Avalon Park · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Avalon Park.
- Active listings
- 3
- Median list
- $280K
- Avg time on market
- 104 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
About the community
Living in Avalon Park.
Avalon Park is Community Area 45 on the Far Southeast Side of Chicago, sitting roughly 10 miles southeast of the Loop in Cook County. Its boundaries run from 76th Street on the north to 87th Street on the south, with South Chicago Avenue on the east, and the community area also takes in the Marynook and Stony Island Park sub-neighborhoods. The area began as low, swampy land where the few early houses had to be built on stilts to escape flooding, and German and Irish railroad workers were the first to settle the northern section in the late 1880s. After Chicago annexed the area in 1889 and a drainage system arrived around 1900, single-family home building took off, and the community, unofficially nicknamed Pennytown after a general store owner named Penny who sold homemade popcorn balls, was formally renamed Avalon Park in 1910. The housing stock that defines the neighborhood today, brick Chicago bungalows and single-family brick homes plus a few apartments, was largely built across booms in the 1900s, the 1920s, and after World War II. Avalon Park changed dramatically in the 1960s, going from almost no Black residents in the 1960 census to 83 percent African American by 1970, with many new arrivals being middle-class professionals, much like adjoining Chatham. As of the 2020 Census the community area had a population of 9,458, and recent figures put it around 97 percent African American with a median household income near 41,531 dollars. Owner-occupancy rates here have consistently topped 70 percent in recent decades, giving the area a stable, residential feel anchored by its 27.91-acre park, local schools, and churches. For buyers, Avalon Park offers some of Chicago's most accessible single-family homeownership, with a 2025 median sale price under 300,000 dollars and Metra Electric service a short walk away.
At a glance
Population
As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the Avalon Park community area had 9,458 residents across about 1.25 square miles.
Housing character
The neighborhood is defined by single-family brick Chicago bungalows built largely between the 1900s and the postwar years, along with a few apartments.
Transit access
The Metra Electric 83rd Street/Avalon Park station is about 10.4 miles from downtown Millennium Station, and the 79th Street stop is a short walk for parts of the area.
Walk Score
A representative address at 7900 South Avalon Avenue scores 78 out of 100, rated Very Walkable, meaning most errands can be done on foot.
Median home price
In October 2025 the median sale price in Avalon Park was about 279,000 dollars, with a median of roughly 145 dollars per square foot.
Parks
Avalon Park itself totals 27.91 acres and offers a gymnasium, fitness center, swimming pool, playground, track, plus volleyball and tennis courts.
Schools
Avalon Park Elementary School at 8045 South Kenwood Avenue is a CPS magnet school with a Fine and Performing Arts cluster program.
Owner-occupied
Owner-occupancy rates in Avalon Park have consistently stayed above 70 percent in recent decades, reflecting its stable residential character.
What it’s actually like to live here
Daily life in Avalon Park centers on a stable, primarily residential setting where owner-occupancy has consistently exceeded 70 percent in recent decades. The 27.91-acre Avalon Park, at 1215 East 83rd Street, functions as the neighborhood's recreational hub, with a fieldhouse holding a gymnasium, fitness center, multi-purpose room, and game room, while outdoors there are picnic groves, a swimming pool, a playground, a track, and volleyball and tennis courts. The park runs year-round programming including Park Kids afterschool care, seasonal sports, fitness classes, dance, and arts and crafts, plus a popular summer day camp, and it hosts community events such as Blues in the Parks. The community has long been served by a shopping district around 79th Street and Stony Island Avenue, along with several local schools and churches.
Getting around is straightforward, which is a major draw for commuters. The Metra Electric 83rd Street/Avalon Park station sits over 83rd Street and is about 10.4 miles from downtown Millennium Station, putting the Loop within a single-seat commuter-rail ride, and the 79th Street Metra Electric stop along with the 79th and South Chicago bus lines add more options near the area's western and northern edges. A representative Avalon Park address scores 78 out of 100 on Walk Score and 64 on Transit Score, rated Very Walkable with Good Transit, meaning most everyday errands can be handled on foot. The neighborhood remains a family-oriented community with a median age of about 44, older than the citywide median, reflecting its many long-tenured homeowners.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Avalon 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.
Around town
What there is to do in Avalon Park.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Avalon Park
The neighborhood's 27.91-acre namesake park offers a swimming pool, fieldhouse gym and fitness center, playground, track, and tennis and volleyball courts.
- Recreation
Avalon Park Fieldhouse
A brick fieldhouse with a gymnasium, fitness center, game room, and multi-purpose space hosting afterschool programs and summer day camp.
- Recreation
83rd Street/Avalon Park Metra Station
The neighborhood's Metra Electric stop puts downtown Chicago about 10.4 miles up the line for an easy commuter-rail trip to the Loop.
- Culture
Avalon Park Elementary School
A CPS magnet elementary with a Fine and Performing Arts cluster, anchoring arts education for neighborhood families.
- Culture
Blues in the Parks at Avalon
A free summer evening concert bringing live Chicago blues to Avalon Park as part of the Park District events lineup.
- Parks
Grand Crossing Park
A nearby Chicago Park District park just west of Avalon Park, adding more green space and recreation options for residents.
How Avalon Park got here
A bit of history.
The land that became Avalon Park was so swampy through most of the nineteenth century that the few houses there had to be perched on stilts to avoid flooding, and its main natural features were Mud Lake and Stony Island. German and Irish railroad workers began settling the northern section by the late 1880s, joined by skilled mechanics, many of them Germans employed in nearby Pullman or Burnside. Chicago's annexation of the area in 1889, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, and the installation of drainage around 1900 all stimulated residential growth, with the most active period of single-family home building running from about 1900 to 1910. The community had been informally called Pennytown, reportedly after a general store owner named Penny who sold homemade popcorn balls, and in 1910 members of the Avalon Park Community Church successfully led an effort to rename it Avalon Park, paying homage to the English Isle of Avalon. By 1930, more than 10,000 people lived in Avalon Park, up from 2,911 a decade earlier, and a second housing boom in the 1920s and a third after World War II added the single-family brick bungalows that still line its streets.
Avalon Park went through one of the South Side's sharpest demographic transitions in the 1960s. In the 1960 census only six of the area's 12,710 residents were African American, but a decade later the 1970 census recorded the community as 83 percent African American, and by 1990 that figure had reached about 98 percent. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, the Black families who moved in during the 1960s were, much like their neighbors in adjoining Chatham, largely middle-class doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and other professionals. The community reached a population peak of 14,412 in 1970, then declined gradually through the rest of the century, falling to 11,147 by 2000 and to 9,458 by the 2020 Census. Notably, boxing champion and activist Muhammad Ali lived at 8500 South Jeffery Avenue for a time, and architect and writer Lee Bey was raised in the neighborhood.
The questions buyers actually ask
Avalon Park FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Avalon Park. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- What schools serve Avalon Park?
- The neighborhood is served by Avalon Park Elementary School at 8045 South Kenwood Avenue, a Chicago Public Schools magnet school that runs a Fine and Performing Arts cluster program and offers CPS full-day preschool. The school covers preschool and grades K through 8. As a CPS school, attendance boundaries and magnet admissions can change, so buyers should verify current enrollment options directly with the district. The neighborhood's South Side location also places additional high school and charter options within reach across the area.
- How is the commute to downtown Chicago?
- Avalon Park sits about 10 miles southeast of the Loop, and the Metra Electric 83rd Street/Avalon Park station is roughly 10.4 miles from downtown Millennium Station, making for a quick commuter-rail ride. The nearby 79th Street Metra Electric stop and the 79th and South Chicago bus lines add more options. A representative neighborhood address earns a Transit Score of 64, rated Good Transit with many nearby public transportation options. Many residents combine rail and bus for a reliable downtown commute.
- What kinds of homes are available and what do they cost?
- Avalon Park is dominated by single-family brick Chicago bungalows and brick homes built across the early 1900s, the 1920s, and the postwar era, with a small number of apartments mixed in. In October 2025, the median sale price was about 279,000 dollars, or roughly 145 dollars per square foot, which makes it one of the more affordable entry points for single-family ownership in the city. Homes were selling in around 66 to 84 days, in a market Redfin describes as somewhat competitive.
- Is Avalon Park a good fit for families?
- Avalon Park has long been a stable, family-oriented residential community, with owner-occupancy rates consistently above 70 percent in recent decades. Its namesake 27.91-acre park provides a swimming pool, playground, sports courts, afterschool Park Kids programming, and a popular summer day camp, all within the neighborhood. The community's median age of about 44 reflects many long-tenured homeowners, and the area is served by local schools and churches. The combination of solid brick housing and neighborhood institutions gives it a settled, neighborly feel.
- What is there to do for recreation?
- The 27.91-acre Avalon Park is the recreational centerpiece, with a swimming pool, a track, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, a playground, and a fieldhouse gym and fitness center. The Park District runs year-round programs there including seasonal sports, fitness and dance classes, teen leagues, and summer camp, plus community events like Blues in the Parks. Additional green space is available nearby at parks such as Grand Crossing Park just to the west. Together these give residents plenty of options close to home.
- What is the character of the neighborhood?
- Avalon Park is a quiet, primarily residential, majority-Black community on Chicago's South Side, historically nicknamed Pennytown before its 1910 renaming. Recent figures show the area is roughly 97 percent African American with a median household income near 41,531 dollars, and it has a long history as a middle-class enclave, with many residents in the 1960s arriving as doctors, lawyers, and professionals. With its brick-bungalow streets, high owner-occupancy, and strong civic and church presence, it has a settled, neighborly feel.
Your local agent
Joe knows Avalon Park
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
- Avalon 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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