Lake in the Hills · McHenry County · IL
Homes for sale in
Lake in the Hills.
- Active listings
- 33
- Median list
- $440K
- Avg time on market
- 19 days
- Sold · last year
- 302
Photo: Locallllll / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Active listings
33 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Lake in the Hills.
Lake in the Hills sits in southern McHenry County between Algonquin and Crystal Lake, built around Woods Creek Lake and three smaller water features (Goose Lake, Willow Lake, Lake Scott). The village started in 1923 as a Federal judge's vacation enclave, Walter J. LaBuy bought 472 acres and dammed Woods Creek Lake using mules to expand it. By 1950 the cottages had become year-round homes. LITH was one of the fastest-growing Chicago suburbs of the 1990s and 2000s, jumping from under 6,000 residents in 1990 to nearly 29,000 today. Boulder Ridge Country Club anchors the top of the market; Spring Lake Farms, Big Sky, and Meadowbrook fill the family-home tier.
At a glance
Four lakes inside the village
Woods Creek (50+ acres), Goose, Willow, and Lake Scott. Indian Trail Beach and Butch Hagele Beach on Woods Creek (residents only).
~29,000 residents
Median age 37, median household income ~$113K. Population density ~2,840/sq mi.
Boulder Ridge Country Club
Private gated golf-course community on the village's east side. Anchors the top of the LITH market.
Randall Road + I-90 (7 mi south)
I-90 access via Randall in Elgin, about 7 miles south of Village Hall. ORD ~42 min.
Four school districts
D158 (Huntley) majority west; D300 east; small parts in D47/D155 (Crystal Lake). Boundaries don't follow any single line, confirm per address.
Lake in the Hills Airport (3CK)
Village-owned public reliever airport for O'Hare. 3,801-ft runway, 110 based aircraft, ~34K annual operations.
No Metra in town
Closest stations are Pingree Road and Crystal Lake on UP-NW, ~6 miles north. Pace Route 550 runs along Randall.
Lake in the Hills Fen
McHenry County Conservation District site preserving a globally rare graminoid fen wetland inside the village.
What’s close
LITH's geography is defined by Randall Road dividing the older east side ("Old Section" near the lakes) from the newer west side ("New Section" toward Huntley). Algonquin Road (Route 62) forms the southern boundary with Algonquin.
- Woods Creek Lake
- 50+ acre lake on the east side with two swim beaches (Indian Trail, Butch Hagele). Fishing, boating, ice fishing. Residents only.
- Boulder Ridge Country Club
- Private gated country-club community on the east side. The high end of the LITH market.
- Sunset Park Sports Complex
- 5200 Miller Road. 125 acres, the village's largest park, multi-field athletic complex.
- Lake in the Hills Airport (3CK)
- Village-owned public reliever airport on Pyott Road. Single 3,801-ft runway. Lake County Aviation Department oversight.
- Randall Road
- Major retail spine running north-south through LITH. Algonquin Commons and Spring Hill Mall are minutes south.
- Schools
- Four districts overlap LITH: D158 (Huntley HS), D300 (Jacobs HS), D47 + D155 (Crystal Lake HS). Boundary verification critical.
What it’s actually like to live here
LITH feels like two villages stitched together at Randall Road. The east side is older, lakeside, more established, the original LaBuy-era cottages, Boulder Ridge, the streets around Woods Creek Lake where people walk to the beach. The west side is newer 1990s-2000s subdivision sprawl, Spring Lake Farms, Big Sky, Meadowbrook, built during the boom that quadrupled the population. Both halves share the same village government and the same multi-district school assignment puzzle.
The lakes are the through-line. Even on the west side, most LITH buyers know about Woods Creek Lake, Indian Trail Beach is a real swim beach, the village runs a summer concert series at it, and the residents-only access is a tangible perk of buying in. That manmade-lake culture (LaBuy literally dammed the creek with mules in 1923) is what makes LITH feel different from Huntley or Algonquin even though they share the same retail corridor.
Neighborhoods
Lake in the Hills neighborhoods
1 neighborhood in Lake in the Hills, each with its own page covering market stats, schools, and what the buyers there are optimizing for. Featured neighborhoods have hand-curated content; the rest auto- update from MRED listing data.
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC for the period June 23, 2025 through June 23, 2026. Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
Schools
Districts serving Lake in the Hills.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D158Grades Pre-K – 12
Huntley Community School District 158
Schools serving the area
- Huntley High School
- Heineman Middle School
- Chesak Elementary (and others)
Serves the western half of LITH (the densely populated newer subdivisions). High school is Huntley HS.
- D300Grades Pre-K – 12
Community Unit School District 300
Schools serving the area
- Harry D. Jacobs High School (Algonquin)
- Algonquin Middle School
Serves the older eastern sections of LITH. High school is Jacobs HS in Algonquin.
- D47 + D155Grades Pre-K – 12
Crystal Lake CCSD 47 + Community HSD 155
Schools serving the area
- Crystal Lake Central HS or Crystal Lake South HS
A small central portion of LITH falls into Crystal Lake's school districts. With four districts overlapping the village, ALWAYS confirm in writing per address before writing an offer.
From the neighborhood
Around Lake in the Hills
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
💀👻The sun's going down sooner, which is a perfect time to drive around and check out Halloween Houses! Halloween House Stop #2 on our Huntley tour --> 📍Holiday Habits: 10716 Wheatlands Way, Hun
@otheplaceswegoGrand Opening Monday March 17th @First Watch #breakfast #Algonquin #huntley #crystallake #Carpentersville #newrestaurant #chicagotiktok #foodie
@contentprochicagoFun family day out idea: berry picking at Huntley Berry Farm, a not for profit working farm 🍓 #huntleyberryfarm #familydayout #activities #fyp #berrypicking
@acontentqueenSew Hopped #Brewery #Huntley #Illinois #craft #beer #illinoisbrewery #illinoisbeer #beerflight
@hotbrewschicagoAround town
What there is to do in Lake in the Hills.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Indian Trail Beach
228 Indian Trail Rd. Sand swim beach on Woods Creek Lake with shelter, picnic tables, and sand volleyball. Residents and guests only.
- Parks
Sunset Park Sports Complex
5200 Miller Road. 125-acre multi-field athletic complex, the largest park in Lake in the Hills.
- Family
Lake in the Hills Airport (3CK)
8407 Pyott Road. Village-owned public reliever airport for O'Hare with a 3,801-ft runway. 110 based aircraft, ~34,000 operations per year.
- Parks
Lake in the Hills Fen Nature Preserve
McHenry County Conservation District site preserving a globally rare graminoid fen wetland inside the village.
- Food & Drink
The ANNEX Restaurant & Lounge
2104 W Algonquin Rd. Upscale-casual scratch kitchen with steaks, seafood, small plates and a private gaming lounge.
- Culture
Boulder Ridge Country Club
Private gated country club with 18-hole golf course on LITH's east side. Membership-based with golf, tennis, pool, and dining.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Lake in the Hills.
DriveBy car
- Routes: Randall Road · IL 62 (Algonquin Road) · Rakow Road · Pyott Road · Miller Road · I-90 (via Randall in Elgin)
- O'Hare Airport: ~42 min
- Schaumburg: ~28 min
By the numbers
Lake in the Hills taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.65%
effective avg
Sales tax
8.50%
combined
Median sold price
$360,000
MRED · last 12 mo (302 sales)
Median household income
$113,491
ACS
How Lake in the Hills got here
A bit of history.
Lake in the Hills was founded in 1923 by Federal Judge Walter J. LaBuy, who began acquiring property around what is now Woods Creek Lake. By 1926 he held 472 acres along what is now Indian Trail, where he built five European-cottage-style stucco houses for his children. LaBuy had Woods Creek Lake dammed and excavated in 1923, making it a man-altered lake that has been expanded multiple times. Today the village contains four lakes: Woods Creek (the largest, over 50 acres) plus Goose, Willow, and Lake Scott.
The community began as a Chicago vacation enclave; by 1950 many cottages had become year-round homes, and a Property Owners Association formed that September. The Village of Lake in the Hills was formally incorporated November 29, 1952. LITH stayed small and lakeside through most of the 20th century, its first shopping center didn't open until 1987, but the late 1980s and 1990s brought large annexations west to Randall Road. Population went from under 6,000 in 1990 to 28,982 by 2020, nearly 400% growth, one of the fastest in the Chicago suburbs. At the peak in 1995, the village issued over 1,000 residential building permits in a single year.
The questions buyers actually ask
Lake in the Hills FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Lake in the Hills. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- Which school district will my kids be in?
- That depends on the exact address, LITH straddles FOUR districts: D158 (Huntley HS) serves the densely populated western half; D300 (Jacobs HS in Algonquin) serves the older eastern sections; small parts in central LITH fall into D47 + D155 (Crystal Lake schools). The village confirms this on its own website. Always verify in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- Are the lakes natural or manmade?
- Manmade or man-enlarged. Federal Judge Walter LaBuy had Woods Creek Lake dammed and excavated in 1923 using mules to create what became the village's namesake. It's been expanded multiple times since. Woods Creek Lake is over 50 acres. The three smaller lakes (Goose, Willow, Lake Scott) are also part of the village's water feature system.
- Can I use the beaches if I'm not a LITH resident?
- No. Indian Trail Beach and Butch Hagele Beach on Woods Creek Lake are residents and their guests only. The village runs the beaches through the Public Works / Parks and Recreation Department (LITH does not have a separate park district). This is a genuine perk of buying in.
- What about Boulder Ridge?
- Boulder Ridge Country Club is a private gated golf-course community on LITH's east side. Membership-based. Golf-course-backed homes here trade at the top of the village's price tier, well above the LITH median. It anchors the upper end of the market; the broader village runs more 1990s-2010s family-subdivision product (Spring Lake Farms, Big Sky, Meadowbrook).
- What's the commute to Chicago from LITH?
- No Metra in town. The closest stations are Pingree Road and Crystal Lake on the UP-NW line, both about 6 miles north of Village Hall. By car, I-90 access via Randall Road in Elgin is about 7 miles south. ~42 minutes to O'Hare, ~28 minutes to Schaumburg, ~50 miles to downtown Chicago via I-90. Pace Bus Route 550 runs along Randall to the Big Timber Metra station in Elgin.
- What are property taxes like in LITH?
- Effective rate runs about 2.65% in the 60156 ZIP, which puts McHenry County 3rd-highest of 102 Illinois counties. Median annual bill on a Lake in the Hills home is around $6,772. The actual bill depends on the specific tax code area (school district + park district + village). Confirm per address.
- Is the Lake in the Hills Airport a problem for nearby homes?
- It's a small general-aviation reliever airport (single 3,801-ft runway, 110 based aircraft, ~34K operations per year, mostly small piston singles). Homes within ~1 mile of the airport may hear traffic on weekends and during daylight hours. The airport is village-owned and serves as a reliever for O'Hare. For homes farther from the airport footprint it's a non-issue; for ones right next to it, fly out and listen for a weekend before writing.
Nearby
Towns next to Lake in the Hills.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Lake in the Hills.
Your local agent
Joe knows Lake in the Hills
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
- Lake in the Hills 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