Chemung · McHenry County · IL
Homes for sale in
Chemung.
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About the community
Living in Chemung.
Chemung is an unincorporated census-designated place in the far northwestern corner of McHenry County, Illinois, roughly three miles west of downtown Harvard at the junction of Illinois Route 173 and Oak Grove Road. The hamlet straddles the line between Chemung Township and Dunham Township, with Piscasaw Creek running along its west edge and a Union Pacific freight branch line cutting through it. This is rural, agricultural country just a few miles south of the Wisconsin state line, where most daily needs are met in nearby Harvard. Harvard anchors the area with the northern terminus of Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line, the farthest outbound station on the entire Metra system at about 63 miles from downtown Chicago. Families here are served by Harvard Community Unit School District 50, which runs Harvard High School, Harvard Junior High, and several elementary schools. The hamlet itself counted just 276 residents in 2020, while surrounding Chemung Township, which includes most of the City of Harvard, holds about 9,051. Home values in the surrounding township run well below the McHenry County median, making the area one of the more affordable footholds in an otherwise pricey collar county.
At a glance
Rural McHenry County
An unincorporated census-designated place in the farm country of far northwestern McHenry County.
Chemung Township
Straddles the Chemung Township and Dunham Township line. Chemung Township is the county's northwesternmost township.
Near Harvard
About three miles west of downtown Harvard at the junction of Illinois Route 173 and Oak Grove Road.
Harvard CUSD 50
Served by Harvard Community Unit School District 50, including Harvard High School and Harvard Junior High.
Metra terminus nearby
Harvard hosts the northern terminus of Metra's UP-NW Line, the farthest outbound station on the system.
Dairy country
Open prairie and dairy farmland. Harvard is the longtime dairy hub and host of Harvard Milk Days.
Affordable
Chemung Township median owner-occupied home value is about $184,300, well below the McHenry County median of about $308,100.
What’s close
Chemung is a rural crossroads community west of Harvard, sitting at the junction of Illinois Route 173 and Oak Grove Road in the farm country of far northwestern McHenry County.
- Chemung Township
- Straddles the boundary of Chemung and Dunham townships in the northwest corner of McHenry County.
- City of Harvard
- The dominant nearby municipality, about three miles east, where most shops, schools, and services are located.
- Illinois Route 173
- Chemung sits at the junction of IL 173 and Oak Grove Road in the open countryside.
- Harvard Metra Station
- The northern terminus of Metra's UP-NW Line at 1 North Ayer Street in Harvard, the nearest commuter rail.
- Rush Creek Conservation Area
- A 726-acre McHenry County Conservation District site of woodland, wetland, and prairie just outside Harvard.
- Nearest amenities in Harvard
- Harvard provides the area's parks, pool, restaurants, and shopping, including nine city parks.
What it’s actually like to live here
Life in Chemung is rural in the truest sense. The community is a small cluster of homes at a country crossroads, ringed by working farmland, creek corridors, and open prairie in the northwest corner of McHenry County. With a 2020 census population of just 276, there is essentially no commercial district in Chemung itself, and residents look to nearby Harvard for groceries, restaurants, schools, parks, and the local pool. The surrounding Chemung Township remains overwhelmingly agricultural, and the McHenry County Conservation District's Rush Creek Conservation Area just outside Harvard offers hiking, horse trails, and fishing close to home.
This is exurban living with a long reach to the metro area. Harvard anchors the northern terminus of Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line, so a one-seat train ride to downtown Chicago is possible, though it is the farthest outbound station on the system at roughly 63 miles. By car the trip is long, on the order of 80 to 90 minutes to the Loop, which keeps the area firmly rural rather than suburban. The trade-off is affordability and space: median home values in Chemung Township run well below the McHenry County figure, drawing buyers who want acreage, quiet, and farm-country surroundings within the collar counties.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Chemung 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 Chemung.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D50Grades PreK-12
Harvard Community Unit School District 50
Schools serving the area
- Harvard High School
- Harvard Junior High School
- Richard D. Crosby Elementary School
- Jefferson Elementary School
- Washington Elementary School
Serves Harvard and the surrounding Chemung-area communities in northwestern McHenry County. Confirm the assigned school by exact address.
Around town
What there is to do in Chemung.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Culture
Harvard Milk Days (in nearby Harvard)
One of the longest-running hometown festivals in Illinois, celebrating the area's dairy heritage every June since 1942.
- Culture
Harmilda the Cow Statue (in nearby Harvard)
The life-size fiberglass Holstein that has been Harvard's mascot since 1966, watching over the junction of Routes 14 and 173.
- Parks
Rush Creek Conservation Area (McHenry County)
A 726-acre conservation district site just outside Harvard with looped nature trails, horse trails, a fishing pond, and group camping.
- Culture
Starline Factory (in nearby Harvard)
An 1883 brick factory restored into an industrial-chic arts and events venue with a pub and market in downtown Harvard.
- Family
Lions Park (in nearby Harvard)
A 35-acre Harvard park with the Aquatic Center, disc golf, playgrounds, a pedestrian path, and a lighted winter sledding hill.
- Culture
McHenry County Historical Society and Museum
A county history museum in nearby Union with a restored 1843 log cabin, telling the story of McHenry County's past.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Chemung.
- Stations: Harvard
- Terminal: Chicago Ogilvie
- Distance: 63 miles to downtown Chicago
- Routes: IL 173 · US 14 / Northwest Highway · Oak Grove Road
- O'Hare Airport: ~81 min
- Chicago Loop: ~90 min
By the numbers
Chemung taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.42%
effective avg
Sales tax
8.25%
combined
Median household income
$67,742
ACS
How Chemung got here
A bit of history.
A post office named Chemung was established here in 1845 and operated until it was discontinued in 1943. The name Chemung traces to a word in the Seneca language meaning 'big horn,' reportedly applied after a large horned fossil was discovered in a nearby river, an echo of Chemung in New York State carried west by early settlers. The settlement grew up in the prairie and creek country of what became Chemung Township, the northwesternmost township in McHenry County, an area given over almost entirely to farming.
The arrival of the railroad reshaped the area. The newly platted town of Harvard, a few miles east, sat directly on the Chicago and North Western extension running northwest toward Janesville, Wisconsin, and the railroad built its station there in 1856. Harvard grew into the commercial and dairy hub of this corner of the county, eclipsing the smaller crossroads at Chemung, which remained a tiny unincorporated community served by the Harvard post office. Today Chemung Township still includes the bulk and northern part of Harvard along with the unincorporated communities of Big Foot Prairie, Lawrence, and Chemung, and the surrounding land remains overwhelmingly agricultural.
The questions buyers actually ask
Chemung FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Chemung. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What is Chemung, exactly, and is it a town?
- Chemung is an unincorporated census-designated place in McHenry County, not an incorporated village or city. It is a small farming community of about 276 people that straddles the Chemung and Dunham township line, served by the Harvard post office. The wider Chemung Township, which includes most of the City of Harvard, holds about 9,051 residents.
- What schools serve the Chemung area?
- Chemung-area students attend Harvard Community Unit School District 50, which operates Harvard High School, Harvard Junior High, and elementary schools including Crosby, Jefferson, and Washington. Confirm the assigned school by address.
- How do people commute to Chicago from Chemung?
- The nearest commuter rail is the Harvard Metra station, the northern terminus of the Union Pacific Northwest Line about 63 miles from downtown Chicago. It is the farthest outbound station on the Metra system, so train rides are long. Driving to the Loop runs roughly 80 to 90 minutes.
- What are property taxes like near Chemung?
- Chemung sits in McHenry County, where the median effective property tax rate is about 2.42 percent, among the higher rates in Illinois. Actual bills vary by school district and local levies, so confirm by pulling the tax bill for the specific address.
- Are homes in the Chemung area affordable?
- Yes, relatively. The median value of owner-occupied homes in Chemung Township is about $184,300, well below the McHenry County median of roughly $308,100, reflecting the area's rural, farm-country character.
- What is it like living in Chemung?
- It is genuinely rural. Chemung is a crossroads hamlet surrounded by working farmland and creek corridors, with most shopping, dining, parks, and services found a few miles east in Harvard. Buyers come here for space, quiet, and affordability rather than suburban convenience.
- Who is the real estate agent for Chemung?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers Chemung in Chemung, 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 Chemung 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 Chemung.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Chemung.
Your local agent
Joe knows Chemung
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
- Chemung 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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