North Chicago Illinois Real Estate
Sitting beautifully on a northeast shore of Lake Michigan, North Chicago is an older community in Lake County with an infusion of youthful residents. Incorporated as a village in 1895 and as a city in 1901, the 7.8 sq. mile plot of land is home to over 36,000 residents and 23,721 households as of the 2000 census. Many of these young families and single professionals are new arrivals to the lakeside suburb and were drawn here by the affordable housing, solid schools, and the safety of the neighborhood.
As of 2005 there were 8,355 houses in North Chicago with 7,674 occupied and with the current owner living in 2,760 of them. In spite of its great location about 40 miles outside of downtown Chicago and proximity to Lake Michigan, the remaining vacant homes are very reasonably priced. In fact, in 2000 the median asking price for available houses or condos was $99,800 and the median monthly rent was $592. Now, the median price for available houses is estimated to be in the low 140’s. The majority of these houses were built after 1950 but before 1980 and most of them have anywhere from 1-3 bathrooms. Due the wide timeframe in which most of these homes were built the architectural styles vary greatly from residence to residence.
Though the North Chicago area has experienced some noticeable de-industrialization in the past decade, many of the old landmarks and institutions still remain. First established in 1911, The Great Lakes Naval Training Center is the Navy’s only boot camp not located near salt water. Also, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and the VA Hospital provide the quaint suburb with both promising and experienced medical personnel. Finally, North Chicago is also home to the Lake Country Forest Preserve which has successful maintained the flourishing wildlife in the many forests, parks, and golf courses in and around the community.
Parents both young and old also benefit from the areas strong education system. Children attend one of six elementary schools in the North Chicago Community Unit School District #187, before heading to Novak-King for sixth grade, Neal for seventh and eighth, and NCCHS for ninth through twelfth.
