Homes for sale in
Harwood Heights.

The land that became Harwood Heights was originally home to the Potawatomi and later, in the 1830s, to the area's first European settler, Israel Smith, who built atop a ridge where Ridgemoor Country Club and St. Rosalie's Church now stand. Farms gradually gave way to residential development through the early 20th century. After World War II, residents frustrated by muddy unpaved streets, no police protection, and poor water service first sought annexation by Chicago, but the city declined to take in the small cluster of homes. Navy veteran Herbert Huening then led an incorporation drive, and in the fall of 1947 voters cast 350 ballots for incorporation. Harwood Heights received its official charter on March 4, 1948, with a population of about 400, and Huening was elected its first mayor.

The 1950s brought the village's most rapid growth as former servicemen moved their young families out of the city. Areas south of Lawrence Avenue were annexed in 1951, and additional land east of Harlem was added in 1956 and 1957. In 1958 residents of Harwood Heights and Norridge voted to create a high school district, and Ridgewood High School (its name combining "Nor-ridge" and "Har-wood") opened in 1960. The Eisenhower Public Library began in 1968. The village name itself is believed to combine "Har" from Harlem Avenue with "wood" from Norwood Park Township, though its exact origin remains uncertain.