Incorporated on July 19, 1949, with a population of 3,000, Northlake's name is derived from its two major thoroughfares: North Avenue and Lake Street. Prior to its founding, the area was best known for the Westward Ho Golf Club and Course, a premier golf course in the area. This land eventually became the site for Automatic Electric Company and Villa Scalabrini Home for the Aged (now called Villa Scalabrini Nursing and Rehabilitation Center), two symbols of Northlake's post-World War II boom. Many of the initial residents worked at a nearby defense plant as the nation was gripped by war. They had "shell homes" that needed work on the weekends to complete, and they did their own carpentry, plumbing, and wiring--truly representative of that hard-working generation. In many ways, Northlake's motto, "City of Friendly People," rings as true today as it did in decades past. In many other ways, Northlake's motto should be "City of Hard-Working People."