Brookfield · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Brookfield.
- Active listings
- 10
- Median list
- $456K
- Avg time on market
- 11 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
Active listings
10 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Brookfield.
Brookfield sits in western Cook County along Salt Creek, roughly 13 miles southwest of the Loop and about a 27-minute drive to O'Hare. The village covers about 3.07 square miles bordered by Riverside, North Riverside, La Grange Park, Lyons, and Berwyn, with Ogden Avenue (US-34), 31st Street, 47th Street, and IL-43 (Harlem Avenue) carrying most of the cross-village traffic. Brookfield Zoo, opened in 1934 on land donated by Edith Rockefeller McCormick, anchors the north side of town and defines the village's identity. Two BNSF Metra stations, Brookfield in the downtown core and Hollywood (the Zoo Stop) on the north end, put Union Station inside a 30-minute one-seat ride. Housing leans pre-war: Chicago-style brick bungalows, frame two-flats, and small-lot single-family homes on a tight pedestrian-friendly grid that traces back to Samuel Eberly Gross's 1889 subdivision plan.
At a glance
19,476 residents
2020 Census across 3.07 square miles. Median age 41.6 and about 7,680 households per Data USA.
Brookfield Zoo
Opened 1934 on the village's north side. 216-acre campus, pioneer of moated habitats, first US zoo to exhibit giant pandas.
Two BNSF Metra stops
Brookfield and Hollywood (the Zoo Stop) both sit inside village limits. Typical one-seat ride to Union Station is 26 to 30 minutes.
Four K-8 districts
Brookfield is split among D95 (Brookfield-LaGrange Park), D96 (Riverside), D102 (LaGrange), and D103 (Lyons). High schoolers attend Riverside-Brookfield (D208) or Lyons Township (D204).
Median income ~$110K
Median household income of $110,295 per Data USA. Median age 41.6 with 7,680 households.
Median home ~$333K
Zillow ZHVI of $333,239. Housing stock is heavy on pre-war Chicago bungalows, frame two-flats, and small-lot single-families.
Ogden Ave (US-34) + IL-43
Ogden, 31st Street, 47th Street, and Harlem Avenue (IL-43) handle most cross-village traffic. No direct interstate, but quick reach to I-290 and I-294.
Sales tax 10.00 percent
Combined 6.25 percent state, 1.75 percent Cook County, 1.00 percent village, 1.00 percent RTA.
What’s close
Brookfield sits 13 miles southwest of the Loop in western Cook County, with Salt Creek cutting through the north end and the BNSF Metra line splitting the village east to west.
- Brookfield Zoo
- 216-acre Chicago Zoological Society campus opened in 1934. Anchors the north side of the village and is the main reason the village shows up on regional maps.
- Brookfield Metra (BNSF)
- Downtown station on Grand Boulevard. About 26 to 30 minutes inbound to Union Station.
- Hollywood Metra (BNSF, Zoo Stop)
- Northern station near Hollywood Avenue and Riverside Avenue, the closest stop to the zoo's main gates.
- Grand Boulevard downtown
- Village's commercial spine, with the Music on Grand summer dining and concert series on the 3700 block.
- Salt Creek Trail
- Biking and hiking path along Salt Creek through the village's north end, connecting into the broader county preserve system.
- Riverside-Brookfield High School
- Shared 9-12 district with adjacent Riverside, located in Riverside. Serves most Brookfield households not in the D204 (Lyons Township) zone.
What it’s actually like to live here
Daily life in Brookfield revolves around the original Gross street grid: walkable blocks of brick bungalows and frame two-flats radiating out from the BNSF tracks, with Grand Boulevard serving as the downtown spine. The village runs a Music on Grand outdoor dining series in summer that closes the 3700 block for restaurant seating and live music, and an 8 Corners retail incubator has filled in vacant storefronts. Salt Creek Trail offers connected biking and hiking along the creek corridor through the north end of town.
Weekends pull double duty. Families head to Brookfield Zoo or Kiwanis Park's bandshell concert series, while the Hollywood Metra stop (the Zoo Stop) lets visitors arrive without a car. Ehlert Park covers the active-recreation side with tennis courts, baseball fields, and a skate park. Brookfield draws buyers who want pre-war architectural character, a one-seat BNSF commute to Union Station, and the kind of compact village feel that is harder to find in larger neighboring suburbs.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Brookfield 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 Brookfield.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D95Grades K - 8
Brookfield-LaGrange Park School District 95
Schools serving the area
- S.E. Gross Middle School
- Brook Park Elementary
D95 is the largest elementary feeder inside Brookfield and also serves part of LaGrange Park. Students feed into Riverside-Brookfield High School (D208).
- D96Grades K - 8
Riverside School District 96
Schools serving the area
- Hollywood Elementary School
Hollywood Elementary in the north end of Brookfield is part of Riverside SD 96. D96 students feed into Riverside-Brookfield High School (D208).
- D102Grades K - 8
LaGrange School District 102
Schools serving the area
- Congress Park Elementary
D102 covers part of southwestern Brookfield together with LaGrange and LaGrange Park. Students feed into Lyons Township High School (D204).
- D208Grades 9 - 12
Riverside-Brookfield Township HSD 208
Schools serving the area
- Riverside-Brookfield High School
Most Brookfield high schoolers attend Riverside-Brookfield High School in Riverside. Confirm boundary against the village's elementary boundary map: some southwestern addresses zone instead into Lyons Township D204.
Around town
What there is to do in Brookfield.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Family
Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Chicago Zoological Society's flagship zoo, opened 1934. 216-acre campus famous for moated habitats and a strong family programming calendar.
- Parks
Kiwanis Park
Dedicated in 1936, redone in 2014 with a bandshell, basketball and volleyball courts, disc golf, playgrounds, and walking paths along Salt Creek.
- Parks
Ehlert Park
Brookfield Parks and Recreation flagship with tennis courts, baseball fields, a skate park, and rentable picnic pavilions.
- Parks
Salt Creek Trail
Biking and hiking trail winding along Salt Creek through Brookfield's north end and into the broader Cook County Forest Preserves.
- Food & Drink
Music on Grand
Summer outdoor dining and concert series on the 3700 block of Grand Boulevard, the village's downtown spine.
- Shopping
Brookfield Shops at 8 Corners
Six-stall retail incubator at the 8 Corners intersection, open weekends with rotating small-business tenants.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Brookfield.
MetraBNSF line
- Stations: Brookfield, Hollywood
- Terminal: Chicago Union Station
- Distance: 12.6 miles to downtown Chicago
DriveBy car
- Routes: Ogden Avenue (US-34) · 31st Street · 47th Street · IL-43 (Harlem Avenue)
- Chicago Loop: ~28 min
- O'Hare Airport: ~27 min
- Midway Airport: ~20 min
By the numbers
Brookfield taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
3.03%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$380,000
MRED · last 12 mo (189 sales)
Median household income
$110,295
ACS
How Brookfield got here
A bit of history.
Settlement of Brookfield dates to 1889, when Chicago lawyer and real estate developer Samuel Eberly Gross began selling lots plotted from farms and woodlands he had acquired along both sides of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, today's BNSF Metra line. The community was originally called Grossdale after its founder. The village was renamed Brookfield in 1905 once Gross's influence had faded and residents wanted their own identity. The original grid Gross laid out still defines the walkable village core, with Grand Boulevard as its downtown spine.
In 1919 Edith Rockefeller McCormick donated land she had received from her father as a wedding gift to the Cook County Forest Preserve District to be developed as a zoological garden. The Chicago Zoological Society was chartered in 1921 to manage it, construction began in 1926 after voters approved a zoo tax, and Brookfield Zoo opened to the public on July 1, 1934. It drew more than one million visitors by September of that first year, four million by 1936, pioneered the use of moats and ditches in place of cages, and was the first US zoo to exhibit giant pandas. The zoo cemented Brookfield as a regional destination and still drives identity, tourism, and weekend traffic patterns today.
The questions buyers actually ask
Brookfield FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Brookfield. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- What schools serve Brookfield, IL?
- Brookfield is split among four elementary districts: D95 Brookfield-LaGrange Park, D96 Riverside, D102 LaGrange, and D103 Lyons. High schoolers attend either Riverside-Brookfield (D208) or Lyons Township (D204) depending on address. Always confirm boundary against the village's elementary boundary map before writing an offer.
- How long is the Metra commute from Brookfield to downtown Chicago?
- Both Brookfield and Hollywood stations sit on the BNSF Line into Chicago Union Station. Typical one-seat ride is about 26 to 30 minutes inbound. The Hollywood station is also known as the Zoo Stop because of its proximity to the Brookfield Zoo's main gates.
- Which neighborhood is closest to the Brookfield Zoo?
- The north side of Brookfield, near the Hollywood Metra stop (Hollywood Avenue and Riverside Avenue), is the closest residential area to the zoo's main gates. The Hollywood station was renamed the Zoo Stop to reinforce that connection for visiting families.
- How high are property taxes in Brookfield?
- Brookfield's average effective property tax rate is roughly 3.03 percent per Ownwell, above the Cook County average of about 2.38 percent. The median property tax bill is roughly $6,351 on a typical home.
- What is the sales tax in Brookfield?
- The combined Brookfield sales tax rate is 10.00 percent (6.25 percent Illinois state, 1.75 percent Cook County, 1.00 percent Brookfield village, 1.00 percent RTA and special districts).
- What kind of housing stock will I find in Brookfield?
- Mostly pre-war: Chicago-style brick bungalows, frame two-flats, and small-lot single-family homes on the tight walkable blocks descended from Samuel Eberly Gross's 1889 subdivision plan. Zillow's current ZHVI sits near $333,000.
- Where should I look first if I want walkable village life with a quick Metra commute?
- The blocks immediately around Grand Boulevard and the Brookfield Metra station give walking-distance access to downtown dining, the 8 Corners retail node, and a sub-30-minute BNSF ride to Union Station.
Nearby
Towns next to Brookfield.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Brookfield.
Your local agent
Joe knows Brookfield
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
- Brookfield 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
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