[6] The first European-American to settle in Palatine is generally thought to be George Ela, who built a log cabin in the area now called Deer Grove.

Ela was one of the first of a wave of pioneers to migrate to northern Illinois following the Black Hawk War.

Joel Wood surveyed and laid out the village, earning him the title of Palatine's founder.

According to the Daily Herald, the festivities were attended by 60,000 people, which packed the highways leading to the camp with motorists.

The PLZ&W provided transportation to Dr. Wilson's Deer Grove Park, just north of Dundee Road in Palatine.

[9] Palatine's first suburb-style subdivision was called Palanois Park, built shortly after World War II.

The town has experienced rapid growth since the 1970s, part of Chicago's growing suburban sprawl.

During the early 1990s, Palatine along with neighboring Rolling Meadows and far northern suburb Zion were sued by atheist activist Rob Sherman over its village seal and seal-defaced flag, which had a Christian cross, among other things, inside an outline of an eagle.

[12] This process has spawned a new passenger train station, a nearby parking garage, and several new condominiums, rowhouses, and commercial buildings.

Most of these streams meet up with Salt Creek which rises at Wilke Marsh on the village's east side.

The most notable exception is the northeast side, where its streams lie in the Buffalo Creek watershed.

A small part of the east and southeast sides lies in the McDonald Creek watershed.

Pace provides bus service on Routes 604 and 697 connecting Palatine to the Northwest Transportation Center in Schaumburg, and other destinations.