Skokie's story has always been one of resilience, community, and entrepreneurship… Lincoln Avenue, one of the oldest roads in the area, first a Native American trail and later a stagecoach route, connected Skokie to Chicago and the North Shore, shaping downtown into the hub it remains today. With a legacy of locally owned, family-run shops, the Downtown Skokie Merchants Collaborative now fosters community through events like Summer Thursday Nights and Restaurant Week, while the Skokie Public Library and Heritage Museum anchor cultural connections between past and present.