It remained primarily a farming community; although the village was connected to the railroad in 1910, the line was closed ten years later.

The now-defunct Palatine, Lake Zurich, and Wauconda Railroad also served the community.

The town of Lake Zurich puts on an annual festival each summer, called the Alpine Fest.

The Lake Zurich Lion's Club hosted the first Alpine Fest as a way to celebrate their victories from World War II.

[7] The first-ever Alpine Fest took place in 1942 and has been a popular summer activity for families and adults of all ages.

The village government has used eminent domain to obtain properties in an attempt to increase downtown revenue via new businesses.

As of 2004 Lake Zurich had acquired all the property intended to fulfill its downtown redevelopment project.

[9] A 2007 court defeat brought the issue back into the public eye, as a village-owned rental parcel was denied eminent domain.

The renters were granted the ability to stay through the end of their lease due to clerical errors made by the village's legal and administrative employees regarding this parcel in particular.

[17] Lake Zurich is the hometown of Sandra Bullock's character Dr. Ryan Stone in the 2013 science fiction film Gravity.

The site of the former Charles Quentin school became a large part of the retail shopping center known as Kildeer Village Square.