Darien · DuPage County · IL
Homes for sale in
Darien.
- Active listings
- 34
- Median list
- $410K
- Avg time on market
- 7 days
- Sold · last year
- 272
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
Active listings
34 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Darien.
Darien sits in south-central DuPage County where Cass Avenue meets I-55, putting downtown Chicago about a half hour out and O'Hare under 30 minutes in light traffic. The city was stitched together in 1969 from four neighboring subdivisions, and that origin story still shapes the place. Three separate K-8 districts (Cass 63, Center Cass 66, and Darien 61) overlap inside city limits, and the high school address (Hinsdale South) draws a higher-bracket name than the home prices would suggest. Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve wraps the entire southern edge, ringing Argonne National Laboratory with 2,500 acres of trail, prairie, and oak savanna. Compared with Hinsdale or Burr Ridge to the north, you get the same District 86 high school stamp at a meaningfully lower property tax bill. Housing stock skews to 1960s through 1980s subdivision tract with infill on the older parcels. For buyers who want a forest-preserve backyard, an interstate ramp, and a Hinsdale Township diploma without the seven-figure entry, Darien is the value play in this part of DuPage.
At a glance
~22,000 residents
2020 Census population 22,011 across roughly 6 square miles of south-central DuPage.
I-55 at Cass Avenue
Direct interchange access. Downtown Chicago in about 32 minutes off-peak, O'Hare in roughly 29 minutes.
Three K-8 districts
Cass 63, Center Cass 66, and Darien 61 overlap inside city limits. The K-8 district line moves block by block.
Hinsdale Township 86
Almost all Darien high schoolers attend Hinsdale South High School at 75th and Clarendon Hills Road.
Waterfall Glen
2,500-acre forest preserve wraps the south edge of town, completely encircling Argonne National Laboratory.
Argonne adjacent
Argonne National Laboratory sits just south of the city, inside the Waterfall Glen ring.
No in-village Metra
Closest stations are Westmont on the BNSF Line and Lemont on the Heritage Corridor.
1960s-80s housing stock
Mostly ranch and split-level subdivision tract from the founding subdivisions, with infill and teardown rebuilds on the older parcels.
What’s close
Darien sits in south-central DuPage County, anchored by the I-55 interchange at Cass Avenue, with Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve forming its southern boundary and Downers Grove, Westmont, Willowbrook, Burr Ridge, and Woodridge ringing it.
- I-55 / Cass Avenue interchange
- Direct ramp access from the city's main north-south spine, the reason commuters look here.
- Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve
- 2,500 acres wrapping the south side of town, surrounding Argonne National Laboratory, with a 9.5-mile crushed-limestone main trail.
- 75th Street / Cass Avenue commercial corridor
- Core retail node anchored by Jewel, Planet Fitness, and a steady rotation of fast-casual restaurants.
- Hinsdale South High School
- District 86 campus at 75th and Clarendon Hills Road serving Darien plus parts of Burr Ridge, Willowbrook, and Westmont.
- Carriage Greens Country Club
- Public par-70 course at 8700 Carriage Green Drive, open year round with the Sandtrap Bar and Grill on site.
- Indian Prairie Public Library
- 401 Plainfield Road. Municipal library at Plainfield and Clarendon Hills Roads, the Maker Studio and programming hub.
What it’s actually like to live here
Darien is a subdivision-belt city, and that character defines daily life. The four founding subdivisions (Marion Hills, Brookhaven, Farmingdale, Hinsbrook) set a template of curvilinear streets, attached two-car garages, and 1960s-80s ranch and split-level stock that still dominates the housing supply. The Darien Park District operates 17 parks across roughly 160 acres of open space, with Hinsbrook Park and Westwood Park as the most-used neighborhood anchors. The 75th and Cass corridor handles most everyday retail, and the south edge of town opens directly into Waterfall Glen for trail running, cycling, and cross-country skiing on the 9.5-mile crushed-limestone loop.
The school district picture is unusually fragmented and is the single most important fact for buyers to verify. Elementary boundaries split across Cass District 63, Center Cass District 66, and Darien District 61, with all three feeding the bulk of students into Hinsdale Township High School District 86 at Hinsdale South. The Hinsdale 86 stamp pulls comparable home prices in Hinsdale and Burr Ridge well past seven figures, but Darien's typical home value sits around $357,000, a real value gap for buyers who care more about the high school district than the village zip. Commute options favor drivers since there is no Metra station in Darien. The closest stops are Westmont on the BNSF line and Lemont on the Heritage Corridor.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Darien 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 Darien.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D63Grades K – 8
Cass School District 63
Schools serving the area
- Cass Junior High School
- Concord Elementary
Two-school district serving roughly 775 to 850 students, mostly in Darien and Willowbrook. Most students feed Hinsdale South; small numbers feed Lemont HS District 210 or Downers Grove 99.
- D66Grades K – 8
Center Cass School District 66
Schools serving the area
- Lakeview Junior High
- Prairieview Elementary
- Elizabeth Ide Elementary
Headquartered in Downers Grove. Serves the northern slice of Darien and adjoining Downers Grove territory. Confirm assignment at the address level.
- D61Grades K – 8
Darien School District 61 (Lakeview)
Schools serving the area
- Mark DeLay School
- Eisenhower Junior High
Largest K-8 footprint inside city limits but does not cover the entire city. Maintains its own published boundary map at darien61.org.
- D86Grades 9 – 12
Hinsdale Township High School District 86
Schools serving the area
- Hinsdale South High School
Operates Hinsdale South at 75th and Clarendon Hills Road in Darien. Most of the city feeds South; parcels west of Cass can route differently. Always verify high school assignment with the district's online boundary lookup.
From the neighborhood
Around Darien
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
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@.coreybagelsAround town
What there is to do in Darien.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve
2,500-acre preserve ringing Argonne National Lab, with a 9.5-mile crushed-limestone main trail and the Rocky Glen waterfall.
- Family
Carriage Greens Country Club
Public par-70 family-owned course at 8700 Carriage Green Drive, open year round with the Sandtrap Bar and Grill on site.
- Culture
Indian Prairie Public Library
Darien's public library at 401 Plainfield Road with a Maker Studio and regular programming for kids and adults.
- Family
Darien Sportsplex
Indoor sports complex with NHL-sized ice surfaces and a full-sized field house used for hockey, soccer, and lacrosse.
- Parks
Hinsbrook Park
Darien Park District neighborhood park at Hinsbrook Avenue and Beechnut Lane with two baseball diamonds, a soccer field, playground, and adjacency to the Darien Swim Club.
- Family
Indian Boundary YMCA
Full-service YMCA at 711 59th Street just north of Darien, with youth sports, day camps, and before and after school care.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Darien.
DriveBy car
- Routes: I-55 · Cass Avenue · 75th Street · IL 83 (nearby)
- O'Hare Airport: ~29 min
- Chicago Loop: ~32 min
By the numbers
Darien taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.07%
effective avg
Sales tax
8.25%
combined
Median sold price
$450,000
MRED · last 12 mo (272 sales)
Median household income
$111,215
ACS
How Darien got here
A bit of history.
Before Darien was Darien, the land was part of the Lace and Cass communities, settled in 1835 by New Englanders who arrived via the Erie Canal and Great Lakes. The Village of Lace was established by 1890 at the triangle bordered by Cass Avenue, Plainfield Road, and 75th Street, a junction locals called The Point. For most of the next eight decades the area stayed unincorporated, growing slowly as a string of farmsteads and crossroads businesses inside Downers Grove Township.
The modern city is a 1969 invention. Residents of the Marion Hills, Brookhaven, Farmingdale, and Hinsbrook subdivisions formed the Combined Homeowners Committee for Incorporation and held an incorporation vote on December 13, 1969, which passed by fewer than 50 votes. When the committee deadlocked on a name, acting mayor Sam Kelly suggested Darien after a Connecticut town he had visited. The subdivision boom continued through the 1970s and 1980s, and recent decades have been dominated by infill and teardown rebuilds rather than greenfield development.
The questions buyers actually ask
Darien FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Darien. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- Why does Darien have so many different school districts?
- The city was assembled in 1969 from four pre-existing subdivisions (Marion Hills, Brookhaven, Farmingdale, Hinsbrook) that already had K-8 district boundaries drawn through them. Those K-8 lines (Cass 63, Center Cass 66, and Darien 61) never got redrawn after incorporation, so a Darien address can fall into any of the three depending on the parcel. High school is almost all Hinsdale Township District 86 (Hinsdale South), with small slivers feeding Lemont 210 or Downers Grove 99. Always verify with the district lookup before writing an offer.
- How long is the commute to downtown Chicago?
- About 32 minutes by car to the Loop in light traffic (26 miles via I-55) and roughly 29 minutes to O'Hare (22 miles). Peak-hour I-55 inbound can easily double those numbers. There is no Metra station in Darien. The closest stops are Westmont on the BNSF Line or Lemont on the Heritage Corridor.
- What is Waterfall Glen and how close is it?
- Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve is a 2,500-acre Forest Preserve District of DuPage County property that wraps the south edge of Darien and completely encircles Argonne National Laboratory in a doughnut shape. The main trail is 9.5 miles of crushed limestone open to hikers, cyclists, equestrians, and cross-country skiers. The Rocky Glen waterfall and Sawmill Creek bluff overlook are the marquee features.
- How do Darien property taxes compare to neighboring towns?
- The median effective rate in Darien is about 2.07 percent, with a median annual bill near $6,984 per Ownwell. That is below the Illinois state median of 2.35 percent but well above the national 1.02 percent. For comparable Hinsdale 86 high school access in Hinsdale or Burr Ridge, you typically pay a meaningfully larger bill driven by higher home values, even at a similar rate.
- Which neighborhoods or subdivisions are the originals?
- The four founding subdivisions are Marion Hills, Brookhaven, Farmingdale, and Hinsbrook. Their homeowners formed the Combined Homeowners Committee for Incorporation that pushed through the December 13, 1969 incorporation vote, which passed by fewer than 50 votes. Most of the city's pre-1990 housing stock sits in one of these four areas.
- Does Darien get a Hinsdale Central diploma?
- No. Hinsdale Township District 86 operates two campuses, and Darien is in the Hinsdale South attendance area. Hinsdale Central serves Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook, and a slice of Burr Ridge. Hinsdale South serves Darien plus parts of Burr Ridge, Willowbrook, and Westmont.
- What is the typical home price in Darien?
- Zillow's typical home value for Darien is about $357,000. That is a real discount relative to neighboring Hinsdale 86 communities like Hinsdale and Burr Ridge, where comparable District 86 access pushes prices well into the seven figures.
Nearby
Towns next to Darien.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Darien.
Your local agent
Joe knows Darien
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
- Darien 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