Marengo · McHenry County · IL
Homes for sale in
Marengo.
- Active listings
- 19
- Median list
- $385K
- Avg time on market
- 21 days
- Sold · last year
- 156
Photo: Andy McMurray / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Active listings
19 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Marengo.
Marengo sits at the intersection of IL Route 23 and U.S. Route 20 in far western McHenry County, about 25 miles west of Crystal Lake and just north of an I-90 interchange near Hampshire. The city has roots going back to an 1835 settlement by Calvin Spencer and was incorporated in 1857 (chartered as a city in 1893). Unlike most of the eastern McHenry County market, Marengo is industrial and ag-adjacent rather than commuter-suburban. Logisnext, owned by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, manufactures forklifts and automated handling equipment here with more than 300 employees, and Thomson Industries consolidated its motion-control operations into a Marengo facility in 2019 with over 200 employees. Subdivisions like Brookside Meadows (newer construction, 1,450 to 3,900 sq ft) and Indian Trails (a 55+ community east of Meyer Road) fill the active subdivision market, while older downtown stock north and east of the State Street square delivers character and value at lower price points.
At a glance
~7,568 residents
2020 Census population. Slow steady growth; not a boom-suburb pattern.
Manufacturing base, not commuter base
Logisnext (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, 300+ employees) and Thomson Industries (200+) are the major employers in town.
Routes 23 + 20
Route 23 (State Street) runs north-south through downtown; U.S. 20 runs east-west along the southern edge. I-90 interchange about 5-7 miles south near Hampshire.
No Metra in town
Closest commuter rail is Harvard or Woodstock on the UP-NW line. Metra has discussed a Marengo extension but it is not built.
D165 K-8, D154 high school
Marengo-Union Elementary D165 handles K through 8; Marengo Community HS D154 is the single high school of about 685 students.
Founded 1835, chartered as a city 1893
Named after Napoleon's 1800 Battle of Marengo. One of the older incorporated places in McHenry County.
Settlers' Days every October
Annual Columbus Day weekend festival running since 1971. Parade, carnival, car show, 5K along State Street.
Effective property tax 2.54%
Median annual bill around $5,723. Lower than many eastern McHenry County cities but well above the national average.
What’s close
Marengo's commercial life runs along State Street (Route 23) north-south and U.S. 20 east-west, with downtown blocks immediately around the State Street square.
- Downtown State Street square
- Compact walkable corridor with antique stores, small storefronts, and the city's historic core.
- Route 23 + U.S. 20 intersection
- Primary commercial node. Daily axis for most Marengo errands and commutes.
- I-90 interchange (Hampshire / Marengo)
- About 5-7 miles south of downtown. Direct access to Schaumburg, O'Hare, and the Northwest corridor.
- Coral Woods Conservation Area
- McHenry County Conservation District site just southeast of the city. Hiking and the annual maple-syrup festival each spring.
- Schools
- Marengo-Union Elementary D165 (K-8) plus Marengo Community HS D154.
- Marengo Community HS
- Single high school at 110 Franks Road serving the city and surrounding townships.
What it’s actually like to live here
Marengo is the old-Illinois small-town option of McHenry County. It has a downtown grid laid out before the Civil War, a working manufacturing economy that never went away (Logisnext alone employs more than 300), and a school footprint sized for under 700 high school students. Buyers who choose Marengo are usually choosing value per square foot, lot size, and a slower pace over a Chicago commute. Newer construction concentrates in Brookside Meadows (single-family from about 1,450 to 3,900 sq ft, built 2000 to 2025, located south of U.S. 20 and west of State Street). Indian Trails, the dedicated 55+ active-adult neighborhood east of Meyer Road between Navajo and Cayuga Trail, anchors the downsize-buyer market.
The orientation matters: Marengo sits closer to Belvidere and Rockford than to Crystal Lake or Woodstock, and the U.S. 20 / Route 23 intersection is the daily axis for most residents. People here work in Marengo manufacturing, in Belvidere (the old Chrysler / Stellantis assembly area), or drive south to the I-90 interchange near Hampshire and Huntley. Settlers' Days every October is the signature civic moment and pulls the whole town to State Street for four days of parades, a carnival, and food trucks. If a buyer is sensitive to commute, Marengo is not the answer. If they want acreage, a manufacturing-friendly tax base, and a real small-town downtown that is not a chamber-of-commerce manufactured one, Marengo delivers.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Marengo 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 Marengo.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D165Grades Pre-K - 8
Marengo-Union Elementary School District 165
Schools serving the area
- Marengo Elementary School
- Locust School
- Riley School
D165 administers K-8 education for Marengo and surrounding townships. District office at 816 E Grant Highway.
- D154Grades 9 - 12
Marengo Community High School District 154
Schools serving the area
- Marengo Community High School
Single high school at 110 Franks Road. About 685 students total enrollment.
From the neighborhood
Around Marengo
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
Try Huntleys Deli Today! #restaurant #family
@huntleys.deliCheers! Thats a rap on the season! Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us this year!! 🥳🥂 (its grape juice) #weddings #events #banquethall #huntley #fyp
@pinecrest.golf.cl✨ Today is the day✨ Come see us at More Brewing Co in Huntley, IL from 3p-8p 💕 📚
@herefortheplot_xoCome to Saturday’s pajama crawl on the Huntley Square to try Duck A Diet’s yogurt parfait.
@huntleyareachamberAround town
What there is to do in Marengo.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Culture
Marengo Settlers' Days
Annual Columbus Day weekend festival running since 1971. Parade, carnival, car show, 5K, food trucks along State Street.
- Parks
Calvin Spencer Park
Marengo park system flagship, named for the city's founder Calvin Spencer who first settled here in 1835.
- Parks
Coral Woods Conservation Area
McHenry County Conservation District site just southeast of the city. Hiking trails and the annual maple-syrup festival each spring.
- Family
Marengo Township Pool
Township-run summer pool and community park amenity, open Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- Food & Drink
Olive's Pizzeria
Long-running local pizza spot on East Grant Highway in downtown Marengo.
- Shopping
Downtown State Street
Compact walkable corridor with antique stores, small-town storefronts, and seasonal events. State Street is also IL Route 23.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Marengo.
DriveBy car
- Routes: IL 23 (State Street) · U.S. 20 · I-90 (Hampshire / Marengo interchange)
- O'Hare Airport: ~56 min
- Chicago Loop: ~80 min
- Rockford: ~35 min
By the numbers
Marengo taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.54%
effective avg
Sales tax
8.25%
combined
Median sold price
$360,000
MRED · last 12 mo (156 sales)
Median household income
$72,586
ACS
How Marengo got here
A bit of history.
Marengo was settled in 1835 by Calvin Spencer, who arrived from Seneca County, Ohio, and claimed land near the Kishwaukee River in what is now the far southwestern corner of McHenry County. Originally called Pleasant Grove for the stand of trees near the new settlement, the village took the name Marengo when its post office was established, commemorating Napoleon's 1800 Battle of Marengo. The town was incorporated in 1857 and chartered as a city in 1893. Early industry centered on a windmill factory, a steam flour mill, a carriage factory, a nursery, and a stone quarry that supplied building stone for Marengo and surrounding towns.
Modern Marengo has stayed industrial and ag-adjacent rather than commuter-suburban. Logisnext, owned by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, manufactures forklifts and automated materials-handling equipment in town with more than 300 employees, and Thomson Industries consolidated operations into its Marengo facility in 2019 with over 200 employees. Marengo Community High School (on Franks Road) and Marengo-Union Elementary District 165 anchor the school system. The city sits at the IL Route 23 / U.S. Route 20 corridor, which has reinforced its identity as the western McHenry County town that looks more toward Belvidere and Rockford than toward the Chicago commuter spine.
The questions buyers actually ask
Marengo FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Marengo. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What's the commute like to Chicago from Marengo?
- Long. Plan on about 80 minutes to the Loop by car (62 miles) and roughly 56 minutes to O'Hare. There is no Metra station in Marengo; commuters drive east to Harvard or Woodstock on the UP-NW line, or south to the Big Timber Road station on the MD-W line in Elgin. Most Marengo households work locally in manufacturing or in Belvidere/Rockford rather than commuting downtown.
- How are the schools?
- Two districts. K through 8 students attend Marengo-Union Elementary District 165 (Marengo Elementary, Locust School, and Riley School). 9 through 12 students attend Marengo Community High School in District 154, a single high school of about 685 students with a roughly 14:1 student-teacher ratio.
- What about property taxes?
- Marengo's effective property tax rate runs about 2.54 percent, with a median annual bill around $5,723. That is lower than several eastern McHenry County cities (McHenry city runs 2.83 percent) but well above the national average. Confirm by pulling the actual extension for the specific address before writing an offer.
- Where should I look first for a family home in Marengo?
- For newer construction, Brookside Meadows is the active subdivision, south of U.S. 20 and west of State Street, with single-family homes from about 1,450 to 3,900 sq ft built 2000 through 2025. For 55+ buyers, Indian Trails between Navajo Trail and Cayuga Trail east of Meyer Road is the dedicated active-adult community. Older inventory inside the historic downtown grid offers value plays often under $250,000.
- What's the sales tax in Marengo?
- 8.25 percent combined (6.25 percent Illinois state, 0.25 percent McHenry County, 1.00 percent Marengo city, plus a 0.75 percent special-district add-on). Tied with several other McHenry County cities for the high end of the local range.
- What are the big employers in town?
- Marengo is industrial, not commuter-residential. Logisnext (owned by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, manufactures forklifts and materials-handling equipment) employs more than 300 in town. Thomson Industries (motion-control manufacturing) consolidated into its Marengo facility in 2019 with over 200 employees. The local economic story is industrial expansion rather than residential boom.
Nearby
Towns next to Marengo.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Marengo.
Your local agent
Joe knows Marengo
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
- Marengo 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