thumb|right|250px|Riverwoods Village Hall
Riverwoods is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It was established on the banks of the Des Plaines River in 1959 by local steel magnate Jay Peterson. Per the 2020 census, the population was 3,790. The corporate headquarters of CCH are located there, as well as Orphans of the Storm, an animal shelter founded in 1928 by famous dancer Irene Castle. The village used to host the annual "Arts & Riverwoods" festival.
History
In 1885 a station for the Wisconsin Central Railroad was built near the modern day intersection of Deerfield Road and North Milwaukee Avenue that over time caused an increase in the local population. The first half of the 20th-century saw Riverwoods as a popular vacation spot. The Des Plaines River was often frequented by outdoorsman.
In 1959 the locals had Riverwoods incorporated as a village in order to halt development and protect their woodlands.
The 565 acre Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area is considered the soul of the community after the Ryerson family began donating their land to the Lake County Forest Preserves in 1966.
Geography
Riverwoods is a suburb of the city of Chicago, located in the extreme northeastern region of Illinois. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Riverwoods has a total area of , of which (or 98.83%) is land and (or 1.17%) is water.
Architecture
Riverwoods features many significant examples of midcentury residential design, including over 40 homes designed by "prairie modernist" architect Edward Humrich. A recent wave of teardowns and the lack of a local preservation ordinance led the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois to identify Riverwoods in 2006 as one of the Chicago region's communities most threatened by overdevelopment.