During the Eighty Years' War, Hillegom found itself several times between the opposing Spanish and Dutch Rebel armies, resulting in its near destruction in 1577.

But after the middle of the 17th century, the area became prosperous through the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, growing on the sandy soil of fields dug out the dunes.

In 1722, the rich Amsterdam merchant Jan Six II bought the fiefdom Hillegom and built improvements, including a stone bridge over the Hillegommerbeek and a pump in the village square as well as paving a portion of the main road.

Developers bought the estates, cut down the forests, and excavated the sand dunes to create fields for bulb flower cultivation.

This process accelerated in 1904 when a lime-sand brick factory was built just south of Hillegom, which needed large amounts of sand.

Hillegom's convenient location led to another rapid growth period during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, when many new neighborhoods were built to accommodate families working in either Haarlem, Amsterdam, or Leiden.

Hillegom is bordered by the municipalities of Bloemendaal (and formerly Bennebroek) to the north, Haarlemmermeer to the east, Lisse to the south, and Noordwijk (formerly Noordwijkerhout) to the west.