Lyons · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Lyons.
- Active listings
- 17
- Median list
- $345K
- Avg time on market
- 30 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
Active listings
17 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Lyons.
Lyons is one of those near-west suburbs that gives you real Chicago access without the city price tag. This compact Cook County village of roughly 10,800 sits right on the south bank of the Des Plaines River, about 12 miles and a 20 minute drive from the Loop. You get a genuinely affordable entry point, with a typical home value near $206,000, alongside a deep history that locals are proud of: the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, the 1908 Hofmann Tower, and the old Hofmann Dam site are all here. It is a working-class, multicultural community with deep Polish roots and a now-majority Hispanic population, so the dining along Ogden Avenue runs from Maxwell Street Polish to family Mexican grills.
At a glance
~10,800 residents
Roughly 10,817 at the 2020 census, a compact, densely settled village of just 2.27 square miles.
District 103 plus Morton HS
Served by Lyons Elementary School District 103 (K-8) and J. Sterling Morton High School District 201, with students attending Morton West in Berwyn.
Ogden Avenue and I-55
Ogden Avenue (US-34) and Joliet Road run through the village, with I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) just to the north and Harlem Avenue providing a fast north-south route.
Des Plaines River and Hofmann Tower
Lyons sits on the south bank of the Des Plaines River, home to the 1908 Hofmann Tower and the historic Hofmann Dam site.
~$206,000 typical home value
An affordable, working-class housing market with a typical home value around $206,000 and a homeownership rate near 64 percent.
Cook County taxes
A median effective property tax rate of about 2.57 percent, and a combined sales tax rate of 10.0 percent.
Chicago Portage
The Chicago Portage National Historic Site, an affiliated unit of the National Park Service administered by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, marks the western end of the historic portage.
What’s close
Lyons is a near-west Cook County suburb on the south bank of the Des Plaines River, roughly 12 miles southwest of downtown Chicago and tucked among a tight cluster of established river-corridor communities.
- Distance to the Loop
- About 12 miles and a 20 minute drive from downtown Chicago.
- To O'Hare
- Roughly 17 miles and about a 34 minute drive to O'Hare International Airport.
- Neighboring towns
- Bordered by Riverside and Brookfield to the north and Stickney, Berwyn, and Forest View nearby, with McCook and Summit to the south and west.
- On the river
- Sits directly on the Des Plaines River, with the Chicago Portage Forest Preserve and Ottawa Trail Woods straddling Harlem Avenue.
- Main corridor
- Ogden Avenue (US-34) is the main commercial spine, and I-55 runs just north for fast highway access.
- ZIP and area code
- ZIP code 60534, area code 708, in Lyons Township, Cook County.
What it’s actually like to live here
Daily life in Lyons is shaped by the river and the forest preserves that wrap around it. Residents are minutes from the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, Ottawa Trail Woods, and Cermak Woods, which together offer paved and crushed-stone trails, picnic groves, and canoe and kayak access on the Des Plaines River. The village is densely built and walkable in its core, with the Ogden Avenue corridor carrying most of the everyday shopping, services, and dining. It is a practical, unpretentious place where commuters value the quick highway and Metra access to the city.
The community has a strong working-class identity and a multicultural character. Lyons has been home to a sizable Polish American community since the turn of the 20th century, reflected in street names like Pulaski, Warsaw, and Krakow, and today the population is about half Hispanic. That mix shows up at the table, with Maxwell Street Polish at the local pizzeria sitting alongside family-run Mexican grills along Ogden Avenue. The village shed its rougher mid-century reputation in the 1990s and now markets itself as a quiet residential suburb supported by several grade schools, a middle school, and a well-maintained park district.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Lyons 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 Lyons.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- SD103Grades K-8
Lyons Elementary School District 103
Schools serving the area
- Costello Elementary (Lyons)
- Robinson Elementary (Lyons)
- George Washington Middle School
The district spans Lyons plus parts of Stickney and Brookfield. Only Costello and Robinson are physically in Lyons.
- D201Grades 9-12
J. Sterling Morton High School District 201
Schools serving the area
- J. Sterling Morton West High School (Berwyn)
Morton District 201 is a multi-town high school district. Lyons students feed Morton West in Berwyn. Confirm assignment per address.
From the neighborhood
Around Lyons
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
🚨New hidden gem in downtown Huntley! This place is a must see full of unique decor 🥰 @The Vintage Hammer
@tinagrzeca#tacosdelbarrio#mexicanfood #burritos#huntleytacoslocos #breakfastburritos
@tacosdelbarrio01Today’s Chamber Check-In is at Patrick Michael Jewelers on the downtown Huntley Square! 💎💍
@huntleyareachamberVISIT NOW! Now Opened! 10723 Dundee-Huntley Rd, Huntley, IL 60142 Opened 11am-7pm Monday-Saturday #restaurant #familyownedbusiness
@huntleys.deliAround town
What there is to do in Lyons.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Culture
Hofmann Tower
A 1908 riverside tower built by brewer George Hofmann Jr., listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a defining piece of the Lyons skyline. Currently closed to the public due to its condition.
- Culture
Chicago Portage National Historic Site
One of only a handful of National Park Service affiliated sites in Illinois, marking the legendary portage that gave rise to Chicago, with trails and a commemorative statue.
- Parks
Ottawa Trail Woods
A Forest Preserves of Cook County site along the Des Plaines River with paved and crushed-stone trails plus canoe and kayak access, part of the historic Chicago Portage waterway.
- Parks
Cermak Woods
A Forest Preserves of Cook County site on Ogden Avenue with accessible paved trails and a family aquatic center, an easy everyday green space for Lyons families.
- Food & Drink
Ogden Avenue dining corridor
The village's commercial spine serves up everything from Maxwell Street Polish at the local pizzeria to family Mexican grills, plus classic fast-casual stops.
- Parks
Forest Preserves of Cook County
The county preserve network bordering Lyons offers trails, woods, and Des Plaines River paddling for hiking, biking, and birding.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Lyons.
MetraBNSF line
- Stations: Brookfield, Riverside
- Terminal: Chicago Union Station
- Distance: 12 miles to downtown Chicago
DriveBy car
- Routes: Ogden Avenue (US-34) · Joliet Road · Harlem Avenue · I-55 (Stevenson Expressway)
- O'Hare Airport: ~34 min
- Chicago Loop: ~20 min
By the numbers
Lyons taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.57%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$280,000
MRED · last 12 mo (75 sales)
Median household income
$70,993
ACS
How Lyons got here
A bit of history.
Lyons sits at the western end of the portage, the half-mile neck of land linking the Chicago River and the Des Plaines River that French explorer Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette reached in 1673, guided by Native travelers. That crossing became the gateway used by thousands of early settlers and traders, and the impetus behind Chicago's rise as a trade center. Joliet first proposed a canal between the waterways, realized roughly 200 years later as the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848. Today a statue at the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, just north of I-55 along Harlem Avenue, commemorates this National Heritage Corridor. The village itself was incorporated in 1888.
The river crossing at Lyons was historically the Riverside Ford, a natural limestone dam that marked the ancient shoreline of glacial Lake Chicago and served as a primary crossing for Native Americans and early settlers. A man-made dam was built here by the Laughton Brothers in 1827 for the first sawmill in northeastern Illinois. In 1907 to 1908, brewer George Hofmann Jr. acquired the site, replaced the mill dam with a horseshoe-shaped concrete dam, and built the Hofmann Tower as part of an amusement park that drew visitors to picnic and ride boats. The tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and remains a defining piece of the Lyons skyline, though it is currently closed to the public due to its condition.
The questions buyers actually ask
Lyons FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Lyons. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- Where exactly is Lyons, and how far is it from downtown Chicago?
- Lyons is a small village in Cook County on the south bank of the Des Plaines River, about 12 miles southwest of the Loop. By car it is roughly a 20 minute drive downtown in normal conditions.
- Is Lyons affordable compared to other near-west suburbs?
- Yes, that is one of its biggest draws. The typical home value sits around $206,000, well below the national figure, which makes Lyons an accessible entry point for first-time and value-focused buyers in the metro.
- What are the property taxes like?
- Cook County property taxes are real here. Lyons has a median effective property tax rate of about 2.57 percent. Your exact bill depends on assessed value and local school levies, so always check the specific parcel.
- Which schools serve Lyons?
- Elementary and middle school students are served by Lyons Elementary School District 103, including Costello and Robinson in Lyons and George Washington Middle School. High schoolers attend J. Sterling Morton West High School in Berwyn under District 201.
- Can I take the train into the city from Lyons?
- Lyons itself does not have a Metra station, but you are very close to the BNSF Line. The Brookfield station is the nearest, with Riverside also nearby, both offering a direct ride into Chicago Union Station. Pace bus routes also serve the village.
- What is there to do outdoors in Lyons?
- A lot for such a small village. The Chicago Portage National Historic Site, Ottawa Trail Woods, and Cermak Woods are all here, offering trails, a family aquatic center, and canoe and kayak access on the Des Plaines River.
Nearby
Towns next to Lyons.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Lyons.
Your local agent
Joe knows Lyons
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
- Lyons 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