Edgewater Includes: Andersonville, Lakewood Balmoral Population: 56,500 (53% white, 16% Hispanic, 15% black, 12% Asian) Median household income: $48,300 Median sales price (house): $490,000 Median sales price (condo): $150,000 Violent crime rate: 3.3 per 1,000 (vs. 9.3 citywide) Transportation: Four el stops Talk to residents and you’ll hear them describe a near-magical place: broad … Read more
Beverly Population: 20,000 (58% white, 35% black, 5% Hispanic) Median household income: $90,200 Median sales price (house): $223,000 Violent crime rate: 4.0 per 1,000 (vs. 9.3 citywide) Transportation: Five Metra stops Knees accustomed to pancake-flat Chicago terrain will be unprepared for Beverly’s glacial ridge, wedged between a string of five Metra stations and the … Read more
Lincoln Park Population: 64,100 (82% white, 7% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 4% black) Median household income: $92,600 Median sales price (house): $1,350,000 Median sales price (condo): $425,000 Violent crime rate: 2.9 per 1,000 (vs. 9.3 citywide) Transportation: Four el stops The biggest downside of this historic lakefront area may be its sheer popularity. Last year … Read more
North Center Includes: Roscoe Village Population: 31,900 (79% white, 13% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 1% black) Median household income: $69,900 Median sales price (house): $875,000 Median sales price (condo): $355,000 Violent crime rate: 2.0 per 1,000 (vs. 9.3 citywide) Transportation: Three el stops Formerly a magnet for hipster couples toting hipster babies, Roscoe Village has … Read more
Barrington Population: 10,300 (89% white, 5% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 1% black) Median household income: $106,000 Median sales price (house): $438,000 Violent crime rate: 0.4 per 1,000 (vs. 2.1 countywide) Transportation: One Metra stop Founded in 1865, this horsy northwestern suburb offers plenty of room for families to spread out—and feels far more removed from … Read more
Wilmette Population: 27,100 (83% white, 11% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 1% black) Median household income: $130,000 Median sales price (house): $635,000 Violent crime rate: 0.3 per 1,000 (vs. 2.1 countywide) Transportation: One el stop; one Metra stop Wilmette—which ranked No. 2 on that DePaul study of the metro area’s most transit-friendly towns—offers a near-perfect combination … Read more
Hinsdale Population: 16,800 (87% white, 6% Asian, 4% Hispanic, 1% black) Median household income: $166,000 Median sales price (house): $930,000 Violent crime rate: 0.1 per 1,000 (vs. 0.8 countywide) Transportation: Three Metra stops “When I take the kids out here, it just feels right,” says PR firm owner Melissa Skoog Dunagan, a Gold Coast … Read more
Wheaton Population: 52,900 (84% white, 5% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 4% black) Median household income: $86,000 Median sales price (house): $336,000 Violent crime rate: 0.4 per 1,000 (vs. 0.8 countywide) Transportation: Two Metra stops If you’re religious about Sunday services, you may have come to the right place. The seat of DuPage County is part … Read more
Highland Park Population: 29,800 (87% white, 7% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% black) Median household income: $115,000 Median sales price (house): $491,000 Violent crime rate: 0.8 per 1,000 (vs. 1.8 countywide) Transportation: Four Metra stops The current home of former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan (and the former home of Bulls legend Michael Jordan, … Read more
Lake Bluff Population 5,700 (91% white, 6% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 1% black) Median household income $147,000 Median sales price (house) $468,000 Violent crime rate 0.0 per 1,000 (vs. 1.8 countywide) Transportation One Metra stop Want to send your kids to excellent Lake Forest High School while sidestepping the affluent Lake Forest scene? Tiny Lake … Read more
