Island Lake · McHenry County · IL
Homes for sale in
Island Lake.
- Active listings
- 12
- Median list
- $392K
- Avg time on market
- 7 days
- Sold · last year
- 114
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
Active listings
12 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Island Lake.
Island Lake started as a 1930s summer-cottage development around a small artificial lake created by damming Mutton Creek. The village incorporated June 25, 1952 as postwar growth converted seasonal cottages to year-round homes. A pivotal modern change came in 1980, when an 800-acre annexation brought the Fox River Shores area into Island Lake, more than doubling the village footprint and adding most of the village's current 1980s and 1990s single-family stock. The village straddles McHenry and Lake counties, with Route 176 as the east-west spine and Veterans Park Beach as the village-owned swim beach on Island Lake itself. All addresses fall inside Wauconda Community Unit School District 118.
At a glance
~8,051 residents
2020 Census; about 7,960 in mid-2024 estimate. One of the larger villages on the McHenry/Lake border.
Island Lake itself
About 85 surface acres, max depth around 10 feet. Village-owned Veterans Park Beach for residents.
Two-county village
Sits in both McHenry and Lake counties. The county a parcel is in changes the effective property tax rate (McHenry side runs higher).
IL Route 176 spine
Route 176 (State Road) runs through the village core east-west. Route 31 lies just to the west in McHenry.
Wauconda CUSD 118
Cotton Creek Elementary inside the village (PreK-5), then Matthews Middle and Wauconda High School in Wauconda.
No Metra in village
Closest is Crystal Lake on the UP-NW line, about 15 minutes west by car.
Effective property tax 2.89% (village median)
McHenry County portion median is 3.00%; Lake County portion runs lower. Same village, different tax bills.
Fox River Shores subdivision
Bulk of the village's single-family inventory, built 1984 to 1998 after the 1980 annexation. NOT lakefront on Island Lake itself.
What’s close
Island Lake's residential streets ring the lake on multiple sides, with Route 176 running through the commercial core and Fox River Shores filling the southern annexation area.
- The lake itself
- About 85 surface acres with a village-owned swim beach (Veterans Park) and small-craft boating.
- Veterans Park Beach
- Village-owned freshwater beach on Island Lake with lifeguards in season, picnic area, accessible restrooms.
- Fox River Shores subdivision
- 1984-1998 single-family along Route 176. Most of the village's 1980s and 1990s inventory.
- Cotton Creek Elementary (D118)
- PreK-5 elementary inside the village, then Matthews Middle and Wauconda HS in Wauconda.
- Route 176 corridor
- Commercial spine. Big-box and grocery in Wauconda or Crystal Lake; the village itself is mostly residential.
- Moraine Hills State Park
- Just north of the village. 2,200 acres with 10+ miles of trails and Lake Defiance fishing.
What it’s actually like to live here
Island Lake reads as the most accessible lake-town option in this corner of the metro. The village still carries its weekend-cottage DNA in the older lots immediately around the water, where modest year-round homes sit on narrow streets walking distance to Veterans Park Beach and Converse Park. The bigger inventory lives in the 1980s and 1990s Fox River Shores annexation along Route 176. That mix of compact lake-lot homes plus subdivision tract product is why Island Lake's typical home value (around $224K) lands so much lower than Wauconda or Lake Zurich next door. Daily life is route-oriented: Route 176 to Wauconda or Crystal Lake for big-box and grocery, Route 31 west into McHenry, and the Wauconda 118 school path of Cotton Creek then Wauconda HS.
The two-county split is a real thing for buyers. McHenry County parcels show a 3.00 percent median effective rate while the Lake County side runs in the 2.7 to 2.8 percent range, and that can swing a tax bill noticeably on otherwise similar homes. School district stays the same (D118) regardless of which county the address is in. The lake itself is small at about 85 acres, so power boating is more of a Pistakee or Chain experience to the north; what Island Lake delivers is village-owned beach access at residential price points.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Island 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 Island Lake.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D118Grades Pre-K - 12
Wauconda Community Unit School District 118
Schools serving the area
- Cotton Creek Elementary (inside Island Lake)
- Matthews Middle School (Wauconda)
- Wauconda High School (Wauconda)
All Island Lake addresses are inside Wauconda CUSD 118. District also serves Wauconda, Lakemoor, Volo, Port Barrington, and Lake Barrington.
From the neighborhood
Around Island Lake
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
10/10 I will be back 🤩😋 #crystallake #taqueria #tacos
@prettybri444#october #halloween #haunt31 #lakeinthehillsillinois #familyhalloweenfun #2025 #scary #spooky #hauntedhouse #fun
@ebenny777🌙 Summer Moon ✨ This is one of my favorite coffee shops I have ever stopped in to and it is located in Crystal Lake, IL. The unique thing about this coffee shop is their “Moon Milk” which some of t
@todaysmodernmomNature's View in Lake in the Hills 5705 Lucerne Drive There are numerous neighborhood parks that are fantastic and ones like these are some of my kids favorites! There's a main climbing structure/to
@westofthefoxAround town
What there is to do in Island Lake.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Veterans Park Beach
Village-owned freshwater beach on Island Lake. Lifeguards in season, picnic area, accessible restrooms. Monitored under the Illinois BeachGuard program.
- Parks
Converse Park
Family-friendly park with playground, ball fields, and a sledding hill in winter. 628 E State Rd.
- Parks
Moraine Hills State Park
Just north of the village. 2,200 acres with 10+ miles of color-coded trails around Lake Defiance, popular with hikers and cyclists.
- Parks
Chain O'Lakes State Park
Boating, fishing, and trails on the upper Fox chain about 20 minutes north.
- Culture
Historical Society of Island Lake
Small local-history museum and archive run through the village.
- Family
Naturally McHenry County: Island Lake
Village's official tourism hub for events and seasonal programs.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Island Lake.
DriveBy car
- Routes: IL 176 · IL 31 (just west) · Roberts Road
- O'Hare Airport: ~45 min
- Chicago Loop: ~62 min
- Crystal Lake Metra: ~15 min
By the numbers
Island Lake taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.89%
effective avg
Sales tax
7.00%
combined
Median sold price
$300,000
MRED · last 12 mo (114 sales)
Median household income
$98,125
ACS
How Island Lake got here
A bit of history.
The Island Lake area was platted as a summer-cottage development around an artificial lake by the 1930s, with the lake itself created by damming Mutton Creek in the late 1920s on what had been farm fields and a gravel pit. The original economy was seasonal: weekenders from Chicago drove out for swimming, fishing, and lakeside cottages, and the small commercial core along State Road (today Route 176) served that resort trade.
The village formally incorporated on June 25, 1952 as postwar growth converted the seasonal cottages to year-round homes. A pivotal modern change came in 1980, when an 800-acre annexation brought the Fox River Shores area into Island Lake, more than doubling the village's footprint to roughly 1,300 acres of land and adding a large block of single-family housing built between 1984 and 1998. The village today straddles McHenry and Lake counties and falls inside Wauconda Community Unit School District 118.
The questions buyers actually ask
Island Lake FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Island Lake. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What is lake access like in Island Lake?
- The village runs a public swim beach at Veterans Park on the lake, with lifeguards in season, plus resident boat ramp and pier access. Boating on Island Lake itself is limited by the lake's small size (about 85 acres) and roughly 10-foot max depth, so power boating is more a Pistakee or Chain experience to the north.
- Which school district serves the homes?
- All of Island Lake is in Wauconda CUSD 118. Elementary kids go to Cotton Creek inside the village (PreK-5), then Matthews Middle and Wauconda High School in Wauconda. Same district regardless of whether the home is on the McHenry or Lake County side.
- McHenry side vs. Lake County side, does it matter for taxes?
- Yes. The McHenry County portion of Island Lake runs about a 3.00 percent median effective rate, while the Lake County portion runs lower (around 2.7 to 2.8 percent). Same village, same schools, different tax bill. Buyers should check the parcel's county before committing.
- What is the commute like?
- Drive to O'Hare in about 45 minutes via Route 12 or I-94, downtown Chicago in about an hour. There is no Metra in the village; commuters drive 15 minutes west to Crystal Lake to pick up the UP-NW line.
- What kind of housing inventory should I expect?
- A mix of older lake-lot homes near the water and 1980s-90s single-family and townhouses in the Fox River Shores subdivision off Route 176. Median home value sits around $224K, one of the lower medians in the area.
- Is this a year-round community or still seasonal?
- Year-round since the 1952 incorporation. The seasonal cottage character is mostly gone, though many lakefront lots remain on the smaller side compared with newer subdivisions farther out.
Nearby
Towns next to Island Lake.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Island Lake.
Your local agent
Joe knows Island Lake
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
- Island 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