Hometown · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Hometown.
- Active listings
- 7
- Median list
- $295K
- Avg time on market
- 30 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
Active listings
7 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Hometown.
Hometown is one of the smallest incorporated cities in Cook County, covering just 0.48 square miles and bordered on essentially every side by the larger village of Oak Lawn. It was built almost from scratch after World War II by developer Joseph E. Merrion, who put up inexpensive duplex homes aimed at returning GIs and their young families, and it formally incorporated as a city in 1953. The tight grid of modest homes still defines its character, and at roughly 4,300 residents it has a real neighborhood feel with some of the most affordable price points anywhere in suburban Cook County. Kids attend Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 and then Oak Lawn Community High School in adjacent Oak Lawn. For commuters, the Chicago Loop sits about 16 miles northeast, with Pace and CTA bus access and an easy drive to Midway.
At a glance
~4,300 residents
About 4,343 residents as of the 2020 census, one of the smallest cities in Cook County.
Half a square mile
The entire city covers just 0.48 square miles, all land, making it one of the most compact municipalities in the state.
GI starter town
Built after World War II by developer Joseph E. Merrion as affordable duplex housing for returning veterans.
Oak Lawn-Hometown District 123
Served by Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 (PK-8), then Oak Lawn Community High School District 229.
Surrounded by Oak Lawn
Sits along 87th Street between Cicero Avenue and Pulaski Road, wrapped entirely by the village of Oak Lawn.
Among the most affordable
Median home price around $109,650, well below the Cook County median, a strong entry point for first-time buyers.
Its own small parks
The city maintains Unity Park, Anderson Park, and Patterson Park plus the Hammond Hall community center.
Bus transit
Pace Route 383 and CTA Route 87 serve the town. Metra's SouthWest Service line passes through without a stop.
What’s close
Hometown is an island city completely surrounded by the village of Oak Lawn on Chicago's southwest side, bordering the city of Chicago itself along 87th Street between Cicero Avenue and Pulaski Road.
- Oak Lawn
- The larger village wraps entirely around Hometown and provides most of its shopping, dining, schools, and services.
- Chicago city limits
- Hometown borders Chicago along 87th Street, so the city line is only blocks away.
- Cicero Avenue (IL 50)
- A major north-south arterial runs along the town's western edge, feeding Midway Airport and the wider south side.
- Chicago Loop
- Downtown Chicago sits roughly 16 miles northeast, about a 30 to 45 minute drive.
- Midway Airport
- Chicago Midway is a short drive north up Cicero Avenue, closer than O'Hare for most travel.
- Moraine Valley Community College
- The regional community college serving Hometown students is a short drive southwest in Palos Hills.
What it’s actually like to live here
Life in Hometown is defined by its scale. With the whole city packed into less than half a square mile and a population just over 4,000, it functions almost like a single tight-knit neighborhood rather than a sprawling suburb. The city runs its own small Parks and Recreation department with community parks like Unity, Anderson, and Patterson, plus Hammond Hall as a community center and events venue, so families have green space and programming close to home.
Because Hometown is wrapped entirely by Oak Lawn, residents tap into a much larger menu of amenities just minutes away, from the Children's Museum in Oak Lawn and Stony Creek Golf Course to the shops and restaurants along Cicero Avenue. The housing stock skews toward the original compact post-war homes, which keeps prices low and makes Hometown a genuine entry point for first-time buyers in Cook County, while still offering Pace and CTA bus access and an easy drive to downtown Chicago.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Hometown 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 Hometown.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D123Grades PK – 8
Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123
Schools serving the area
- Hometown Elementary School
- Kolmar Elementary School
- Sward Elementary School
- Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School
Serves Hometown along with parts of Oak Lawn. Hometown students attend District 123 elementary and middle schools before moving on to high school in District 229. Confirm assignment per address.
- D229Grades 9 – 12
Oak Lawn Community High School District 229
Schools serving the area
- Oak Lawn Community High School
High school students from Hometown attend Oak Lawn Community High School in adjacent Oak Lawn.
Around town
What there is to do in Hometown.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Unity Park
A neighborhood park maintained by the City of Hometown's Parks and Recreation department, one of the town's core green spaces.
- Parks
Anderson Park
A community park within Hometown, part of the city's small but active parks system with open play space.
- Family
Children's Museum in Oak Lawn
A play-based education museum for kids ages 0 to 8, just minutes away in neighboring Oak Lawn.
- Parks
Stony Creek Golf Course
An Oak Lawn Park District 18-hole course with a driving range, mini golf, simulators, and a bar and grill, bordering Hometown.
- Culture
Hammond Hall
Hometown's own community center and events venue run by the city, hosting local programs and gatherings.
- Food & Drink
Stony Creek Restaurant & Banquets
A clubhouse restaurant and banquet space at the adjacent Oak Lawn golf course, open to the public.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Hometown.
DriveBy car
- Routes: IL 50 / Cicero Avenue · Pulaski Road · 87th Street
- O'Hare Airport: ~45 min
- Chicago Loop: ~35 min
By the numbers
Hometown taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.62%
effective avg
Sales tax
9.00%
combined
Median sold price
$224,000
MRED · last 12 mo (66 sales)
Median household income
$61,101
ACS
How Hometown got here
A bit of history.
Hometown traces its origins to the post-World War II housing boom. Chicago-area homebuilder Joseph E. Merrion, a former president of the National Association of Home Builders, developed inexpensive duplex houses on the site beginning in the late 1940s, targeting returning GIs and their families who needed affordable starter homes. The town incorporated as a city in 1953, and its population surged to a peak of more than 7,000 residents by 1958 as families filled in the compact grid of homes. It is one of the few places in Cook County built deliberately and almost all at once for a single purpose, affordable veteran housing.
Hometown's defining historical event came on April 21, 1967, when a violent tornado, part of the larger Oak Lawn tornado outbreak, tore through the small city and surrounding area. The storm destroyed dozens of homes in Hometown and damaged hundreds more, making it one of the worst tornado disasters in northern Illinois history. The community rebuilt, and today it remains a tight, fully built-out half-square-mile city encircled by Oak Lawn, still defined by the compact post-war homes that started it all.
The questions buyers actually ask
Hometown FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Hometown. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- Is Hometown its own town or part of Oak Lawn?
- Hometown is its own incorporated city in Cook County, with its own mayor and city government, even though it is geographically surrounded by the village of Oak Lawn. It incorporated in 1953.
- What schools serve Hometown?
- Children attend Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 for elementary and middle school, including Hometown Elementary, then Oak Lawn Community High School in District 229. Moraine Valley Community College serves the area for college.
- How is the commute to downtown Chicago?
- The Chicago Loop is about 16 miles northeast, roughly a 30 to 45 minute drive. There is no Metra stop in Hometown, since the SouthWest Service line passes through without stopping, but Pace Route 383 and CTA Route 87 buses serve the town and Midway Airport is a short drive north.
- What are property taxes like in Hometown?
- The median effective property tax rate is about 2.62 percent, with a median annual tax bill near $2,890. That is higher than the national average but below the Illinois state median. Always confirm by pulling the actual bill for the specific address.
- Are homes in Hometown affordable?
- Yes. Hometown has one of the lowest median home prices in the area at roughly $109,650, well below the Cook County median. The housing stock is largely compact post-war homes, which makes it a strong entry point for first-time buyers.
- What defines Hometown's character?
- Hometown is a tiny half-square-mile post-WWII city, originally built as affordable duplex housing for returning GIs, that survived a devastating 1967 tornado and remains a tight, affordable, neighborhood-scale community inside Oak Lawn.
Your local agent
Joe knows Hometown
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
- Hometown 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