McCullom Lake · McHenry County · IL
Homes for sale in
McCullom Lake.
- Active listings
- 3
- Median list
- $175K
- Avg time on market
- 37 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
About the community
Living in McCullom Lake.
McCullom Lake is a small residential village in McHenry County, Illinois, wrapped around the lake of the same name and sharing its southeast shore with the city of McHenry. It was incorporated on April 7, 1955, after starting life in the 1920s as a cluster of summer cottages for people escaping the city, and it has since settled into a year-round community of roughly 1,000 residents. The village covers only about 0.36 square miles, so most of daily life, from shopping and dining to schools and the Metra train, happens a few minutes south in McHenry. The lake anchors the community and is known locally for excellent ice fishing in winter. For buyers, McCullom Lake offers modest home prices and a tucked-away, small-town feel within commuting range of the northwest suburbs.
At a glance
988 residents
A small, stable lakeside village (2020 U.S. Census).
Incorporated 1955
Formally incorporated on April 7, 1955, in McHenry Township.
Median home value ~$205,000
An affordable corner of McHenry County with high homeownership around 72 percent.
Median income ~$72,800
Median household income is about $72,791 per the latest ACS estimates.
0.36 square miles
A compact footprint wrapped around its namesake lake.
Lake living
McCullom Lake is known locally for excellent ice fishing in winter.
Nearest Metra
McHenry station on the UP-NW line, about 3 miles south.
McHenry schools
Served by McHenry CCSD 15 (Pre-K to 8) and McHenry CHSD 156 (high school).
What’s close
McCullom Lake sits in northeastern McHenry County, immediately north of the city of McHenry and roughly 50 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
- North of McHenry
- The city of McHenry occupies the lake's southeast shore.
- Township and county
- In McHenry Township, McHenry County, in Chicago's far northwest collar-county ring.
- Downtown McHenry
- About 3 miles north of downtown McHenry and the McHenry Metra station.
- O'Hare
- Roughly 42 miles from Chicago O'Hare International Airport by road.
- Metro area
- Part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metropolitan area.
- ZIP code
- ZIP code 60050, shared with the city of McHenry.
What it’s actually like to live here
Life in McCullom Lake is quiet and lake-oriented. The village is small and almost entirely residential, with a high homeownership rate of about 72 percent and a median resident age around 41. The lake is the centerpiece. Locally it is well known for excellent ice fishing, and the adjacent Petersen Park Beach on the McCullom Lake shoreline, operated by the city of McHenry, offers swimming, boat rentals, and a sandy public beach in summer.
Because the village itself is compact, residents lean on the city of McHenry just to the south for everyday needs. Downtown McHenry concentrates shops, restaurants, and bars along Main Street, Green Street, and Riverside Drive, plus a Fox River Riverwalk, while larger outdoor draws like Moraine Hills State Park are a short drive away. Most residents commute by car, with an average commute time around 27 minutes, and the McHenry Metra station provides a rail option into Chicago.
Neighborhoods
Detailed McCullom Lake 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 McCullom Lake.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- CCSD 15Grades Pre-K – 8
McHenry Community Consolidated School District 15
Schools serving the area
- Parkland School
- Valley View Elementary School
- Hilltop Elementary School
McCullom Lake is served by McHenry District 15 for elementary and middle school, with Parkland School serving grades 6 to 8 for the area. Confirm the exact elementary attendance area on the district boundary map by address.
- CHSD 156Grades 9 – 12
McHenry Community High School District 156
Schools serving the area
- McHenry Community High School East Campus
- McHenry Community High School West Campus
McHenry CHSD 156 serves McCullom Lake along with McHenry, Bull Valley, Wonder Lake, and Lakemoor.
From the neighborhood
Around McCullom Lake
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
#halloween #lakeinthehills #haunt31 #illinoishalloween #octoberactivities
@justmesylwiaCome with me to Pots and Pies in Crystal Lake, IL. Delicious pot pie, we will definitely be back! Probably today lol. It was light and fluffy and very good flavors. Clam chowder was excellent too! #po
@gingereldermillennial#october #halloween #haunt31 #lakeinthehillsillinois #familyhalloweenfun #2025 #scary #spooky #hauntedhouse #fun
@ebenny777#benedictslastrata #crystallake #foodie #breakfast #illinois
@justmesylwiaAround town
What there is to do in McCullom Lake.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Petersen Park Beach (McCullom Lake)
The city of McHenry's public beach on the McCullom Lake shoreline, with swimming, a sandy beach, seasonal boat rentals, picnic areas, and ballfields.
- Parks
Moraine Hills State Park
A 2,200-acre state park a few miles south of McHenry with more than 10 miles of trails, lakes, wetlands, and fishing on Lake Defiance and the Fox River.
- Food & Drink
After the Fox
A riverfront English and Irish style pub on the Fox River in McHenry, serving since 1984 and known for its fresh fish and Friday night fish fry.
- Food & Drink
McHenry Brewing Company
A craft brewery in the historic Brewery Corner building near the Fox River, with a taproom and beer garden hosting live music and food trucks.
- Culture
McHenry Riverwalk District
A scenic promenade along the Fox River in downtown McHenry with walking paths, parks, and riverside dining.
- Shopping
Downtown McHenry Riverside Drive
McHenry's walkable riverfront downtown with specialty shops, restaurants, and service businesses a short drive south of the village.
Getting around
Commute + transit from McCullom Lake.
DriveBy car
- Routes: IL 31 · McCullom Lake Road
- O'Hare Airport: ~57 min
- Chicago Loop: ~75 min
By the numbers
McCullom Lake taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.42%
effective avg
Sales tax
8.25%
combined
Median sold price
$206,750
MRED · last 12 mo (8 sales)
Median household income
$72,791
ACS
How McCullom Lake got here
A bit of history.
McCullom Lake began in the 1920s as a summer-cottage colony, a vacation spot where city dwellers could rent or build a small lake house and escape Chicago for the season. The community grew up around the private McCullom Lake, with the developing city of McHenry occupying the lake's southeast shore. Over the following decades the seasonal cottages were gradually winterized and the colony shifted from a warm-weather retreat into a place of permanent homes.
The village was formally incorporated on April 7, 1955, in McHenry Township, McHenry County. From a recorded population of 1,038 in 2000, the village has stayed small and stable, reporting 988 residents at the 2020 census across roughly four-tenths of a square mile. Today McCullom Lake remains a compact, predominantly residential village that leans on neighboring McHenry for schools, shopping, and transit.
The questions buyers actually ask
McCullom Lake FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping McCullom Lake. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- Does McCullom Lake have a Metra station?
- No. The village has no Metra station of its own. The nearest is the McHenry station at 4005 Main Street, about 3 miles south, on the Union Pacific Northwest line in fare Zone 4, which runs into Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago.
- How long is the commute to Chicago or O'Hare?
- By car it is roughly 57 minutes to O'Hare Airport from the McHenry area, and about an hour and a quarter to the Chicago Loop depending on traffic. Many commuters take the Metra UP-NW line from McHenry into downtown instead of driving.
- What schools serve McCullom Lake?
- Elementary and middle school students attend McHenry Community Consolidated School District 15, with grades 6 to 8 at Parkland School. High school students attend McHenry Community High School in District 156. Verify your exact attendance area on the district boundary maps.
- What are property and sales taxes like?
- McHenry County has a high median effective property tax rate of about 2.42 percent, above the Illinois median. The combined sales tax rate for McCullom Lake is 8.25 percent. Confirm by pulling the actual tax bill for the address.
- Can residents use the lake, and what is the village like?
- McCullom Lake is a small private lake that gives the village its name and character. It is known locally for excellent ice fishing, and the adjacent Petersen Park Beach on the shoreline, run by the city of McHenry, offers a public swimming beach, boat rentals, and picnic areas in season. Overall the village is small, quiet, and almost entirely residential, with most shopping and dining a short drive south in McHenry.
- What do homes cost in McCullom Lake?
- It is an affordable corner of McHenry County. Current listings show a median around $205,000, while the broader ACS median owner-occupied home value runs lower because it reflects all owner-occupied homes rather than just active listings. Homeownership is high at roughly 72 percent.
Your local agent
Joe knows McCullom Lake
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
- McCullom Lake 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