Orchard Place, Illinois, Cook County offers a glimpse into the past with its intriguing history as a once-thriving community. Below is detailed information about the town.
County: Cook County
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 41.9745° N, 87.8823° W
Elevation: Approximately 650 feet
Time Zone: Central Time Zone (CT)
Established: Not available
Disestablished: Not available
Comments: Orchard Place, originally known as Orchard Place/Douglas, was a small settlement that played a significant role in the area’s development. It was initially established as a rural community focusing on agriculture, particularly fruit orchards, which is how it received its name.
Orchard Place, Illinois, was a small farming community in Cook County, Illinois, just west of Chicago. German immigrants settled there in the 1840s, and it was known as Farwell earlier in the 19th century.
In 1887, it became a stop on the Wisconsin Central Railroad and received the name Orchard Place. In 1942, Orchard Place was selected as the site of a new airbase and aircraft manufacturing facility, Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field.
After the Second World War, Chicago bought the airport from the United States government and converted it into a commercial airport, Chicago Orchard Field, which opened in 1946.
Remains: At some point before 1950, much of the land in the adjacent community was subdivided into residential lots, and a network of initially unpaved streets was developed.
These de facto boundaries were altered slightly by the construction of the Northwest Tollway in the mid-1950s, forming a barrier separating it from the largely undeveloped southwestern corner of the area and the airport area in general.
Orchard Place evolved into an unincorporated residential suburban area, with housing development proceeding piecemeal as prospective homeowners and speculative builders purchased individual lots.
Current Status: The area that was once Orchard Place is now part of the city of Des Plaines, Illinois. Over the years, it has become a suburban area with residential and commercial developments.
The community was annexed by a referendum to the City of Des Plaines in 1956. The airport was renamed in 1949 to O’Hare International Airport and has grown into the Chicago metropolitan area’s primary airport and a major North American transportation hub. Today, the former Orchard Place is the southernmost neighborhood of Des Plaines.
The legacy of its original name persists in O’Hare’s airport code (FAA LID: ORD) and in the name of Orchard Place Elementary School.
Remarks: Orchard Place is historically significant as it was the location of a World War II Army Air Force base, which later became the site for O’Hare International Airport. This transformation from a rural settlement to a major transportation hub has contributed to the region’s economic growth and connectivity.
The legacy of Orchard Place is still remembered through historical references and the continued expansion of the surrounding areas.
