Buffalo Grove · Lake County · IL
Homes for sale in
Buffalo Grove.
- Active listings
- 98
- Median list
- $470K
- Avg time on market
- 10 days
- Sold · last year
- 529
Active listings
98 homes on the market
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About the community
Living in Buffalo Grove.
Buffalo Grove is a village of about 43,212 residents (2020 Census) sitting on a quirky county line, with the top three-quarters in Lake County's Vernon Township and the bottom quarter in Cook County's Wheeling Township, Lake Cook Road as the divider. Families are the through line: most K-8 students attend Aptakisic-Tripp CCSD 102 north of Lake Cook, Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96, or Wheeling CCSD 21 on the Cook County side, and high schoolers across the village feed Adlai E. Stevenson High School in District 125, which Niche has ranked the No. 1 district in the U.S. The Metra North Central Service stops at the Buffalo Grove station, about 32 miles from Chicago Union Station, and IL 83, Dundee Road, and Lake Cook Road carry commuters toward I-94 and O'Hare (about 16 miles, roughly a 22 to 35 minute drive). The character is mature suburban, with leafy subdivisions, a 51-park district system, and a new mixed-use development called The Clove rising on the old Town Center site. If you want quiet streets, deep school options, and a serious commute toolkit, Buffalo Grove earns the look.
At a glance
~43,212 residents
2020 Census population for the village. Mature suburban character with leafy subdivisions built out from the 1960s through the 2000s.
Adlai E. Stevenson HS (D125)
All Buffalo Grove high schoolers feed Stevenson HS in Lincolnshire, which Niche has ranked the No. 1 school district in the U.S. The district serves 16 communities across about 42 square miles.
Metra NCS at Buffalo Grove station
Buffalo Grove station on the North Central Service, about 32 miles to Chicago Union Station, roughly a one-hour ride. NCS runs weekdays only.
51-park district
Buffalo Grove Park District runs 51 parks plus the Community Arts Center, an indoor pool, and the flagship Mike Rylko Community Park.
Lake / Cook county split
Top three-quarters of the village is in Lake County (Vernon Twp), bottom quarter is Cook (Wheeling Twp). Lake Cook Road is the dividing line, and the split affects tax codes and K-8 school assignment.
Median home value ~$436,993
Zillow ZHVI for Buffalo Grove, up roughly 4.6% year over year.
Effective property tax ~3.0%
Ownwell reports an effective rate around 2.98% with a median annual bill near $11,525, well above the national median.
The Clove redevelopment
22-acre Kensington Development project rebuilding the former Town Center mall site at McHenry Road into a new mixed-use entertainment, retail, and residential district.
What’s close
Buffalo Grove sits about 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, layered north to south across the Lake / Cook county line, with Lake Cook Road as the dividing axis and IL 83 and Dundee Road as the main north-south and east-west arteries.
- Lake Cook Road corridor + The Clove
- Historic retail center and the site of the former Town Center mall, now being rebuilt as The Clove by Kensington Development Partners after the original mall came down in December 2022.
- Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire)
- Adlai E. Stevenson HS at 1 Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire, the only D125 high school, serving portions of Buffalo Grove and 15 other communities.
- Metra Buffalo Grove station (NCS)
- NCS station with weekday service about 32 miles to Chicago Union Station, roughly a one-hour ride.
- Mike Rylko Community Park
- Park District flagship at 1000 N. Buffalo Grove Road with a fitness center, indoor pool, skate park, Spray N Play water park, indoor driving range, and the Adriane Johnson Amphitheater.
- Aptakisic-Tripp district office
- D102 headquarters at 1351 Abbott Court, anchoring the K-8 catchment north of Lake Cook Road.
- Buffalo Grove Days festival site
- Mike Rylko Park hosts the five-day Labor Day weekend festival running since 1961 with a parade, carnival rides, and live music.
What it’s actually like to live here
Buffalo Grove plays as a textbook family suburb. The Stevenson High School pull is real: D125's lone high school feeds from 16 communities and routinely sits at the top of national K-12 rankings, and many buyers map their search around the catchment. North-of-Lake-Cook subdivisions feed Aptakisic-Tripp CCSD 102, western pockets feed Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96, and the Cook County southern edge feeds Wheeling CCSD 21, with all three sending high schoolers to Stevenson in the heart of the district.
The neighborhoods themselves lean mature, with single-family subdivisions built out from the 1960s through the 2000s, big lots, mature trees, and quiet cul-de-sacs. The Buffalo Grove Park District ties it together with 51 parks, the flagship Mike Rylko Community Park (fitness center, indoor pool, skate park, Spray N Play, amphitheater), the 59.5-acre Willow Stream Park (outdoor pool, ball fields), and Big Deal Productions, the district's award-winning theater program housed at the Community Arts Center on McHenry Road. Labor Day weekend brings Buffalo Grove Days, a five-day festival running since 1961 with a parade, carnival, and live music at Rylko Park.
Neighborhoods
Buffalo Grove neighborhoods
13 neighborhoods in Buffalo Grove, each with its own page covering market stats, schools, and what the buyers there are optimizing for. Featured neighborhoods have hand-curated content; the rest auto- update from MRED listing data.
Cambridge on the Lake
A 1970s attached-home community built around a lake with a fountain in Buffalo Grove, an attainable, low-maintenance way into a well-regarded northwest-suburban address.
4 active~$249,950FeaturedGreen Knolls
An established Buffalo Grove single-family neighborhood built around Green Lake and Reiner Park, with mature streets, no mandatory HOA, and highly regarded schools.
3 active~$599,900FeaturedHidden Lake Village
An established, water-oriented attached-home community on the Lake County side of Buffalo Grove, with two ponds, trails, and a lower-maintenance lifestyle in a strong school area.
2 active~$336,500FeaturedHighland Grove
An established east-side Buffalo Grove neighborhood of late-1970s and 1980s single-family homes on quiet, tree-lined streets, with no mandatory HOA, the reported Aptakisic-Tripp District 102 and Stevenson District 125 schools, and Metra North Central Service nearby.
~$602,4008 sold last yearFeaturedMill Creek
A settled 1970s Buffalo Grove community of single-family homes and low-rise condos in the Cook County part of the village, in Wheeling District 21 and Buffalo Grove High School.
1 active~$214,900FeaturedMirielle
An upper-tier, contemporary single-family enclave on Buffalo Grove's Lake County side, built by Town and Country in the late 1990s, minutes from the Prairie View Metra and feeding Stevenson High School District 125.
1 active~$920,000FeaturedNorthwoods
An established single-family pocket on the Lake County side of Buffalo Grove, off Weiland Road, feeding Aptakisic-Tripp District 102 and nationally recognized Stevenson High School.
2 active~$589,450FeaturedOld Farm Village
An established Buffalo Grove neighborhood on the Lake County side, built by Lexington Homes around Old Farm Park, with a cul-de-sac layout, Aptakisic-Tripp District 102, and Adlai Stevenson High School.
6 active~$517,000FeaturedRidgewood
A late-1970s Buffalo Grove pocket east of Weiland Road, mixing detached homes and townhomes, in the Lake County school districts and about a mile from the Metra station.
1 active~$410,000FeaturedSpoerlein Farms
A mid-1980s attached-home pocket on Courtland and Ranchview, built on the old Spoerlein family farm: assessments that cover water, exteriors, lawn and snow, and one of the more attainable ways into the Stevenson District 125 attendance area.
2 active~$277,450FeaturedStrathmore
One of Buffalo Grove's large established Levitt subdivisions, next to Willow Stream Park, with no HOA dues and a school assignment that draws many buyers to the Stevenson feeder area.
6 active~$575,000FeaturedThe Crossings
A mature 1970s Buffalo Grove neighborhood on the Lake County side: interior ponds, a private recreation center on Fremont Way, and one of the more attainable ways into the Stevenson District 125 attendance area.
5 sold last yearFeaturedWoodlands of Fiore
A green, golf-course-and-water community in Buffalo Grove: single-family homes, townhomes, and condos wrapped around the village-owned Arboretum Club, feeding top-rated Stevenson High School.
4 active~$561,200Featured
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC for the period September 13, 2025 through September 13, 2026. Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
Schools
Districts serving Buffalo Grove.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D125Grades 9 to 12
Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125
Schools serving the area
- Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Single comprehensive high school in Lincolnshire serving 16 communities across about 42 square miles, including portions of Buffalo Grove. Niche has ranked D125 the No. 1 district in the U.S.
- D102Grades K to 8
Aptakisic-Tripp Community Consolidated School District 102
Schools serving the area
- Aptakisic Junior High School
- Tripp Elementary
- Pritchett Elementary
- Meridian Middle School
K-8 district of about 2,590 students covering Buffalo Grove north of Lake Cook Road, plus parts of Lake County Wheeling, unincorporated Prairie View, Aptakisic, and parts of Deerfield.
- D96Grades K to 8
Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96
Schools serving the area
- Ivy Hall Elementary
- Prairie Elementary
- Kildeer Countryside Elementary
- Country Meadows Elementary
- Twin Groves Middle School
- Woodlawn Middle School
K-8 district of about 3,200 students covering parts of Buffalo Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, and Vernon Hills.
- D21Grades PK to 8
Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21
Schools serving the area
- Tarkington School
- Whitman School
- Kilmer School
- Holmes Middle School
PK-8 district of 13 schools and 6,000+ students in northwest Cook County, covering the southern Buffalo Grove pockets plus Wheeling, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, and Northbrook.
Homes by school
Homes for sale by school in Buffalo Grove
Homes in the Stevenson HS district
Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125
Homes in the Wheeling HS district
Township High School District 214
Homes in the Rolling Meadows HS district
Township High School District 214
Homes in the Prospect HS district
Township High School District 214
Homes in the John Hersey HS district
Township High School District 214
Homes in the Elk Grove HS district
Township High School District 214
Homes in the Buffalo Grove HS district
Township High School District 214
Around town
What there is to do in Buffalo Grove.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Mike Rylko Community Park
Park District flagship at 1000 N. Buffalo Grove Road with a fitness center, indoor pool, skate park, Spray N Play water park, indoor driving range, and the Adriane Johnson Amphitheater.
- Parks
Willow Stream Park
59.5-acre park with an outdoor pool, ball and soccer fields, and summer Movies in the Park.
- Culture
Buffalo Grove Community Arts Center
Park District performing arts venue at 225 McHenry Road, home to the award-winning Big Deal Productions main-stage theater program.
- Family
Buffalo Grove Days
Five-day Labor Day weekend festival at Mike Rylko Park with a parade, carnival rides, and live music, running since 1961.
- Food & Drink
Lou Malnati's Buffalo Grove
Deep-dish Chicago pizzeria at 85 S. Buffalo Grove Road, in the village since 1989.
- Shopping
The Clove (former Town Center)
22-acre Kensington Development redevelopment rebuilding the old Town Center mall site at McHenry Road into a new mixed-use entertainment, retail, and residential district.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Buffalo Grove.
- Stations: Buffalo Grove
- Terminal: Chicago Union Station
- Distance: 32 miles to downtown Chicago
- Routes: Lake Cook Road · IL 83 / McHenry Road · Dundee Road (IL 68) · IL 22 · I-94 access via IL 83 to I-294
- O'Hare Airport: ~30 min
- Chicago Loop: ~50 min
By the numbers
Buffalo Grove taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.98%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$415,000
MRED · last 12 mo (529 sales)
Median household income
$129,395
ACS
How Buffalo Grove got here
A bit of history.
The area now called Buffalo Grove was originally inhabited by the Potawatomi, and the name traces to the English translation of the Potawatomi name for Buffalo Creek, which still flows through parts of the village. Local lore holds that bison once grazed in the wooded creek bottoms between Wheeling and Long Grove, and a buffalo skeleton found near the water gave the creek (and later the grove) its name. The land stayed rural and agricultural well into the 20th century. After the Korean War, developers including Al Frank of Buffalo Grove Home Builders Inc. began assembling farmland for single-family subdivisions aimed at WWII and Korean War veterans, and Frank's recruiting effort powered the village's incorporation in 1958 with just 164 residents.
Once incorporated, Buffalo Grove grew fast, jumping from 1,833 residents in 1970 to 9,086 in 1980, 21,930 in 1990, and over 43,000 by 2020. The Lake Cook Road corridor became the village's commercial and civic spine, with the Buffalo Grove Commerce Center opening on 50 acres at Lake Cook Road and the Soo Line Railroad in 1981, and Lake Cook Road itself widening to a four-lane boulevard past the Municipal Complex and Buffalo Creek. Aptakisic-Tripp CCSD 102, formed in 1955 when the historic Aptakisic and Tripp one-room schools consolidated, anchored the family-suburb identity north of Lake Cook Road. The original Town Center mall at McHenry Road was demolished by December 2022 and is being redeveloped by Kensington Development Partners as The Clove, a mixed-use entertainment and residential district.
The questions buyers actually ask
Buffalo Grove FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Buffalo Grove. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What's the deal with Stevenson High School?
- Adlai E. Stevenson HS in Lincolnshire is the only high school in District 125 and serves portions of Buffalo Grove along with 15 other communities. Niche has ranked the district No. 1 in the U.S., and for many Buffalo Grove buyers it's the headline reason to be here.
- Buffalo Grove is split between Lake and Cook counties. Does that matter?
- Yes. The top three-quarters of the village is in Lake County's Vernon Township and the bottom quarter is in Cook County's Wheeling Township, with Lake Cook Road as the dividing line. That affects property tax codes, the K-8 district your kids attend (D102 or D96 north, CCSD 21 south), and some sales tax rules. Always verify by address.
- How long is the commute to downtown Chicago?
- By Metra North Central Service from the Buffalo Grove station to Chicago Union Station is about 32 miles and roughly a one-hour ride, weekdays only. By car, downtown is about 33 miles, 35 to 55 minutes depending on traffic via I-94.
- How close is O'Hare?
- About 16 miles, roughly 22 to 35 minutes by car via IL 83 to I-294 to I-190.
- What about property taxes?
- Ownwell pegs the effective rate at roughly 2.98 percent with a median bill around $11,525, well above the national median. The Lake County portion alone has 12 different tax-code areas depending on the school overlay, so the exact bill varies block by block.
- What's happening with the old Town Center?
- The 22-acre former Town Center mall was demolished by December 2022 and is being redeveloped by Kensington Development Partners as The Clove, a new mixed-use entertainment, retail, and residential district at McHenry Road.
- Where should I look first for homes here?
- Buyers chasing Stevenson HS look across the whole village since the entire district feeds Stevenson, but the north-of-Lake-Cook subdivisions feeding Aptakisic-Tripp 102 and Kildeer Countryside 96 are popular for families wanting a Lake County package. Mature single-family neighborhoods near Mike Rylko Park and Willow Stream Park are the classic Buffalo Grove starter pool.
- Who is the real estate agent for Buffalo Grove?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers Buffalo Grove in Buffalo Grove, IL through Subdiview, a neighborhood-first home search for the Chicago suburbs and collar counties. Joe prices and negotiates from the live MRED sold comps for Buffalo Grove specifically, not national averages, and can help you buy or sell here. Reach Joe at 224-385-8779 or joe@joekeeganhomes.com.
Nearby
Towns next to Buffalo Grove.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Buffalo Grove.
Your local agent
Joe knows Buffalo Grove
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
- Buffalo Grove 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