Braidwood · Will County · IL
Homes for sale in
Braidwood.
- Active listings
- 8
- Median list
- $340K
- Avg time on market
- 11 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
About the community
Living in Braidwood.
Braidwood is a small city of roughly 6,200 people in southern Will County, about 53 miles southwest of Chicago and 18 miles south of Joliet. It began in the 1860s as a coal-mining boomtown after a farmer struck coal while digging for water, and it grew into one of northern Illinois's most important mining centers. Today it is a quiet bedroom community where most residents own their homes and commute north toward Joliet and the Chicago area along Interstate 55 and Illinois Route 53. The historic alignment of Route 66 runs through town, and landmarks like the Polk-A-Dot Drive In keep that heritage alive. The Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station and the surrounding Mazonia-Braidwood state recreation lands anchor the local economy and outdoor life, and median home values sit well below the national average.
At a glance
About 6,200 residents
Braidwood had 6,194 residents at the 2020 census.
Affordable homes
The median home value was about $202,500 in 2024, well below the national average.
Schools
Most of the city is served by Reed-Custer Community Unit School District 255U.
Commute to Joliet
About a 30-minute drive north via Interstate 55.
Major employer
The Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station is one of the region's major employers.
Historic Route 66
Braidwood sits on the historic Route 66 alignment, now the IL-53 corridor.
Median income
The median household income is roughly $82,000.
Coal boomtown
Incorporated in 1873, Braidwood grew as one of northern Illinois's key coal-mining centers.
What’s close
Braidwood sits in southern Will County at the crossroads of Interstate 55 and Illinois Route 53, about 53 miles southwest of downtown Chicago and 18 miles south of Joliet.
- Distance to Chicago
- About 53 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
- Distance to Joliet
- About 18 miles south, roughly a 30-minute drive.
- Interstate access
- Direct access to Interstate 55.
- State route
- Illinois Route 53 runs through town along the historic Route 66 alignment.
- Counties
- Primarily Will County, with a portion in Grundy County.
- Recreation
- Adjacent to the Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area and Braidwood Lake.
What it’s actually like to live here
Braidwood is a small-town, homeowner-oriented community. About 87 percent of housing units are owner-occupied, well above the national rate, and the median age of around 46 reflects an established, settled population. Most workers drive alone to jobs outside town, with an average commute near 29 minutes, and the largest local employment sectors are retail trade, transportation and warehousing, and construction. The Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station nearby remains one of the area's signature employers.
Day-to-day life leans on the outdoors and on Route 66 nostalgia. The Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area and the cooling-lake fisheries south of town offer fishing, hunting, birding, and fossil hunting across thousands of acres and hundreds of water impoundments. Along the old highway, the Polk-A-Dot Drive In has served burgers and shakes in a 1950s setting since 1956. The combination of affordable homes, easy interstate access, and abundant open space defines the Braidwood lifestyle.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Braidwood 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 Braidwood.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- 255UGrades PK-12
Reed-Custer Community Unit School District 255U
Schools serving the area
- Reed-Custer Elementary School
- Reed-Custer Middle School
- Reed-Custer High School
Serves the Will County portion of Braidwood, plus Custer Park, Essex, and the Will County portions of Braceville, Godley, and Diamond. Reed-Custer High School is on Comet Drive in Braidwood.
- D1Grades PK-12
Coal City Community Unit School District 1
Schools serving the area
- Coal City Unit District 1 schools
Serves the Grundy County portion of Braidwood.
Around town
What there is to do in Braidwood.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Food & Drink
Polk-A-Dot Drive In
A 1950s-style Route 66 drive-in open since 1956, known for its menu and the fiberglass figures of mid-century icons out front.
- Parks
Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area
A state recreation complex of more than 200 water impoundments offering fishing, hunting, birding, and fossil hunting.
- Parks
Braidwood Lake
A 2,640-acre cooling-lake fishery south of town within the Mazonia-Braidwood complex, popular for bass fishing.
- Culture
Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway
The historic Route 66 alignment runs through Braidwood, which is profiled as a stop on the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway.
- Culture
Braidwood Route 66 Roadside Stops
Roadside Americana and Route 66 photo stops cluster along the byway through Braidwood, including a former motel featured in a 1980s film.
- Family
Reed-Custer Community Events
The Reed-Custer district and local civic groups host community and youth events centered in Braidwood.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Braidwood.
DriveBy car
- Routes: Interstate 55 · Illinois Route 53 · Historic U.S. Route 66 alignment
- Joliet: ~30 min
- Bolingbrook: ~41 min
- Chicago Loop: ~68 min
By the numbers
Braidwood taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.06%
effective avg
Sales tax
7.00%
combined
Median household income
$82,202
ACS
How Braidwood got here
A bit of history.
Braidwood owes its existence to coal. In 1864 a farmer digging for water on the site of the present city struck coal instead, and with demand high in nearby Chicago, companies rushed in to acquire land and sink mines. A boomtown sprang up, a post office opened in 1867, and in 1872 early resident James Braidwood was hired to superintend the sinking of the first deep mine shaft. The city was incorporated on March 4, 1873, and named in Braidwood's honor. By the 1880 census the population had reached 5,524, and the mines drew a diverse population, including immigrants from across Europe and African Americans arriving from West Virginia.
Life in Braidwood revolved around the mines, with boom and bust following the seasonal demand for coal, and labor disputes between miners and operators were frequent and sometimes violent. The town's worst strike came in 1877, when coal companies imported strikebreakers and hundreds of residents left, a turning point in early Illinois labor history. Tragedy struck again on February 16, 1883, when the Diamond Mine flooded and 73 miners died. As the coal era faded, Braidwood transitioned into a small commuter and recreation community, and the Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station, built in the area in the 1980s, became one of the region's major employers.
The questions buyers actually ask
Braidwood FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Braidwood. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What school district serves Braidwood?
- Most of Braidwood is served by Reed-Custer Community Unit School District 255U, which runs Reed-Custer Elementary, Reed-Custer Middle School, and Reed-Custer High School. The smaller Grundy County portion of the city falls within Coal City Community Unit School District 1.
- How long is the commute from Braidwood to Joliet or Chicago?
- Braidwood sits right on Interstate 55, so Joliet is about a 30-minute drive and downtown Chicago is roughly an hour and ten minutes, about 53 miles, in typical traffic. The average resident commute is close to 29 minutes.
- Are homes in Braidwood affordable?
- Yes, relatively. The median home value was about $202,500 in 2024, well below the national average, and the homeownership rate is high at roughly 87 percent. Braidwood is one of the more affordable entry points into the Will County market.
- What are property and sales taxes like in Braidwood?
- The effective property tax rate runs around 2.06 percent, and the combined sales tax rate is about 7.0 percent. Confirm the exact property tax bill for a specific address before you budget.
- What is Braidwood known for?
- Braidwood is known as a nineteenth-century coal-mining boomtown with a notable labor history, including the major 1877 strike and the 1883 Diamond Mine flood that killed 73 miners. Today it is known for sitting on historic Route 66, home to the classic Polk-A-Dot Drive In, and for the nearby Mazonia-Braidwood state recreation lands.
- Is there a nuclear plant near Braidwood?
- Yes. The Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station is located in the area and is one of the region's major employers, supplying a significant share of the Chicago area's electricity.
- Where do people buy homes in Braidwood?
- Braidwood is a compact city of about 5 square miles, so most home buying happens within the city proper and the adjacent Will County communities served by the Reed-Custer district. Buyers are typically drawn by affordability and quick I-55 access.
Nearby
Towns next to Braidwood.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Braidwood.
Your local agent
Joe knows Braidwood
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the places I actually know, and the things that move value here don't show up in the MLS write-up: which streets and buildings hold demand, what the HOA or assessments really cover, how the comps read once you account for condition and location, and where buyers consistently want to be.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who has read the last 50 closed comps in this specific market, not a national average, and can tell you what they actually mean for your price. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Licensed Illinois broker
- Comp-driven pricing
- Braidwood 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
- Pre-list improvements that pay back, and the ones that don't
- No obligation, no spam, no auto-dialer