North Park · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
North Park.
- Active listings
- 2
- Median list
- $667K
- Avg time on market
- 42 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
About the community
Living in North Park.
North Park is Chicago Community Area 13, a stable, quiet, tree-shaded residential district on the Far North Side about 9 miles northwest of the Loop. The community area is bordered by the North Shore Channel on the east, the Chicago River's North Branch and Foster Avenue on the south, Cicero Avenue on the west, and Devon Avenue and the city limits on the north, where it meets Lincolnwood. Chicago's only waterfall, roughly four feet high, appears where the North Branch tumbles into the North Shore Channel. The area encompasses smaller pockets including Hollywood Park, Brynford Park, River's Edge, and Sauganash Woods. As of the 2020 Census the population was 17,559, and a regional planning estimate for 2023 puts it at 18,742 across 6,924 households. The neighborhood takes its name from North Park University, which built its Old Main along Foster Avenue in 1894 on land tied to the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant. Housing leans toward single-family homes, bungalows, two-flats, and small apartments, with a more suburban feel than much of the city. Green space is abundant thanks to the river, LaBagh Woods forest preserve, and the North Park Village Nature Center, and the closest CTA rail terminal is the Kimball Brown Line. North Park home prices reached a median of about 440,000 dollars in early 2026.
At a glance
Population
Population was 17,559 at the 2020 Census, with a 2023 regional estimate of 18,742 residents and 6,924 households, and a median age near 39.6.
Housing character
Single-family detached homes make up about 31 percent of the housing stock, joined by two-flats and small apartments, giving streets a calm, suburban feel within the city.
Walk Score
North Park carries a Walk Score of 71, with good transit and biking options for an outer neighborhood.
Median home price
Homes sold for a median of roughly 440,000 dollars in early 2026, up about 16 percent year over year.
North Park University
A private Christian university founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church, located at 3225 West Foster Avenue and enrolling more than 2,600 students.
River and green space
LaBagh Woods preserve has recorded more than 220 bird species and anchors the southern end of the North Branch Trail, while the North Park Village Nature Center protects savanna, woodland, and wetland habitats.
Universities nearby
Northeastern Illinois University, which opened in 1961, sits within the community area, making North Park a notably education-rich neighborhood.
Transit
The closest CTA rail stop is the Kimball Brown Line terminal, supplemented by several bus lines, with a mean commute time of about 34.5 minutes reflecting the outer location.
What it’s actually like to live here
Today North Park reads as a stable, family-oriented residential area with a suburban calm unusual for the city, where most homes are owner-occupied or long held. Regional data show a high share of family households at about 61 percent, an above-city average household size of 2.6, and a median age near 39.6, all pointing to a settled, family-leaning population. The neighborhood is strongly anchored by educational and civic institutions, with North Park University on Foster Avenue, Northeastern Illinois University further west, and a yeshiva together creating concentrated educational resources, while WTTW, Chicago's PBS station, broadcasts from a production center here. The population is broadly mixed, with significant White, Asian, and Hispanic communities and a large foreign-born share, reflecting waves of Swedish, German, Korean, Filipino, and Orthodox Jewish settlement.
Daily life is shaped by an exceptional amount of green space and water. The North Branch of the Chicago River and the North Shore Channel frame the area, LaBagh Woods offers one of Chicago's premier birding spots along the North Branch Trail, and the North Park Village Nature Center provides trails through savanna, woodland, and wetland habitats plus a visitor center. Peterson Park adds wooded acres with tennis courts, ballfields, and a gymnastics center. The housing market is competitive, with a median sale price around 440,000 dollars in early 2026 and prices up about 16 percent year over year, and the regional median household income sits at roughly 77,368 dollars. Commuting residents rely on the Kimball Brown Line terminal and several bus lines, with most trips driving alone and a mean commute around 34.5 minutes.
Neighborhoods
Detailed North 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 North Park.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
North Park Village Nature Center
A natural area at 5801 North Pulaski Road with trails winding through oak savanna, woodland, and wetland habitats plus a visitor center, the only such facility in the city.
- Recreation
LaBagh Woods
A riparian Forest Preserves of Cook County site at the southern end of the North Branch Trail where more than 220 bird species have been recorded, especially during spring migration.
- Culture
North Park University
The neighborhood's namesake, a private Christian university at 3225 West Foster Avenue with the historic Old Main and a riverside campus dating to 1894.
- Culture
Northeastern Illinois University
A public university that opened in 1961 on the west side of the community area, drawing students from across Chicago.
- Parks
Peterson Park
A scenic, wooded park named for a Swedish pioneer nurseryman, with tennis courts, softball fields, walking paths, and a gymnastics center.
- Recreation
North Branch Trail and the Chicago River
The North Branch of the Chicago River and connected trail thread through North Park, including the city's only waterfall where the river meets the North Shore Channel.
How North Park got here
A bit of history.
North Park's origins lie in 1855, when a village was platted in the newly organized Jefferson Township, which was later annexed into Chicago in 1889. The earliest residents were German and Swedish farmers who grew vegetables in fields laid out along the south bank of the North Branch of the Chicago River. Czechs moved into the northwestern corner after the Bohemian National Cemetery opened in 1877, though they largely moved out again around 1900. The community's defining institution arrived in 1893, when the Swedish University Association of the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant purchased a large acreage and donated land along the river for a college, and construction of North Park College began in 1894 as the surrounding land was subdivided for homes. The neighborhood, and ultimately the university, took its name from that institution.
Development proceeded slowly at first, and the population numbered only 478 in 1910. From 1910 to 1930 the area boomed, especially once the first two-flats and small apartments went up in the 1920s, and the population tripled between 1920 and 1930 as prairie and woods gave way to a mature residential community of bungalows and two-flats. One of the area's Swedish pioneers, nurseryman Pehr Samuel Peterson, gave his name to the Peterson Woods community and is honored today by Peterson Park. A small industrial district developed in the northwest corner along Peterson Avenue in the 1930s and remains the only industrial activity in North Park. The population peaked in 1960, and while most city neighborhoods lost residents over the following decades, North Park grew by over 6 percent from 1980 to 1990, stabilized by faculty, staff, and students of its colleges.
The questions buyers actually ask
North Park FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping North Park. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- What kinds of homes does North Park have?
- North Park is known for single-family homes that give it a quiet, suburban feel within the city. Regional data show single-family detached houses make up about 31 percent of the housing stock, alongside many two-flats and small apartment buildings. Much of the housing dates to the bungalow-and-two-flat boom between 1910 and 1930, with a median year built around 1951. Owner-occupied and renter-occupied units are roughly balanced.
- How is the commute downtown?
- The neighborhood sits about 9 miles northwest of the Loop, so trips take some time. The closest CTA rail stop is the Kimball Brown Line terminal, and several bus lines serve the area. Regional data report a mean commute time of about 34.5 minutes, with most workers driving alone and roughly 15 percent using transit. Many residents also work from home.
- What schools and universities are nearby?
- North Park is unusually education-rich, home to two universities, North Park University at 3225 West Foster Avenue and Northeastern Illinois University, which opened in 1961. A yeshiva adds further to the concentrated educational resources. Area public schools include Von Steuben Metropolitan High School and Mary G. Peterson Elementary, among others, so confirm current attendance boundaries by address.
- What about green space and nature?
- Green space is a defining feature. The North Park Village Nature Center offers trails through savanna, woodland, and wetland habitats and a visitor center. LaBagh Woods, at the southern end of the North Branch Trail, is one of Chicago's best birding spots with more than 220 species recorded. The Chicago River's North Branch and the North Shore Channel run through the area, including the city's only waterfall, and Peterson Park adds wooded acres of recreation.
- Is North Park family-friendly?
- Yes. The area is described as a stable, quiet, tree-shaded, family-oriented neighborhood where most homes are owner-occupied. Regional data back this up, with family households at about 61 percent, an above-city household size of 2.6, and a median age near 39.6. Abundant parks, the nature center, and concentrated schools and universities reinforce the family character.
- How affordable is North Park, and where are prices headed?
- North Park is mid-to-higher priced for the city. Homes sold for a median of about 440,000 dollars in early 2026, up roughly 16 percent year over year. The regional median household income is about 77,368 dollars. Buyers should expect competition, though homes were averaging around 74 days on the market in early 2026.
Your local agent
Joe knows North 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
- North 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
- Pre-list improvements that pay back, and the ones that don't
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