Buffalo Grove is a village located in northwest suburban Cook and Lake Counties in Illinois. The town, named for Buffalo Creek, which was itself named for the bison bones found in the area. Nearly 50 years old and 50,000 people strong, Buffalo Grove retains the small town feel of its mid-19th century roots. Although the official incorporation of the village didn’t come to pass until 1958, German immigrants settled here in the 1840s, upon the heels of New Englanders who laid claim to frontier property. Originally, the area that now crosses Lake and Cook counties—was home to the Potawatomi Indians. Today, Buffalo Grove history buffs can get a feel for these beginnings at the Raupp Memorial Museum, located at 530 Bernard Drive on land that once served as a dairy farm.
Buffalo Grove is 5 miles NE of Palatine, Illinois and 26 miles NW of Chicago, Illinois. The village is included in the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the year 2000 census, 42,909 people lived in Buffalo Grove.
