Fox Lake · Lake County · IL
Homes for sale in
Fox Lake.
- Active listings
- 22
- Median list
- $280K
- Avg time on market
- 12 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Photo: DosEquis630708 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About the community
Living in Fox Lake.
Fox Lake sits on the east shore of Pistakee Lake in northern Lake County, anchoring the largest concentration of natural lakes in Illinois, the Chain O'Lakes. The village was incorporated in 1907 after a string of resort owners united around the booming summer tourism trade that drew Chicagoans north by rail. Today Fox Lake is the northwest terminus of Metra's Milwaukee District North line, so commuters can park the boat on Friday afternoon and be at Chicago Union Station in roughly 90 minutes. Single-family homes here run notably more affordable than the Lake County median, with Zillow placing the typical home value around $192,758. The summer scene still defines the town, with 7,100 acres of connected water, lakeside restaurants you can reach by boat, and an extensively renovated Lakefront Park anchoring the downtown shoreline.
At a glance
~10,978 residents
2020 Census population for the village. Working middle-class commuter base with a heavy summer-population swing.
Chain O'Lakes
Largest concentration of natural lakes in Illinois. 7,100 acres of connected water, 488 miles of shoreline, 15 lakes, 45 miles of river.
Metra MD-N northwest terminus
Fox Lake station is the end of the Milwaukee District North line, 49.5 miles to Chicago Union Station. Inbound trains start here, so seats are easy.
D114 + Grant CHSD 124
Fox Lake Grade School District 114 (K-8) plus Grant Community High School District 124 (9-12). Western neighborhoods fall in Big Hollow District 38.
Median home value ~$192,758
Zillow Home Value Index for Fox Lake. Well below the broader Lake County median, one of the more accessible water-access communities in the county.
Effective property tax ~2.79%
Ownwell reports an average effective rate around 2.79 percent in Fox Lake with a median annual property tax bill near $4,564.
Mineola Hotel
1888 resort hotel at 91 Cora Avenue. National Register listed, the largest wood-frame structure in Illinois. Long-running redevelopment plan ongoing.
US 12 / IL 59 / IL 134
Three state and federal routes meet in town for car commuters heading toward Lake Villa, Round Lake, and McHenry.
What’s close
Fox Lake hugs the shoreline of three connected Chain O'Lakes water bodies in far northern Lake County, near the Wisconsin border, with US 12, IL 59, and IL 134 meeting in the village core.
- Pistakee Lake (south shore)
- Largest of the Chain O'Lakes proper on the village's south shore. Boating, fishing, waterfront restaurants.
- Nippersink Lake
- Connected water body just north of Pistakee, part of the Chain.
- Fox Lake (the lake itself)
- Namesake water body forming the village's east-side shoreline.
- Lakefront Park
- 10 Riverview Ave. Recently renovated village park with beach, amphitheater, splashpad, pickleball, and walking trails.
- Mineola Bay / Mineola Hotel site
- 91 Cora Avenue. National Register-listed 1880s resort hotel, largest wood-frame building in Illinois.
- Chain O'Lakes State Park
- Just outside the village. 6,063-acre state park with boating, camping, disc golf, archery, and trails.
What it’s actually like to live here
Life in Fox Lake is organized around the water. The Chain O'Lakes is the busiest inland recreational waterway per acre in the United States, with 488 miles of shoreline, 15 connected lakes, and 45 miles of river. Residents keep boats on private piers, at marinas, or at slip clubs, and many of the restaurants on the Chain are reachable by boat as easily as by car. Summer weekends bring the annual boat parade, lakeside live music at the new Lakefront Park amphitheater, and crowds at outdoor patios. Winter shifts the scene to ice fishing, ice skating, and cross-country skiing in Chain O'Lakes State Park.
Off the water, Fox Lake functions as a working middle-class commuter village. The Metra MD-N station is the northwest end of the line, which means every inbound train that leaves Fox Lake starts here with an open seat. US 12, Illinois 59, and Illinois 134 meet in town for car commuters heading toward Lake Villa, Round Lake, and McHenry. Homeownership runs at roughly 68 percent and the typical commute is about 34 minutes. The village's K-8 schools fall mostly under Fox Lake Grade School District 114, with the western neighborhoods served by Big Hollow School District 38, and all students continue on to Grant Community High School in Grant CHSD 124.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Fox Lake 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 Fox Lake.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D114Grades K to 8
Fox Lake Grade School District 114
Schools serving the area
- Stanton School
- Lotus School
- Stanton Middle School
D114 serves most of Fox Lake village K to 8. District office at 101 Hawthorne Lane, Fox Lake.
- D38Grades PK to 8
Big Hollow School District 38
Schools serving the area
- Big Hollow Primary School
- Big Hollow Elementary School
- Big Hollow Middle School
Single 62-acre campus at Fish Lake and Nippersink Roads in Ingleside. Serves the western portion of Fox Lake along with Lakemoor, Round Lake, and Volo.
- CHSD 124Grades 9 to 12
Grant Community High School District 124
Schools serving the area
- Grant Community High School
Sole high school district serving Fox Lake village. Grant Community High School offers AP courses, Project Lead The Way curriculum, and 26 sports.
Around town
What there is to do in Fox Lake.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Lakefront Park
Newly renovated village park at 10 Riverview Avenue with beach, amphitheater, splashpad, indoor and outdoor pickleball, and walking trails.
- Parks
Chain O'Lakes State Park
6,000-plus-acre Illinois state park with boat rentals, camping, an 18-hole disc golf course, hiking and biking trails, and an archery range.
- Food & Drink
Famous Freddie's Roadhouse
10,000-square-foot two-story lakeside restaurant and bar on Pistakee Lake with 100-plus boat slips and multiple bars.
- Food & Drink
Dockers
Pistakee Lake waterfront restaurant accessible by boat or car, known for outdoor dining and a Friday fish fry.
- Culture
Mineola Hotel
National Register-listed 1880s resort hotel at 91 Cora Avenue. The largest wood-frame structure in Illinois, currently in long-running redevelopment.
- Family
Pistakee Marina
Full-service marina on Pistakee Lake offering slips, fuel, boat rentals, and Chain O'Lakes trip planning.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Fox Lake.
MetraMD-N line
- Stations: Fox Lake
- Terminal: Chicago Union Station
- Distance: 49.5 miles to downtown Chicago
DriveBy car
- Routes: US 12 · IL 59 · IL 134
- Chicago Loop: ~75 min
- O'Hare Airport: ~55 min
By the numbers
Fox Lake taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.79%
effective avg
Sales tax
8.50%
combined
Median sold price
$240,000
MRED · last 12 mo (211 sales)
Median household income
$70,819
ACS
How Fox Lake got here
A bit of history.
Fox Lake's identity was built on the Chain O'Lakes resort era. In the late 1800s the Wisconsin Central Railroad (later the Soo Line, now Metra's MD-N) brought Chicago vacationers north to a wooded shoreline dotted with hotels and cottages. Year-round residents numbered only a few hundred early in the 20th century, but the summer population swelled to an estimated 20,000, supported by roughly 50 hotels and 2,000 cottages. Resort owners banded together and the village was formally incorporated in 1907.
The Mineola Hotel, opened around 1888 at 91 Cora Avenue, became the symbol of that era. At 225 feet long and four stories tall, it is recognized as the largest wood-frame structure in Illinois and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Mineola served vacationers for decades and, during Prohibition, picked up a reputation as a gangster hangout reportedly frequented by Al Capone's crew. The hotel closed as a lodging in 1963, a bar in the basement hung on until 2012, and the long redevelopment saga continues with plans for a new boutique hotel complex that incorporates design elements of the original.
The questions buyers actually ask
Fox Lake FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Fox Lake. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- Is Fox Lake on the Chain O'Lakes?
- Yes. Fox Lake sits on the east shore of Pistakee Lake and the south shores of Nippersink Lake and Fox Lake itself, three connected water bodies in the Chain O'Lakes, the largest concentration of natural lakes in Illinois.
- How long is the Metra ride from Fox Lake to downtown Chicago?
- Fox Lake is the northwest terminus of Metra's Milwaukee District North line, 49.5 miles from Chicago Union Station. The ride runs roughly 90 minutes. A real perk of the terminus: inbound trains start empty here, so seats are easy.
- What school districts serve Fox Lake?
- Most of the village is in Fox Lake Grade School District 114 for K-8 and Grant Community High School District 124 for 9-12. Western parts of Fox Lake fall under Big Hollow School District 38 for K-8. Always confirm by street address.
- How much are property taxes in Fox Lake?
- Per Ownwell, the effective property tax rate in Fox Lake is about 2.79 percent, and the median annual property tax bill is around $4,564. That is consistent with the rest of Lake County, which averages about 2.73 percent.
- How affordable are Fox Lake homes compared to the rest of Lake County?
- Fox Lake's typical home value of about $192,758 (Zillow) is well below the broader Lake County median, which makes it one of the more accessible water-access communities in the county.
- What is the Mineola Hotel?
- The historic 1880s resort hotel at 91 Cora Avenue, recognized as the largest wood-frame structure in Illinois and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original building no longer operates as a hotel; a redevelopment plan calls for a new boutique hotel complex that incorporates design features of the original.
- How long is the drive to O'Hare?
- About 38 miles and roughly 55 minutes in normal traffic, generally via US 12 south.
Nearby
Towns next to Fox Lake.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Fox Lake.
Your local agent
Joe knows Fox Lake
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
- Fox Lake 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