Forest Park · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Forest Park.
- Active listings
- 20
- Median list
- $172K
- Avg time on market
- 52 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
Active listings
20 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Forest Park.
Forest Park is a compact village of about 14,300 people in western Cook County, just past Oak Park and roughly 10 miles from the Chicago Loop. Its calling card is Madison Street, a walkable corridor of restaurants, taverns, antique shops, and boutiques that Chicago Tribune readers once voted best neighborhood dining in the metro area. The village sits at the western terminus of the CTA Blue Line, which runs down the Eisenhower Expressway straight into downtown Chicago. Forest Park is also famous for its cemeteries, with more buried residents than living ones, including Forest Home Cemetery and the National Historic Landmark Haymarket Martyrs' Monument. The housing stock leans toward bungalows, two-flats, and condos, with a typical home value in the high $200,000s.
At a glance
~14,300 residents
The 2020 census counted 14,339 people in just 2.4 square miles about 10 miles west of the Loop.
CTA Blue Line terminal
The village is the western terminus of the CTA Blue Line at Des Plaines Avenue on the Eisenhower Expressway.
Madison Street dining
Its Madison Street corridor was voted best neighborhood dining in the Chicago area by Tribune readers.
Village of cemeteries
Forest Park historically had far more buried residents than living ones, a legacy of its 1800s German cemeteries.
Home value ~$276K
Zillow puts the typical Forest Park home value around $276,000, a mix of bungalows, two-flats, and condos.
On the Eisenhower
Interstate 290 runs directly through the village, putting the Loop about a 14 minute drive away.
Districts 91 and 209
Forest Park School District 91 serves PK-8 and high schoolers attend Proviso Township High Schools District 209.
What’s close
Forest Park occupies a strategic spot in the inner-ring western suburbs, bordered by Oak Park and River Forest and bisected by the Eisenhower Expressway, with fast access to both downtown Chicago and O'Hare.
- CTA Blue Line
- The western terminus of the CTA Blue Line sits at Des Plaines Avenue, with a second Blue Line stop at Harlem.
- Distance to the Loop
- About 10 miles west of downtown Chicago, roughly a 14 minute drive in light traffic.
- Eisenhower Expressway
- Interstate 290 runs through the village, the spine of its commuter access.
- Madison Street
- The walkable main commercial street of restaurants, taverns, antique shops, and boutiques.
- Oak Park
- Borders Oak Park to the east, with the CTA Green Line's Harlem/Lake terminus at the northeast corner.
- Des Plaines River
- The Des Plaines River and adjacent forest preserves run along the village's western edge.
What it’s actually like to live here
Daily life in Forest Park revolves around Madison Street, a dense, walkable corridor of restaurants, taverns, antique merchants, and boutiques. Once known mainly for its many taverns, the strip has grown into one of the most respected dining destinations in the western suburbs. The compact 2.4-square-mile footprint means most of the village is within easy walking distance of the corridor, and seasonal events keep the calendar full.
Transit is a defining feature of Forest Park living. The CTA Blue Line's western terminus at Des Plaines Avenue puts a one-seat rail ride to downtown Chicago and O'Hare within reach, a second Blue Line stop serves the Harlem area, and Pace buses cover local routes. For commuters, the combination of rapid-transit access plus the Interstate 290 on-ramp is the core appeal, and it shows in the numbers, with a meaningful share of residents commuting by rail or working from home.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Forest 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.
Schools
Districts serving Forest Park.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D91Grades Pre-K-8
Forest Park School District 91
Schools serving the area
- Garfield Elementary
- Field-Stevenson Elementary
- Grant-White Elementary
- Betsy Ross Elementary
- Forest Park Middle School
District 91 runs the village's elementary schools and Forest Park Middle School for PK-8. Confirm the assigned school per address.
- D209Grades 9-12
Proviso Township High Schools District 209
Schools serving the area
- Proviso East High School
- Proviso West High School
- Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy
Forest Park is served primarily by Proviso East, with the Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy magnet located in Forest Park.
Around town
What there is to do in Forest Park.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
The Park District of Forest Park
A central park and outdoor aquatic center with zero-depth entry, water slides, and a splash pad.
- Food & Drink
Madison Street Corridor
The village's walkable main street of restaurants, taverns, antique shops, and boutiques.
- Culture
Haymarket Martyrs' Monument
An 1893 National Historic Landmark in Forest Home Cemetery commemorating the Haymarket labor activists.
- Culture
Forest Park Public Library
A two-level public library on Jackson Boulevard offering free programs, collections, and internet access.
- Culture
Historical Society of Forest Park
A local history organization that runs guided cemetery tours and talks on the village's past.
- Family
No Glove Nationals
An annual 16-inch slow-pitch softball invitational hosted by the Park District each summer.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Forest Park.
DriveBy car
- Routes: I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway) · Harlem Avenue · Roosevelt Road · Madison Street
- O'Hare Airport: ~19 min
- Chicago Loop: ~14 min
By the numbers
Forest Park taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.99%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$290,000
MRED · last 12 mo (195 sales)
Median household income
$77,221
ACS
How Forest Park got here
A bit of history.
Forest Park grew out of a larger community originally called Harlem, settled in the mid-1800s by German immigrants. The area became closely tied to the cemetery business, with German Waldheim and Forest Home among several burial grounds established here in the 1870s. For much of its history the village was known as a village of cemeteries, with the dead outnumbering the living by a wide margin, and its cemeteries today include Altenheim, Forest Home, Jewish Waldheim, Woodlawn, and Concordia.
Forest Home Cemetery holds the Haymarket Martyrs' Monument, dedicated in 1893 to commemorate the labor activists convicted and executed after the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago. The monument was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997 and remains a site of labor-history pilgrimage. The community officially incorporated under the name Forest Park on April 17, 1907, ending its time as part of the older town of Harlem.
The questions buyers actually ask
Forest Park FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Forest Park. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- What schools serve Forest Park?
- Elementary and middle students attend Forest Park School District 91, which runs several neighborhood elementary schools and Forest Park Middle School. High schoolers are served by Proviso Township High Schools District 209, primarily Proviso East, with the Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy magnet located in the village.
- How is the commute to downtown Chicago from Forest Park?
- Forest Park is the western terminus of the CTA Blue Line, giving residents a one-seat rapid-transit ride downtown, and the Eisenhower Expressway puts the Loop about 10 miles and a 14 minute drive away.
- What are property taxes like in Forest Park?
- Ownwell reports a median effective property tax rate around 2.99 percent, typical for inner-ring Cook County suburbs. Bills vary by address and exemptions, so confirm the actual figure for a specific home.
- What kinds of homes are for sale in Forest Park?
- The village offers a mix of brick bungalows, two-flats, single-family homes, and condos, with a typical home value around $276,000 according to Zillow.
- What is there to do on Madison Street?
- Madison Street is Forest Park's walkable main corridor of restaurants, taverns, antique shops, and boutiques, recognized by Chicago Tribune readers as best neighborhood dining in the area.
- Why is Forest Park called a village of cemeteries?
- German settlers established several large cemeteries here in the 1800s, leaving the village with far more buried residents than living ones, and Forest Home Cemetery holds the National Historic Landmark Haymarket Martyrs' Monument.
Nearby
Towns next to Forest Park.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Forest Park.
Your local agent
Joe knows Forest Park
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the communities I actually know, and the details that determine resale value here aren't in the MLS write-up: which lots back to open space, which streets carry the most consistent demand, which floor plans buyers ask for by name, and what each HOA actually covers.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who's walked the streets, talked to the residents, and read the last 50 closed comps in this market specifically. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Lives in McHenry County
- Local specialist
- Forest 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
- No obligation, no spam, no auto-dialer