[4] German Lutheran immigrants planted farms and constructed Hillside's first school and church (Immanuel) near the intersection of Wolf and 22nd Street in the 1840s, which marked the start of the community's formal settlement.

However, Marion Covell found a significant limestone deposit just a few feet below the surface of his property during the 1850s, despite the fact that farming was the main industry at the time.

The quarry he started in 1854 was still in operation until the middle of the 1970s, providing crushed stone for the construction of roads across the Chicago metropolitan area.

Cemeteries also took the place of active farming immediately beyond Hillside on its western and southern borders, first with Mt.

The Illinois Central Railroad station, known as Hillside because westbound trains had to ascend a slope at this location, served as the inspiration for the village's name when it was founded in 1905.

[5]) These institutions were formerly surrounded by open space, but following World War II, when Hillside's population quadrupled (from 1,080 to 2,131) between 1940 and 1950, then surged to 7,794 in 1960, it was submerged in a wave of residential building.

Hillside Retail Mall, a pioneering regional shopping area, was next to the just finished Congress Expressway in 1956.

Soon after, a Holiday Inn, Hillside Theaters, the High Point Tower office structure, and the industrial park on Fencl Lane surrounding the center.

Hillside Retail Center's heyday was brief due to the construction of newer, bigger malls and shopping complexes in the 1960s.

[12] Nearby colleges and universities include: Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Hillside to destinations across the region.