Markham · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Markham.
- Active listings
- 52
- Median list
- $177K
- Avg time on market
- 26 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
About the community
Living in Markham.
Markham is one of the Chicago Southland's best-kept value stories, a Cook County city of roughly 11,400 residents where you still get a real yard and a single-family home for a fraction of what the same square footage costs closer to the lake. What surprises most buyers is the nature in the backyard: Markham is home to the Gensburg-Markham Prairie, a National Natural Landmark and part of more than 500 acres of virgin and restored tallgrass prairie protected within the city limits. Commuters love the location, with the I-294 Tri-State Tollway and I-57 minutes away and Metra Electric service through neighboring Homewood and Calumet. The housing stock leans toward postwar bungalows and ranches, and the homeownership rate here is high. Property taxes run steep, as they do across south Cook County, so always run the real monthly number on a specific address before falling in love with the sticker price.
At a glance
~11,400 residents
Population of 11,661 at the 2020 census, a tight-knit Southland community of roughly 3,800 households.
Prairie-Hills SD 144 plus Bremen HS
Served by multiple elementary districts including Prairie-Hills SD 144, plus Bremen Community High School District 228 and Thornton Township HS District 205 for high schoolers.
Metra Electric access
No in-town stop, but the Metra Electric District line runs through neighboring Homewood and Calumet, with Pace Route 359 connecting Markham to the line.
I-294 Tri-State and I-57
Quick access to the I-294 Tri-State Tollway and I-57, putting the whole metro within reach by car.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie
A 105-acre National Natural Landmark and part of more than 500 acres of protected tallgrass prairie inside the city, managed by Northeastern Illinois University and The Nature Conservancy.
~$152,000 typical home value
A typical home value around $152,000, well below the Cook County average, with a homeownership rate near 75 percent.
High Cook County taxes
A median effective property tax rate around 4.65 percent and a 10.0 percent combined sales tax, both on the high end for the region.
What’s close
Markham sits in south Cook County about 24 miles south of downtown Chicago, squarely in the Chicago Southland, with highways and rail lines that make the whole metro reachable.
- Townships and size
- About 5.41 square miles in Bremen and Thornton townships of Cook County.
- Southland location
- A south-suburban location southwest of the southern tip of Lake Michigan.
- To the Loop
- Roughly 24 miles to downtown Chicago, about a 31 minute drive off-peak.
- To O'Hare
- Roughly 40 miles to O'Hare International Airport, about a 46 minute drive.
- Bordering towns
- Bordered by Harvey, Hazel Crest, Country Club Hills, Oak Forest, Posen, Midlothian, and Homewood.
- ZIP and area code
- ZIP code 60428, area code 708.
What it’s actually like to live here
Life in Markham is quiet, residential, and surprisingly green. This is a community of single-family homes, postwar bungalows and ranches on tree-lined streets, where nearly three-quarters of households own their home and most people drive to work. The big draw for outdoors lovers is the prairie, with the Indian Boundary Prairies and the Gensburg-Markham Prairie offering rare protected tallgrass landscapes, more than 250 plant species, and dozens of bird species, right inside the city. The Markham Park District and nearby Cook County forest preserves round out the recreation options.
Markham's value proposition is real but it comes with trade-offs buyers should understand. Home prices are among the most affordable in Cook County, which lets first-time buyers and growing families get into a detached house with a yard, but property tax rates in this stretch of the Southland are high and the monthly carrying cost can rival pricier suburbs once taxes are factored in. The community is predominantly African American with a growing Hispanic population, and it leans working and middle class. For buyers who prioritize space, ownership, and easy highway access over walkable downtown amenities, Markham delivers a lot of house for the money.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Markham 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 Markham.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- SD144Grades K-8
Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144
Schools serving the area
- Prairie-Hills Junior High School
- Prairie-Hills District 144 elementary schools
Covers most of Markham. Other portions of the city fall in Posen-Robbins SD 143.5, Hazel Crest SD 152.5, and Harvey SD 152. Confirm per address.
- D228Grades 9-12
Bremen Community High School District 228
Schools serving the area
- Bremen High School (Midlothian)
- Hillcrest High School (Country Club Hills)
- Tinley Park High School
Serves most of Markham's high schoolers across its campuses depending on address.
- D205Grades 9-12
Thornton Township High School District 205
Schools serving the area
- Thornwood High School
Covers the part of Markham not in District 228. Confirm assignment per address.
Around town
What there is to do in Markham.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Gensburg-Markham Prairie
A 105-acre National Natural Landmark of high-quality tallgrass prairie managed by Northeastern Illinois University and The Nature Conservancy, with more than 250 plant species.
- Parks
Indian Boundary Prairies
The broader complex of restored and virgin prairie within Markham, open for guided visits and stewardship work.
- Family
Markham Park District
The city's local park district offering programs and recreation facilities for residents.
- Parks
Midlothian Meadows
A nearby Forest Preserves of Cook County site spanning Markham, Midlothian, Oak Forest, and Tinley Park with trails and open space.
- Parks
Forest Preserves of Cook County
Roughly 70,000 acres countywide for hiking, biking, fishing, and picnics, minutes from Markham.
- Culture
Lone Pine Tree and Indian Boundary Line heritage
Markham's official city symbol traces to Black Forest pines planted along the historic treaty boundary in 1860.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Markham.
MetraMetra Electric District line
- Stations: Calumet (East Hazel Crest), Homewood
- Terminal: Millennium Station
DriveBy car
- Routes: I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) · I-57 · Kedzie Avenue · 159th Street
- O'Hare Airport: ~46 min
- Chicago Loop: ~31 min
By the numbers
Markham taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
4.65%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$172,000
MRED · last 12 mo (171 sales)
Median household income
$57,302
ACS
How Markham got here
A bit of history.
Markham grew up along the railroad. The village was incorporated in 1925 with a population under 300 and was named for Charles H. Markham, president of the Illinois Central Railroad from 1911 to 1918 and again from 1919 to 1926. In the mid-1930s the Croissant Park subdivision was built and the population jumped from 349 to 1,388, and after World War II it doubled again to 2,753 residents by 1950 as the community developed into a bedroom suburb where residents sought homes rather than industry. On August 24, 1967, Markham was incorporated as a city.
Markham's identity is rooted in the prairie that predates the town itself. The area sits along one of the historic Indian Treaty Boundary Lines surveyed in the early 1800s, and within the city limits are roughly 500 acres of virgin and restored tallgrass prairie known as the Indian Boundary Prairies. The Gensburg-Markham Prairie, about 105 acres of high-quality tallgrass prairie, was dedicated as a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1988 and is owned by Northeastern Illinois University with restoration support from The Nature Conservancy. In 1860 a German immigrant named Lawrence Roesner planted six Black Forest pine seedlings along the boundary line, and the surviving Lone Pine Tree was adopted as the official city symbol in 1985.
The questions buyers actually ask
Markham FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Markham. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- Is Markham a city or a village?
- It is a city. Markham started as a village incorporated in 1925 and officially became a city on August 24, 1967.
- How affordable are homes in Markham compared to the rest of Cook County?
- Very affordable. The typical Markham home value is around $152,000, well below the Cook County average. You get more house and yard for the money here, though always budget for the higher property taxes.
- Why are the property taxes so high in Markham?
- South Cook County carries some of the steepest effective property tax rates in the country, and Markham's median effective rate runs about 4.65 percent, driven by overlapping school and local levies. It is the single biggest factor in your monthly cost, so run the real numbers before you make an offer.
- Can I commute to downtown Chicago from Markham?
- Yes. By car the Loop is about 24 miles and roughly half an hour off-peak. There is no Metra stop in Markham itself, but the Metra Electric line runs through nearby Homewood and Calumet, and Pace Route 359 connects Markham to the line.
- What is the deal with the prairie in Markham?
- Markham protects more than 500 acres of rare tallgrass prairie, including the Gensburg-Markham Prairie, a 105-acre National Natural Landmark managed by Northeastern Illinois University and The Nature Conservancy. It is one of the highest-quality remnant prairies in the Chicago region and a genuine point of local pride.
- What schools will my kids attend in Markham?
- It depends on where in the city you live. Most of Markham is in Prairie-Hills Elementary District 144 for K-8, then Bremen Community High School District 228. Parts of the city fall into Posen-Robbins, Hazel Crest, or Harvey elementary districts and Thornton Township District 205 for high school, so always verify the boundary for a specific address.
Nearby
Towns next to Markham.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Markham.
Your local agent
Joe knows Markham
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
- Markham 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