Elk Grove Village is very proud of our reputation as a Great Place to Live, Work & Play!  

Below are some recent Honors, Awards and Recognitions which highlight our continued dedication to excellence...

•  Lowest Taxes:  Elk Grove Village continues to have the lowest combined property tax rate among comparable Cook County suburbs. 

• Top-Tier Services Validated Through Accreditation: In 2024, the Village was proud to become the only community in Illinois and third community nationwide to have earned full accreditation for its Public Works, Police, Fire, and Building Departments.
  • The Elk Grove Village Public Works Department earned full accreditation status from the American Public Works Association in 2024, after a comprehensive three-year evaluation of its operations, policies, and management practices. 
  • In 2023, the Community Development Department's Building Division became the first organization in Illinois to receive full accreditation from the International Accreditation Service and is 24th in the nation to receive this status.
  • In 2024, the Elk Grove Village Fire Department became one of just 118 agencies worldwide, holding both an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 1 rating and Accreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. This dual recognition highlights the department's effectiveness in all facets of firefighting, emergency medical services, hazardous materials handling, training, personnel management, and communication. 
  • Since 1993, the Elk Grove Village Police Department has been continuously certified as a model of excellence and is now advanced meritorious accredited by CALEA. 

•  2022 and 2024 recipient of the "Municipality of the Year" Award from Illinois RE Journals Magazine.
  
• In 2022 and 2023, Business Facilities Magazine ranked the Village as the number one industrial park in the United States.

• In 2023, International Government Finance Officers Association awarded Elk Grove its 39th consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Financial Reporting for transparency and accuracy of governmental financial reporting. 

• Ranked as the third most affordable community for homebuyers in the country in a study conducted by Storage Cafe in 2022. 

• 2021 Governor's Hometown Award for the community’s effort to install an elevator at the VFW Hall, which has no ground floor entry and was previously only accessible by staircase. The new elevator allows elderly and disabled veterans to access the VFW Hall and its services, and also makes the building more welcoming and accessible for all members of the community. 

• 2019 Governor's Hometown Award and Governor's Cup Finalist for the Elk Grove Village Cares Program, a community-based strategy to tackle opioid addiction, help those in need, and make our community safer, stronger, and healthier.
  
  
• Named 3rd Safest City to Live in Illinois in 2019 by backgroundchecks.org.

• Fire Chief Richard Mikel was named 2018 Illinois Fire Chief of the Year.

• Best Hometown:  Elk Grove Village again recognized as “Best Hometown” by 2016 Daily Herald Readers’ Choice poll. 
  
  
• Elk Grove recognized as One of the Top “Small Cities in Illinois” by Citiesjournal.com in 2016. 
  
  
• Best American City for Global Trade as ranked by Global Trade Magazine in 2014.

• The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police awarded the Elk Grove Village Police Department first place in the 2018-2019 Illinois Traffic Safety challenge

• 2016 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award for the Busse Woods Dam modification storm water mitigation project. 
  
  
• Best City to Start a Business in Cook County and one of the Top 7 Place to Start a Business in Illinois by Nerdwallet.com in 2015.

• Designated a "Storm Ready" Community by the National Weather Service (NWS) in 2019.

• Recognized as a 2016 Playful City as determined by Kaboom.org
  
  
• Award for Business Excellence (AABE) presented to Elk Grove Village by the Daily Herald Business Ledger 
  
  
• Recipient of the 2016 Gold Award of Excellence in recognition of the high quality and creative design of the Makers Wanted® Campaign 
  
  
• Advanced Meritorious “CALEA” Certified Police Department:  Since 1993, the Elk Grove Police Department has been continuously certified as a model of excellence and is now advanced meritorious accredited by CALEA. 

• Davey Marketing Award for Outstanding Creative Work among the best small agencies worldwide.

• Recipient of 2015 Small Business Advocate Award as determined by the United States Conference of Mayors 
  
  
• Elk Grove’s Business Resource Guide named:  Top 10 Resource for Start-Up Businesses as determined by Start Up Savant 
  
  
• In 2016, Elk Grove Village is rated as a Tree City, USA for over 31 consecutive years with a “Growth” distinction due to a strong our urban forest system. 

• Elk Grove Television named Best of Midwest by the Alliance for Community Media. 
  
  
• 2016 Elk Grove Police K-9 Olympic Champion:  From a field of 120 departments, Elk Grove K-9 is top rated in both narcotic detection and warehouse searches.

...as well as our continued history of National and Regional Excellence:

• 1st Environmentally Friendly Village Hall (LEED Gold Certified) in the State of Illinois 

• #1 location in the United States for companies seeking to locate within industrial parks, according to Business Facilities Magazine

• Top 100 Place to Relocate in the United States as named by relocate-america.com 
  
  
• Chicago Magazine rated Elk Grove Village as the “Best Hometown” in Chicagoland 
  
  
• Named as One of the 50 Fabulous Places to Raise a Family in the United States in a book by the same name.
  
  
• Ten Governor’s Hometown Awards for volunteer excellence in the community.

Elk Grove Village Recognized as a Tree City USA for 30 Consecutive Years

In 2023, the Arbor Day Foundation awarded Elk Grove Village as a 2022 Tree City USA which marked the 38th consecutive year the Village has been recognized as a community that has continually made a tremendous commitment of resources to urban forestry.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, the Tree City USA program is a national program, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, that provides the framework for community forestry management for cities and towns across America. Communities achieve Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management which are:

• Maintaining a tree board or department;
• Having a community tree ordinance;
• Spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and;
• Celebrating Arbor Day

Among the benefits of being a Tree City USA community are: cleaner air, improved storm water management, energy savings, and an increase in property values and commercial activity. Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation, comments, "Everyone benefits when elected officials, volunteers and committed citizens in communities like Elk Grove Village make smart investments in urban forests."

Elk Grove Village, Illinois Receives High Praise, Named in the Top 100 Places to Live in the United States

In its 6th annual survey, Relocate-America.com named Elk Grove Village, Illinois as one of the top 100 places to live in the United States. Elk Grove Village rose to the "Top 100" category from thousands of communities that were nominated for the honor. The recognition was earned following a review of the special qualities that make Elk Grove Village a special place to live. In addition to its hometown qualities, communities are compared against education, crime, employment, housing and other criteria.

Elk Grove Village has a long history of receiving top honors. Last year, Chicago Magazine ranked Elk Grove Village as "Best Hometown". Elk Grove Village was also named as one of the top 50 fabulous places in the United States to raise a family, and US News & World Reports recognized Elk Grove High School as one of the top 96 High Schools in the nation.

In recent years, Elk Grove Village has also received 5 Governor's Hometown Awards; recognition by the American Public Works Association for best projects; a "Soles and Spokes" bicycling award; Economic Development awards, Innovation Awards, and countless other recognitions. These prestigious national recognitions follow a $10 million effort to enhance residential areas in the Village. As part of this effort, the Village performed the following:

• created a Veterans Memorial Park and Fountain;
• constructed a Clock Tower to compliment its Village Green;
• installed brick paved crosswalks around school sites and other residential areas;
• improved its public works sites with wrought-iron style fencing and new landscaping;
• installed new and decorative street lights throughout the community;
• replaced worn street signs with new signs in decorative frames and poles; and
• installed landscaping throughout the residential community at schools, in medians, and parkways leading to residential areas.

Chicago Magazine Ranks Elk Grove "Best Hometown"

As featured in the March 2003 issue of Chicago Magazine, Elk Grove Village was rated the Best Hometown when compared to other communities with similar priced housing. Of the 192 communities evaluated by the study, Elk Grove Village was 1 of only 5 suburbs to receive the highest rating in its class.

Rankings were established on the basis of the following: health and safety, housing, transportation, leisure, and schools. For comparison, the following list shows how Elk Grove's score of 112 compared to neighboring communities:

This ranking follows Elk Grove Village's previous listing as one of the national "Fifty Fabulous Places to Raise a Family."

Elk Grove named "fabulous place." Village cited for several amenities

Daily Herald, Northwest Suburbs
Thursday, February 27, 1997
BY JON DAVIS
Daily Herald Staff Writer

Elk Grove Village residents have long bragged that they live in the Camelot of the Northwest suburbs. That claim has been bolstered by the second edition of "50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family" -- a guide book for those considering moving or relocating.

Elk Grove Village and west suburban St. Charles are the only Illinois communities to make the list. They bumped Buffalo Grove and Wheaton, which were listed in the first edition. Other Midwestern cities on the new list include Indianapolis, Ind., Eden Prairie and Rochester, Minn., Columbia, Mo. and Green Bay, Wis.

"It's nice to be recognized," said Village Manager Gary Parrin. "We know that Elk Grove is the exceptional community. It's nice to know that other people recognize it."

The book cites Elk Grove Village's access to transportation, low taxes, varied housing stock, parks and recreation, schools, low crime rate, "exceptional community service and small-town atmosphere."

St. Charles is cited for its schools, location along the Fox River and for being "a community with traditional values...(and) a great family-focused community." Midwestern winters are drawbacks to life in either suburb, as is Elk Grove Village's current lack of "social spots for teenagers," the book said. The new Grove Mall "should remedy this problem" the book said.

The Elk Grove Park District was singled out for its programs and facilities. "The crown jewel of Elk Grove is its 110,000-square-foot Pavilion," which won a design award from Athletic Business magazine, the book said.

"It's nice to be recognized for what we attempt to do for our community in general," said Steve Partman, president of the Park District Board of Commissioners. Quality of schools, health care, recreational facilities and housing costs were among the criteria for communities to be listed as one of the nation's 50 fabulous places, said author Melissa Giovagnoli. Giovagnoli, a business consultant who lives in Schaumburg, personally visited 20 towns on the list and relied on referrals to select the rest.

A member of the National Speakers' Bureau, she polled her fellow speakers and checked out any town mentioned three times or more. Her personal experiences as a 14-year resident of the Northwest suburbs didn't hurt Elk Grove Village and St. Charles when the final cut was made, she said.

"Most importantly, the sense of community is there in Elk Grove," she said. "Everyone is looking for a sense of connection today, and they really met that."

Also among Elk Grove Village's merits, as listed in the book:

• Location
  The vitality of the Industrial Park and a "strong commitment to economic development on the part of Elk Grove officials;" which adds up to an area "primed for continued strong growth."
• Housing
  Elk Grove Village is currently a buyer's market, with the most popular developments along, or close to, the Biesterfield Road corridor.
• Education
  "Students in all four village school districts are at the cutting edge of technology with programs that make strong use of the Internet," the book said.

Buffalo Grove, which made the first edition's list, merited an honorable mention this time -- in the Elk Grove chapter, under "Nearby areas to consider."

Buffalo Grove was noted for its schools, parks and recreational system,neighborhoods and access to transportation and shopping.

Elk Grove Village - 3rd Highest Rating in Illinois for Quality of Life

Elk Grove Village has received the highest rating of any Northwest Suburb and the #3 overall ranking in the State of Illinois for quality of life by CitiesJournal.com.

Citiesjournal.com, an International online website dedicated to quality of life issues in cities, recently published its list of Top Communities in Illinois.  The website specifically identified 13 municipalities that made the cut as the best cities in Illinois.  Elk Grove Village ranked extremely well, coming in as the highest rated community in the northwest suburbs and as the #3 rated community in the entire State.  There are currently around 1,300 municipalities (cities, towns and villages) incorporated in the State of Illinois.

This superior ranking was due to the numerous recreational opportunities, high quality of medical care available in the Village, and its overall strong quality of life.

This well deserved ranking came as no surprise to Elk Grove Mayor Craig B. Johnson:

"Elk Grove Village offers an unparalleled quality fo life for our residents.  We have tremendous schools, parks, library, streets, fountains, concerts, Busse Woods Forest Preserve, and numerous recreational opportunities.  Elk Grove truly is a great place to live, work and play.

I was born in Elk Grove and I chose to raise my family here.  My children have also married and returned to raise their families here in Elk Grove.  We are extremely proud of our community and our family-friendly atmosphere."

A list of the 13 highest rated municipalities follows:

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