Harlem, Illinois
20 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1918 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Harlem Township. It lies in ZIP code area 61111. The Survey maps it on the Rockford North quadrangle. It stands 755 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 20 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1918 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1938 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1949 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1963 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1971 USGS Rockford North quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1981 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1993 USGS Rockford North quadrangle1:24000
In the county-history sources
1,362 words on this townshipThe county-history sources names this settlement in its chapter on Harlem Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Harlem Township - it names this place 7 more 7 times.
Fires near this place
4 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Harlem between 2003 and 2004, burning about 4 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 18 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 16 February 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 16 February 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 16 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 16 workings within 5 miles of Harlem: 11 past producers, 4 producers, 1 plant. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Grover Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Larson Brothers Pit No. 2 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| North Shore S & G Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Porter Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Racetrack Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Cooling Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Genestra Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| H. Webster Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Johns Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
15 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Harlem in 15 storm reports between 2008 and 2026: 7 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 1 lightning, 1 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2011 | Lightning | Harlem | $400,000 | A two story, eight unit apartment building was struck by lightning. The roof was engulfed in flames and the building was a total loss. All of the 15 occupants were able to exit the building safely and no injuries were reported. |
| November 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | $50,000 | Thunderstorm wind damage occurred near McFarland and Thomas Drive in Loves Park where shingles were blown off roofs and fascia was damaged on several houses. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | $3,000 | High winds blew down several power lines along Alpine Road just north of East Riverside Boulevard. |
| April 2026 | Flash Flood | Harlem | - | At least one basement was flooded in Machesney Park. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Sign damage and downed power poles were reported near the Blain's Farm and Fleet on Riverside Blvd in Rockford. |
| April 2023 | Hail | Harlem | - | Quarter size hail was reported between Loves Park and Rock Cut State Park. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Harlem | - | A photo was shared of quarter size hail near the intersection of Spring Creek Road and Perryville Road. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | An 8 inch diameter tree was blown down along Spring Brook Road, west of Mulford Road. |
| July 2019 | Flood | Harlem | - | Photos showed Saturn Street was flooded. |
| September 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Harlem | - | Two spotters observed a funnel cloud in Rock Cut State Park, north of Harlem Road. After discussion with employees at the park, it was determined that this funnel cloud did not touch the ground. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Trees and power lines were blown down. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | A wind gust to 71 mph was measured near Interstate 90 and Riverside Boulevard. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Trees were blown down near Harlem Avenue and Alpine Road. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Harlem | - | Quarter size hail was reported in Loves Park. |
| July 2025 | Hail | Harlem | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills Village | 0.5 miles | 20 | |
| Machesney Park | 1.2 miles | 20 | |
| North Park | 1.8 miles | 20 | |
| Loves Park | 2.6 miles | 20 | |
| Genet | 3.1 miles | 20 | |
| Latham Park | 3.1 miles | 20 | |
| Sturbridge Village | 3.1 miles | 20 | |
| Samuelson Corners | 3.1 miles | 20 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Harlem | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q20657830 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 409785. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.









