Beach Park · Lake County · IL
Homes for sale in
Beach Park.
Newer Lake County village (incorporated 1989) between Waukegan, Zion, and Lake Michigan. Beach Park D3 + Zion-Benton HSD 126 schools. Affordable Lake County entry point.
- Active listings
- 7
- Median list
- $325K
- Avg time on market
- 20 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
Active listings
7 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Beach Park.
Beach Park is one of the newer villages in Lake County, incorporated on January 1, 1989 after a 1988 referendum, born largely as a defensive move to keep Waukegan and Zion from annexing the area piece by piece. It sits wedged between Waukegan, Zion, Wadsworth, and Lake Michigan in northeastern Lake County, about 45 miles north of Chicago. The housing stock is mostly modest single-family on the lots originally subdivided by F.H. Bartlett Co. of Chicago in the 1920s, which is a big part of why Beach Park lands as a more affordable Lake County entry point compared to the North Shore. Kids go through Beach Park CCSD 3 for K to 8 and then Zion-Benton Township HSD 126 for high school. The IL 173 corridor and Lewis Avenue carry most of the local traffic, and Illinois Beach State Park is essentially at the front door just to the north in Zion. There is no Metra station inside the village, but the UP-N line picks up commuters at Zion and Waukegan stations a short drive away.
At a glance
~14,200 residents
About 14,249 at the 2020 Census, roughly flat since incorporation. About 7.5 square miles total.
Incorporated 1989
1988 referendum, took effect January 1, 1989. One of the newer Lake County villages, formed as a defensive move against annexation by Waukegan and Zion.
D3 + Zion-Benton HSD 126
Beach Park CCSD 3 covers K to 8 (Kenneth Murphy, Howe, Oak Crest, Newport, Beach Park Middle). High school is Zion-Benton Township HSD 126 (primarily Zion-Benton THS).
IL 173, Sheridan Road, Lewis Avenue
IL 173 east-west and Lewis Avenue north-south are the main local arterials. I-94 access via Wadsworth Road to the west.
Illinois Beach State Park
Immediately north in Zion. 4,160 acres of dune, prairie, and 6.5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.
Metra UP-N nearby
No station in the village. Closest stops are Zion (42.1 miles to Ogilvie) and Waukegan (36.0 miles, where most UP-N trains terminate).
Median home value ~$352,000
Median listed price per Zillow April 2026. Entry-level Lake County price point compared to North Shore villages.
Effective property tax ~3.12%
Median annual bill around $5,855 per Ownwell. Lake County rates run high.
What’s close
Beach Park is a roughly 7.5 square mile village in northeastern Lake County, wedged between Waukegan to the south, Zion to the north, Wadsworth to the west, and Lake Michigan a few blocks east.
- IL 173 corridor
- East-west route connecting Beach Park to I-94 and the Sheridan Road shoreline.
- Lewis Avenue
- Main north-south spine through the village. Village hall is at 11270 W. Wadsworth Road just off it.
- Illinois Beach State Park
- 4,160-acre state park with 6.5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, immediately north in Zion.
- Zion Metra station
- UP-N stop at 2501 South Eden Road in Zion. 42.1 miles from Ogilvie Transportation Center.
- Waukegan Metra station
- UP-N stop at 95 North Spring Street. 36.0 miles from Ogilvie, where most UP-N trains terminate (more service than Zion).
- Zion-Benton Township High School
- HSD 126 high school at Kenosha Road and 21st Street in Zion. Primary secondary school for most Beach Park addresses.
What it’s actually like to live here
Beach Park's pitch is pretty straightforward. You get Lake Michigan adjacency, easy access to Illinois Beach State Park, and a Lake County zip code without paying the North Shore price tag. The housing stock is a mix of single-family homes on the original Bartlett-era small lots plus some larger newer builds, and median listed prices have been sitting around $352,000 in early 2026. Median household income runs about $85,664 as of 2024, which is solidly working / middle class for Lake County. The trade-off buyers accept is the Lake County property tax rate, which lands around 3.12% effective in Beach Park, well above the Illinois median.
Commuters here are not walking to a Metra platform. There is no UP-N station in the village itself. Most people drive a few minutes over to the Zion station on Eden Road or down to the Waukegan station on Spring Street, where the bulk of UP-N service terminates. The school setup is split. K to 8 students go through Beach Park CCSD 3 with five schools across the village, and high school is Zion-Benton Township HSD 126, primarily Zion-Benton THS. A meaningful slice of local employment ties into Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, the largest military installation in Illinois, plus Abbott Laboratories headquartered in nearby Abbott Park.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Beach Park community pages coming soon.
Browse the listings above. Detailed neighborhood pages with market stats, school info, and lifestyle take-downs land here as we roll them out.
Schools
Districts serving Beach Park.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D3Grades K to 8
Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3
Schools serving the area
- Kenneth Murphy Elementary
- Howe Elementary
- Oak Crest Elementary
- Newport Elementary
- Beach Park Middle School
District consolidated May 25, 1946. Five schools, about 1,980 students total. Covers most Beach Park addresses K to 8 before students feed into Zion-Benton HSD 126.
- HSD 126Grades 9 to 12
Zion-Benton Township High School District 126
Schools serving the area
- Zion-Benton Township High School
- New Tech High @ Zion-Benton East
Two schools, with Zion-Benton THS at Kenosha Road and 21st Street in Zion as the primary high school. About 2,573 students district-wide as of 2024.
Around town
What there is to do in Beach Park.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Illinois Beach State Park
4,160-acre state park with 6.5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, dunes, prairie, and a campground, just north of Beach Park in Zion.
- Family
North Point Marina
Largest marina on the Great Lakes between Chicago and Milwaukee, with 1,500 slips, in nearby Winthrop Harbor.
- Parks
Lyons Woods Forest Preserve
345-acre Lake County preserve with 2.5 miles of trails through pine grove, prairie, and oak woodland off Blanchard Road in Waukegan.
- Culture
Genesee Theatre
Restored 1927 Spanish Renaissance theater in downtown Waukegan, now a 2,400-seat concert and performance venue.
- Parks
Bowen Park
60-acre Waukegan park with the Jack Benny Center for the Arts, Waukegan History Museum, baseball field, skate park, and a destination playground.
- Family
Carmel Catholic High School
Co-ed Catholic college prep in Mundelein serving Lake County families, with a Dual Credit program and 99% four-year college placement.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Beach Park.
DriveBy car
- Routes: IL 173 · IL 137 / Sheridan Road · Lewis Avenue · I-94 (via Wadsworth Road)
- O'Hare Airport: ~50 min
- Chicago Loop: ~70 min
By the numbers
Beach Park taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
3.12%
effective avg
Sales tax
8.50%
combined
Median sold price
$315,000
MRED · last 12 mo (136 sales)
Median household income
$85,664
ACS
How Beach Park got here
A bit of history.
Before incorporation, the area that is now Beach Park was unincorporated Lake County land in Benton and Waukegan townships. The Beach Park name itself traces back to the Chicago, Milwaukee Electric interurban line: the route had a stop called Beach Depot that was renamed Beach Station in 1928, set near a small park along Lake Michigan, and conductors calling out next stop, Beach Park, made the name stick. In the early 1920s, the F.H. Bartlett Co. of Chicago bought up the land and subdivided it into 25 to 30 foot lots, marketing them as country living for city residents, which shaped the small-lot, modest single-family character the village still has today.
A group of residents began organizing in 1987 around the idea of incorporating, mostly to keep Waukegan and Zion from annexing the area and forcing growth and development on it. The referendum passed on March 15, 1988 despite legal challenges from Waukegan, and incorporation took effect January 1, 1989, with the founders intentionally setting up a home rule village with no real estate tax levy at the start. Beach Park CCSD 3, the local K to 8 district, traces its current organization to a May 25, 1946 consolidation, with earlier school buildings on the land going back decades before that. Population has stayed roughly flat in the modern era, sitting at 14,249 in the 2020 Census and an estimated 14,200 in 2026.
The questions buyers actually ask
Beach Park FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Beach Park. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- How are Beach Park schools?
- K to 8 is Beach Park CCSD 3, a five-school district that consolidated in 1946 and serves about 1,980 students across Kenneth Murphy, Howe, Oak Crest, Newport, and Beach Park Middle. High school is Zion-Benton Township HSD 126, with about 2,573 students primarily at Zion-Benton THS in Zion.
- What's the commute like from Beach Park?
- There is no Metra station inside the village, so most riders drive to Zion (UP-N, 42.1 miles to Ogilvie) or Waukegan (UP-N, 36.0 miles to Ogilvie, where most trains end). By car, O'Hare runs about 45 to 50 minutes via I-94 and I-294, and the Loop is roughly 65 to 75 minutes depending on traffic.
- Why are the property taxes so high?
- That's a Lake County story more than a Beach Park story. The median effective property tax rate in Beach Park sits at about 3.12% per Ownwell, with a median annual tax bill around $5,855, which is well above the Illinois state median of 2.35%. The 60099 side of the village tends to run a touch higher than 60087.
- Can I get to Lake Michigan?
- Yes. Illinois Beach State Park is immediately to the north in Zion, with 4,160 acres and 6.5 miles of shoreline, plus North Point Marina up in Winthrop Harbor for boaters.
- How does Beach Park compare to Zion, Waukegan, and Wadsworth?
- Beach Park is the newer, smaller village sandwiched between them, incorporated in 1989 specifically to avoid being annexed by Waukegan or Zion. Wadsworth is a smaller, more rural village to the west. Beach Park typically lands as a more affordable entry point than the North Shore communities further south while still being a Lake County address.
- How does it stack up to North Shore prices?
- Beach Park's median list price was around $352,000 in April 2026, which is a fraction of what you'd pay in a North Shore town like Highland Park or Lake Forest on the same UP-N line. You give up some commute convenience and tax rate to make those numbers work.
- Why was Beach Park even incorporated?
- Residents organized starting in 1987 to keep Waukegan and Zion from annexing the area and forcing growth and tax burden on them. The referendum passed March 15, 1988 despite legal challenges from Waukegan, and incorporation took effect January 1, 1989.
Your local agent
Joe knows Beach Park
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the communities I actually know, and the details that determine resale value here aren't in the MLS write-up: which lots back to open space, which streets carry the most consistent demand, which floor plans buyers ask for by name, and what each HOA actually covers.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who's walked the streets, talked to the residents, and read the last 50 closed comps in this market specifically. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Lives in McHenry County
- Local specialist
- Beach Park specialist
- Honest local market take
- Brokerocity
Thinking of selling?
What's your home actually worth?
Not a Zestimate. A real CMA from someone who's sold this neighborhood, knows the floor plan premiums, and can tell you which upgrades the buyer pool here actually pays for.
- Pricing range with comp-by-comp logic
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