s 1882 house is still standing on Fremont Street.
1837–1846
Asa Dunton, a stonecutter from New England, filed three land claims in 1837. His sons William and James moved out in 1844, and Asa followed in 1846.
Source: Arlington Heights Park District: History & Profile · Village of Arlington Heights: History
1854–1855
William Dunton named the town Bradley in 1854 and changed it to Dunton a year later. He sold 16 acres to the railroad for its right-of-way for $350.
1872–1882
F.W. Müller arrived in Dunton on Good Friday in 1872 and went into business with his half-brother as Sass and Brother, makers of soda water. In 1882 he put up a brick building on North Vail Avenue with the factory below and the family home above. It’s now part of the Historical Museum.
1874–1887
The name changed to Arlington Heights in 1874, and the village incorporated in 1887. The train depot became the center of town, and businesses and homes grew up around it.
Source: Village of Arlington Heights: History · Arlington Heights Park District: History & Profile
1925–1926
The park district formed on June 9, 1925. The next spring, on March 29, 1926, voters approved a public library, 587 to 306, and it opened April 17 above a bank downtown.
Source: Arlington Heights Park District: History & Profile · Arlington Heights Memorial Library: Centennial
1976–1992
The village’s Festival ’76 led to Frontier Days at Recreation Park, which held its 50th festival in 2026. Lake Arlington, 93 acres with a 50-acre lake, was dedicated in 1990 and opened June 6, 1992.
Asa Dunton, a stonecutter from New England, filed three claims here in 1837. His sons William and James settled in 1844, and Asa came in 1846. William named the town Bradley in 1854, then Dunton a year later, and sold 16 acres to the railroad for its right-of-way for $350.
F.W. Müller arrived in Dunton on Good Friday in March 1872, and he and his half-brother started Sass and Brother, making ginger ale, sarsaparilla and fruit sodas. In 1874 the town became Arlington Heights, and in 1882 Müller moved the bottling works into a new brick building on North Vail Avenue, with the factory in the basement and his family upstairs. The village incorporated in 1887. The depot was the town’s gathering place and economic engine, and the downtown grew up around it. Railroad parks laid out in 1892 were the start of the park system.
The park district formed on June 9, 1925. On March 29, 1926, voters created a public library, 587 to 306, and it opened on April 17 on the second floor of People’s State Bank, with Nathaniel Banta on its first board. The Recreation Park fieldhouse and pool, a WPA project, were dedicated on May 28, 1939.
Adeline Müller sold the family home to the Arlington Heights Historical Society in 1967. Today the museum campus on Fremont Street includes the 1882 Müller House, the 1908 Banta House, a log cabin and a coach house. In 1988 the park district and village bought North School Park, land once owned by Asa Dunton, as open space downtown. And in 2015 the old Arlington Club sodas came back, made from the original 1872 recipes and sold at the museum.
The village’s Festival ’76 led to Frontier Days, which marked its 50th year at Recreation Park in 2026. Lake Arlington, built to manage stormwater, was dedicated in the fall of 1990 and opened on June 6, 1992.
Source: Arlington Heights Park District: History & Profile · Arlington Heights Park District: Museum History · Village of Arlington Heights: History · Arlington Heights Memorial Library: Centennial · Arlington Heights Park District: North School Park
03 — Shopping & Dining
Downtown Arlington Heights packs more than a dozen restaurants within a block of the Metra station, and from May through September Arlington Alfresco opens the streets up to outdoor dining.
Italian & French
A downtown restaurant on Campbell Street serving Italian and French cooking since 1985.
27 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteGreek
A Greek kitchen on Davis Street, a short walk from the Metra station.
25 W. Davis St., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteMexican & Latin
Chef Juan Luis Gonzalez’s Mexican and Latin kitchen, in the Metropolis Performing Arts building.
115 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteIrish restaurant & pub
A family-owned Irish pub where every piece of the structure came from Ireland.
8 N. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteJapanese & sushi
Japanese cooking and sushi on Vail Avenue, open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
70 N. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteChicago pizza
A pizzeria whose story goes back to 1956 in Elmwood Park, with its Arlington Heights location on Campbell Street.
101 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteJapanese grocery
A large Japanese supermarket on Algonquin Road, open every day of the year.
100 E. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteCustom & fine jewelry
Custom jewelry and designer collections from jewelers with more than 30 years of experience.
69 S. Evergreen Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteFine wine & spirits
A boutique wine shop with more than 600 wines, craft spirits and gourmet pantry items, in the Evergreen Center downtown.
32 S. Evergreen Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Visit WebsiteSaturdays, 8 a.m. to noon, May through mid-October
Run by the Arlington Heights Historical Society on the museum grounds, with live music and family activities. American Farmland Trust voters named it the best market in Illinois.
110 W. Fremont St., Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Visit Website04 — Education
Most of the village is in Arlington Heights School District 25 for elementary and middle school, and Township High School District 214 for high school. Some neighborhoods at the edges are in other elementary districts.
Boundaries follow the address. Confirm school assignment for each address with the district before you buy.
Search HomesPublic · K–8
The village’s main elementary district, with seven K–5 schools and two middle schools.
Public · Grades 9–12
John Hersey High School on East Thomas Street is the district’s high school in the village. Depending on the address, students may attend another D214 school.
Independent · Grades 9–12
A Catholic high school on East Oakton Street, founded by the Clerics of St. Viator in 1961.
Independent · PreK–8
Two Catholic schools in the village serving the elementary and middle school years.
Independent · Christian
A Christian school that opened in the fall of 1968 and now operates in Arlington Heights.
Public · Village edges
Homes near the village’s edges can fall in neighboring elementary districts, including Districts 15, 21, 23 and 59. Check the address with the district.
05 — Lifestyle
A lot of life here happens downtown, from Thursday night concerts in Harmony Park to shows at Metropolis. Here’s where people spend their time, from the lake and the ball fields to the trains into Chicago.
A 50-acre lake with a 2-mile path around it, open year-round. Boat rentals, sailing lessons and youth sailing camps run in season, and fishing is catch and release.
Park DetailsDowntown’s centerpiece on Evergreen Avenue, with a display fountain, brick walkways, a playground and an amphitheater for seasonal concerts.
Park DetailsThe home of Frontier Days on East Miner Street. A new inclusive playground, tennis courts and story walk opened in 2025, followed by a skatepark that fall.
Park DetailsA volunteer-run Fourth of July festival at Recreation Park with a carnival, bands, a parade and free admission. It celebrated its 50th year in 2026.
Festival InfoThe Village and the Chamber of Commerce close out summer with free live music in Harmony Park and food from local restaurants. This year it ran October 2 and 3.
Event DetailsFrom May through late September, downtown streets open up for outdoor dining, with Sounds of Summer concerts in Harmony Park on Thursday nights in June, July and August.
Event DetailsHouse and travel baseball and softball, plus Arlington Cowboys football and cheer.
AHYAA WebsiteA community soccer club founded in 1978, with recreational, competitive and Premier programs and a pre-travel Junior Aces program for younger players.
Aces WebsiteSwim lessons for ages 6 months and up, plus youth swim teams, through the Arlington Heights Park District.
Aquatics ProgramsA 329-seat downtown theater on Campbell Street that produces five Main Stage shows a year and runs a School of the Performing Arts for students of every age.
Metropolis WebsiteA downtown listening room and restaurant on Vail Avenue with ticketed concerts Tuesday through Saturday.
Hey Nonny WebsiteThe 1882 Müller House, the Banta House, a coach house and the soda pop factory on Fremont Street. Guided tours run Fridays at 1:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
Museum DetailsUnion Pacific Northwest trains stop downtown at 45 W. Northwest Highway. Pace route 594 connects here, and there are 1,944 parking spaces.
Station DetailsA second Union Pacific Northwest stop at 2121 W. Northwest Highway, with 1,032 parking spaces.
Station DetailsInterstate 90 and Illinois Route 53 run along the south and west edges of the village, toward O’Hare and the city. Northwest Highway (U.S. 14) cuts through the middle of town.
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