Green Oaks · Lake County · IL
Homes for sale in
Green Oaks.
- Active listings
- 2
- Median list
- $570K
- Avg time on market
- 16 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Photo: Abequinn14 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
About the community
Living in Green Oaks.
Green Oaks is a residential village in Libertyville Township, central Lake County, sitting between Libertyville to the west and Waukegan to the east. The village is intentionally low-density. Founding zoning required minimum lot sizes between one and five acres, and that estate-scale character still defines the streets today. There is no commercial downtown. Residents drive a short distance into Libertyville, Lake Forest, or Vernon Hills for shopping, dining, and the Metra. The village borders Independence Grove Forest Preserve and Old School Forest Preserve, putting wooded trails, a 129-acre lake, and quiet country roads within minutes of any front door.
At a glance
~4,128 residents
2020 Census population for the village. Small, settled, predominantly single-family estate-style housing.
1 to 5 acre lot zoning
Founding 1960 zoning required minimum lot sizes between one and five acres. That estate-scale character still defines the village.
Independence Grove next door
1,151-acre Lake County Forest Preserve immediately north of the village with a 129-acre lake, 7.5 miles of trail, marina, and beer garden.
Oak Grove D68 + Libertyville HS D128
Most of Green Oaks attends Oak Grove School District 68 (K-8, single-school district physically in the village) and Community High School District 128 (Libertyville HS / Vernon Hills HS).
IL 176 + I-94 at the door
IL Route 176 runs east-west through the village and intersects the Tri-State Tollway (I-94) just east. US 41 (Skokie Highway) is also a short drive east.
Heinz Orchard
Small family-run pick-your-own apple orchard at 1050 Crest Road, inside village limits and a Northern Illinois fall tradition for more than 60 years.
Median household income $147,614
ACS 5-year estimate. Among the higher-income villages in Lake County.
Lake County tax rate ~2.7%
Effective property tax rates in Lake County average about 2.68 to 2.73 percent. Green-Oaks-specific municipal rates fall within that range; always pull the actual bill for the address.
What’s close
Green Oaks sits in central Lake County, bordered by Libertyville to the west, Waukegan and North Chicago to the east, Mettawa to the south, and unincorporated forest preserve land to the north.
- Independence Grove Forest Preserve
- 1,151-acre preserve adjoining the village to the north with a 129-acre lake, 7.5 miles of trail, marina, beer garden, and visitor center.
- IL Route 176
- Main east-west arterial through Green Oaks, intersecting I-94 (Tri-State Tollway) just east of the village.
- US Route 41 / Skokie Highway
- North-south corridor along the eastern edge of the village near North Chicago and Waukegan.
- Old School Forest Preserve
- Just southwest in Mettawa. Trails, fishing, and one of Lake County's best sledding hills in winter.
- Heinz Orchard
- 1050 Crest Road, inside village limits. Family-run pick-your-own apple orchard, a 60-plus-year Northern Illinois tradition.
- Libertyville and Vernon Hills
- Adjacent communities west and southwest. The closest commercial corridors, plus the Libertyville Metra MD-N station for the Chicago commute.
What it’s actually like to live here
Green Oaks is estate-style residential living. Homes sit on lots from one acre up to five acres, often on wooded or partially wooded parcels with mature oaks. There is no commercial strip, no downtown, no big-box retail inside village limits. Streets are quiet, and the village has deliberately preserved its rural feel since incorporation. Buyers come specifically for the lot sizes, the woodsy character, and the quiet, accepting the trade-off that errands and dining happen elsewhere.
Daily life relies on Libertyville, Vernon Hills, and Lake Forest for groceries, restaurants, and services. Recreation happens largely in the surrounding forest preserves. Independence Grove offers 7.5 miles of trails, a 129-acre lake with boat and bike rentals, a beer garden, and a visitor center. Old School Forest Preserve adds more trails, fishing, and a popular sledding hill. Heinz Orchard, inside village limits on Crest Road, has been a family-run pick-your-own apple stop in northern Illinois for more than 60 years. The Libertyville Metra station on the MD-N line is about 10 minutes west for the Chicago commute.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Green Oaks 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 Green Oaks.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D68Grades K to 8
Oak Grove School District 68
Schools serving the area
- Oak Grove School
Single-school K-8 district with the school physically inside Green Oaks village limits. Most Green Oaks addresses are served here. Consistently among the top-ranked Illinois K-8 districts.
- D70Grades K to 8
Libertyville School District 70
Schools serving the area
- Adler Park School
- Butterfield School
- Copeland Manor School
Serves a portion of Green Oaks addresses on the western side. Most Libertyville-side village kids attend D70.
- D128Grades 9 to 12
Community High School District 128
Schools serving the area
- Libertyville High School
- Vernon Hills High School
Serves most Green Oaks high schoolers via Libertyville HS. Far-eastern village addresses may fall in Warren Township HSD 121 (Warren Township HS) instead. Always verify by street address.
Around town
What there is to do in Green Oaks.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Independence Grove Forest Preserve
1,151-acre Lake County preserve immediately north of the village with a 129-acre lake, 7.5 miles of trail, marina, and beer garden.
- Family
Heinz Orchard
Family-run pick-your-own apple orchard at 1050 Crest Road, inside Green Oaks village limits. A Northern Illinois fall tradition for more than 60 years.
- Parks
Old School Forest Preserve
Lake County preserve in neighboring Mettawa just southwest of the village with trails, fishing, and a popular winter sledding hill.
- Culture
David Adler Music and Arts Center
Historic David Adler estate in nearby Libertyville with year-round music, art, and education programming.
- Culture
Cuneo Mansion and Gardens
75-acre Italianate estate, museum, and formal gardens in nearby Vernon Hills. Operated as a Loyola University museum.
- Parks
Greenbelt Forest Preserve
Lake County preserve with 5 miles of hiking trail and a cultural center, just east in North Chicago and Waukegan.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Green Oaks.
DriveBy car
- Routes: IL 176 · US 41 (Skokie Highway) · IL 137 (Buckley Road) · I-94 (Tri-State Tollway, eastern edge)
- Chicago Loop: ~48 min
- O'Hare Airport: ~33 min
By the numbers
Green Oaks taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.70%
effective avg
Sales tax
7.00%
combined
Median sold price
$900,000
MRED · last 12 mo (21 sales)
Median household income
$147,614
ACS
How Green Oaks got here
A bit of history.
The area that became Green Oaks was first settled in the 1840s by Irish immigrants moving east from the Des Plaines River. Thomas Madden, one of the earliest settlers, bought land about three miles east of the river in 1844. The settlement was originally known as Oak Grove and remained rural farmland east of Libertyville for more than a century.
The Village of Oak Grove incorporated in 1960 and almost immediately changed its name to Green Oaks. All 150 of the new village's residents attended the celebration dinner. The village was founded explicitly as a municipal barrier against the urban and industrial expansion creeping up from the south, with initial zoning that prohibited anything but single-family dwellings on lots of one to five acres. Population grew significantly between 1960 and 1985 as the surrounding area developed, but the large-lot zoning held.
The questions buyers actually ask
Green Oaks FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Green Oaks. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- Where is Green Oaks, Illinois?
- Green Oaks is a small village in central Lake County, in Libertyville Township, between Libertyville on the west and Waukegan on the east. It sits about 38 miles north of downtown Chicago.
- How big is Green Oaks?
- The village covers about 4.10 square miles (3.99 land, 0.11 water) and had a 2020 Census population of 4,128. It is intentionally small.
- What are the lot sizes like in Green Oaks?
- Green Oaks was founded in 1960 with large-lot zoning that required one to five acre minimums. Residential parcels are typically still that size, and the estate-scale character is the defining feature of the village.
- Is there a Metra station in Green Oaks?
- No. The closest Metra stations are Libertyville on the MD-N line, about 10 minutes west, and Lake Forest on the UP-N line, about 15 minutes east.
- What school district is Green Oaks in?
- Most of Green Oaks is served by Oak Grove School District 68 (K-8, single-school district inside the village) and Community High School District 128 (Libertyville HS / Vernon Hills HS). Portions of the village fall into Libertyville Elementary District 70 or Warren Township HS District 121 depending on the address.
- What forest preserves are near Green Oaks?
- Independence Grove Forest Preserve borders the village to the north, with a 129-acre lake and 7.5 miles of trail. Old School Forest Preserve in Mettawa is just south, and Greenbelt Forest Preserve is east in North Chicago and Waukegan.
- How long is the drive from Green Oaks to downtown Chicago?
- About 48 minutes and 38 miles by car, generally via I-94 (Tri-State Tollway). O'Hare is closer at roughly 33 minutes via the Tollway.
Your local agent
Joe knows Green Oaks
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
- Green Oaks 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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