Skokie was originally incorporated in 1888 with the name Niles Centre. Historians estimate that around 1910, the spelling was changed to Niles Center. Confusion was caused by the neighboring village of Niles (both villages were within Niles Township), and a campaign emerged to change the village's name by the late 1930s. The community became known as the Village of Skokie (see below) on November 15, 1940.Village land was widely subdivided during the real estate boom of the 1920s. Many two and three flat apartment buildings, and Chicago style bungalows were built at the time, however, the market crash of 1929 halted widespread development.
It wasn't until the 1940s and 1950s, when the baby boomer generation moved their families to the suburbs, that Skokie's housing development took off again. The 1950s also brought commercial development like the upscale Old Orchard Shopping Center, now Westfield Old Orchard.