McCook · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
McCook.
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About the community
Living in McCook.
McCook is a village in Cook County, Illinois, and an industrial suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census its population was 249, the lowest of any municipality in the county. Despite that tiny population, McCook is home to a large amount of heavy industry, including portions of the Vulcan Materials McCook Quarry, the UOP complex, and the Electro-Motive Diesel locomotive plant, which gives the village an unusually large tax base. McCook is also the namesake and home of the McCook Reservoir, a centerpiece of the regional Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, the Deep Tunnel flood-control system. Historic Route 66, Joliet Road, runs straight through town, and commuters benefit from immediate access to I-55, IL-171, and Midway Airport a few miles east, plus nearby BNSF Metra service in La Grange.
At a glance
Population 249
The 2020 census counted 249 residents, the lowest of any municipality in Cook County.
Heavy industry
Home to the Vulcan Materials quarry, the UOP complex, and the Electro-Motive Diesel locomotive plant.
Incorporated 1926
McCook incorporated in 1926, the same year U.S. Route 66 was created.
Railroad namesake
Named for John J. McCook, a Santa Fe Railroad director and Civil War officer.
McCook Reservoir
Home of the Deep Tunnel's massive flood-control reservoir, operated by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
About 2.6 square miles
The village covers roughly 2.64 square miles of mostly industrial land.
Historic Route 66
Joliet Road carried Route 66 through McCook from 1928 until the route was decertified in 1977.
ZIP 60525
McCook uses ZIP 60525 and area code 708.
What’s close
McCook sits in southwestern Cook County along the Des Plaines River valley, roughly 12 miles southwest of downtown Chicago in the Lyons Township area.
- County and region
- Cook County, in the Lyons Township area southwest of Chicago.
- Neighboring towns
- Borders Lyons to the east and Countryside to the west, near Hodgkins and Summit.
- Main corridors
- Joliet Road, the historic Route 66 alignment, plus IL-171 and I-55, the Stevenson Expressway.
- Distance to the Loop
- Approximately 12 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
- Nearby airport
- Chicago Midway Airport is a few miles east, roughly a 9 minute drive.
- ZIP and area code
- ZIP 60525, area code 708.
What it’s actually like to live here
McCook is, first and foremost, an industrial village. With a 2020 census population of just 249, it is the smallest municipality in Cook County by population, and its land is dominated by heavy industry: the Vulcan Materials limestone quarry, the UOP complex, and the sprawling Electro-Motive locomotive works. The residential community is correspondingly small and tight-knit, with about 105 households and an average household size above three. This is not a bedroom suburb of subdivisions and shopping centers, it is a working village where homes sit close to active industry.
What McCook lacks in size it makes up for in location and character. Historic Route 66, Joliet Road, runs straight through town, lined with surviving roadside landmarks like the Welcome to Fabulous McCook neon sign, a nod to the famous Las Vegas original, and the Steak N Egger diner in a 1926 Joliet-limestone building. Commuters benefit from immediate access to I-55, IL-171, and Midway Airport just a few miles east, plus nearby BNSF Metra service in La Grange. Resident workers reported an average commute of about 22 minutes, shorter than the national average.
Neighborhoods
Detailed McCook 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 McCook.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- SD103Grades K-8
Lyons School District 103
Schools serving the area
- Edison School
- Costello School
- Robinson School
Part of McCook is served by Lyons School District 103 for elementary and middle grades, feeding Morton West High School in District 201 in Berwyn. McCook is split between systems, so confirm assignment per address.
- D204Grades 9-12
Lyons Township High School District 204
Schools serving the area
- Lyons Township High School (La Grange and Western Springs campuses)
Another part of McCook is served by Lyons Township High School District 204. The village is divided between high school systems, so verify per address.
From the neighborhood
Around McCook
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
Come to Saturday’s pajama crawl on the Huntley Square to try Duck A Diet’s yogurt parfait.
@huntleyareachamber#huntleytacoslocos #tacosdelbarrio
@tacosdelbarrio01Deicke Park 📍 Huntley, Illinois Hidden gem! This place is amazing, has two playgrounds with lots of activities for kids all ages! Huge slide, sandbox, playhouses, picnic tables and more. Beautifu
@chicagoland_explorerSew Hopped #Brewery #Huntley #Illinois #craft #beer #illinoisbrewery #illinoisbeer #beerflight
@hotbrewschicagoAround town
What there is to do in McCook.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Culture
Welcome to Fabulous McCook Neon Sign
A retro neon sign on Route 66, modeled on the famous Las Vegas sign and crowned with a U.S. 66 shield.
- Food & Drink
Steak N Egger
A Route 66 diner in a circa-1926 Joliet-limestone building that has served industrial workers and travelers for decades.
- Culture
McCook Reservoir (TARP)
The Deep Tunnel's massive flood-control reservoir, a globally watched piece of civil infrastructure run by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
- Culture
Electro-Motive Diesel Plant
The historic locomotive works that built tens of thousands of diesel-electric locomotives sold around the world.
- Parks
Des Plaines River and I&M Canal corridor
The river and historic canal trail system run just south of the village, part of a long-distance regional greenway.
- Family
Brookfield Zoo Chicago
One of the region's premier zoos, in neighboring Brookfield within Lyons Township, minutes from McCook.
Getting around
Commute + transit from McCook.
- Stations: La Grange Road (nearby), La Grange / Stone Avenue (nearby)
- Terminal: Chicago Union Station
- Distance: 14 miles to downtown Chicago
- Routes: I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) · IL-171 (Joliet Road) · Route 66 (historic)
- Chicago Midway Airport: ~9 min
- Chicago Loop: ~25 min
By the numbers
McCook taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.99%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$290,000
MRED · last 12 mo (1 sales)
Median household income
$62,375
ACS
How McCook got here
A bit of history.
The area that became McCook began as a farming district on the road to Joliet, with wooded and marshy land along the Des Plaines River to the south. In the 1880s quarries opened and limestone was extracted and shipped out via the Illinois and Michigan Canal and by rail. The village was named for John J. McCook, a Civil War officer who later became a director of the Santa Fe Railroad, and a McCook station served the railroad in town. The village incorporated in 1926, the same year U.S. Highway 66 was created, and Route 66 was aligned through the village in 1928.
Despite the Great Depression, industry took root: the Electro-Motive Company, a General Motors subsidiary, built a locomotive plant here in 1935 and produced most of its locomotives there for decades. Known as the LaGrange plant for its mailing address because McCook has no post office of its own, the facility went on to build tens of thousands of diesel-electric locomotives sold worldwide. In 1995 the former Universal Oil Products Riverside Laboratory in McCook was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark.
The questions buyers actually ask
McCook FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping McCook. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- How big is McCook, Illinois?
- McCook had a population of 249 at the 2020 census, the lowest of any municipality in Cook County. The village covers about 2.64 square miles.
- Why is McCook so industrial?
- Limestone quarrying began here in the 1880s, and during the 1930s major plants like the Electro-Motive locomotive works opened. Today the village hosts heavy industry including the Vulcan Materials quarry, UOP, and the EMD plant, which together give the small village a large tax base.
- What is the McCook Reservoir?
- It is a major reservoir in the regional Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, the Deep Tunnel, operated by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to reduce flooding and sewer overflows. The reservoir holds billions of gallons and is being expanded.
- What are property taxes like in McCook?
- The median effective property tax rate is about 2.99 percent per Ownwell, higher than the Illinois and national medians. Pull the actual tax bill for the specific address to confirm.
- What school districts serve McCook?
- McCook is split. Part is served by Lyons School District 103 for elementary grades, feeding Morton West High School in District 201, and another part is served by Lyons Township High School District 204. Confirm assignment per address.
- How do residents get to downtown Chicago?
- By car via I-55, the Stevenson Expressway, roughly 12 miles to the Loop, or by BNSF Line Metra trains from the nearby La Grange stations. Midway Airport is just a few miles east.
- Was Route 66 in McCook?
- Yes. Historic Route 66, Joliet Road, ran through McCook from 1928 until the route was decertified in 1977, and roadside landmarks like the Welcome to Fabulous McCook neon sign survive today.
Nearby
Towns next to McCook.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border McCook.
Your local agent
Joe knows McCook
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
- McCook 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
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