North Chicago · Lake County · IL
Homes for sale in
North Chicago.
- Active listings
- 3
- Median list
- $234K
- Avg time on market
- 29 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
About the community
Living in North Chicago.
North Chicago sits on Lake Michigan in southeastern Lake County, roughly 38 road miles north of the Chicago Loop, wedged between Waukegan to the north and Lake Bluff to the south. It is one of the most affordable entry points into Lake County for buyers, with a typical home value around $167,000 against a Lake County median that runs three to four times higher. The city's economy is tied to four large institutional employers: Naval Station Great Lakes (the U.S. Navy's only boot camp), the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and AbbVie's North Chicago campus. The city offers a Metra UP-N stop, immediate access to US 41 (Skokie Highway) and IL 137 (Buckley Road), and a Lake Michigan shoreline anchored by Foss Park. The honest read: this is a working-class city with real institutional ballast and real challenges, not a polished North Shore village.
At a glance
~30,800 residents
2023 ACS estimate, 30,759 at the 2020 Census. Median age skews young at 23.6 because of the rotating boot-camp population at Naval Station Great Lakes.
Founded 1895, city status 1909
Incorporated as the Village of South Waukegan in 1895, renamed North Chicago in 1901, and chartered as a city in 1909.
Naval Station Great Lakes
The U.S. Navy's only boot camp, with roughly 40,000 recruits passing through each year. The base has trained more than 125,000 sailors during World War I and is the largest single-site military training command in the country.
Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
First fully integrated VA / DoD federal hospital, opened 2010 at 3001 Green Bay Road. Joint Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs facility serving sailors, dependents, and veterans.
Rosalind Franklin University
Private graduate health sciences university at 3333 Green Bay Road. Six schools including the Chicago Medical School, more than 2,000 students.
AbbVie North Chicago campus
Global headquarters of AbbVie, spun off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013, with manufacturing and R&D on the historic Abbott Park grounds inside city limits.
Affordable price band
Zillow typical home value around $167,000. Effective property tax rate around 3.49 percent in the 60064 ZIP per Ownwell, well above the Illinois median of 2.33 percent.
What’s close
North Chicago is a Lake Michigan shoreline city in southeastern Lake County. It sits directly south of Waukegan, north of Lake Bluff, west of the lake, and shares an inland boundary with Green Oaks and Park City. The city is bisected by US 41 (Skokie Highway) and crossed east-west by IL 137 (Buckley Road), with I-94 a few miles inland.
- Naval Station Great Lakes
- The Navy's only boot camp, on the lakefront just north of downtown. Roughly 40,000 recruits trained annually. Historic Pass-in-Review parade on Fridays is open to recruit family guests.
- Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
- First integrated VA / DoD federal hospital, opened 2010 at 3001 Green Bay Road. Serves active-duty sailors, dependents, and veterans.
- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
- 3333 Green Bay Road. Private graduate health-sciences university, 2,000-plus students across six schools including the Chicago Medical School.
- AbbVie North Chicago campus
- Global headquarters at 1 N Waukegan Road. Spun off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013; manufacturing and R&D on the historic Abbott Park grounds inside city limits.
- Foss Park and Foss Park Beach
- 300-acre park district along Lake Michigan with an 18-hole golf course, beach access, skate park, and band shell. Named for Congressman George Edmund Foss.
- Lake Michigan shoreline and Robert McClory Bike Path
- 25-mile rail-trail running through North Chicago parallel to the Metra UP-N line, with lakefront access in several spots.
What it’s actually like to live here
Daily life in North Chicago is shaped by the institutions that surround it. Sailors graduating from boot camp, their families visiting Great Lakes, contractors at AbbVie, graduate students at Rosalind Franklin, and staff at Lovell FHCC make up a steady transient and professional population on top of long-term residents. The result is a city that runs cheaper, denser, and more diverse than the rest of the Lake County shore: Data USA reports the median age at just 23.6 years (driven heavily by base personnel) and the largest ethnic groups as non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic. About 67.9 percent of public school students are classified as economically disadvantaged.
The housing stock is older, mostly modest single-family homes, two-flats, and small multifamily, with a typical Zillow home value of about $167,000, a fraction of what you pay one town south in Lake Bluff or Lake Forest. The tradeoff is a high effective property tax rate (around 3.49 percent in the 60064 ZIP per Ownwell, well above the Illinois median of 2.33 percent) and a school district that has been under state financial oversight since 2012. For buyers who need to be near Great Lakes, Lovell, AbbVie, or Rosalind Franklin and want a real budget, North Chicago is the most direct answer in the county.
Neighborhoods
Detailed North Chicago 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 North Chicago.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D187Grades Pre-K to 12
North Chicago Community Unit School District 187
Schools serving the area
- North Chicago Community High School
- Neal Math and Science Academy
- AJ Katzenmaier Academy
- Hart Elementary
- Yeager Elementary
- Forrestal Elementary (on the Naval Station Great Lakes grounds)
District 187 covers North Chicago plus parts of Naval Station Great Lakes and serves roughly 3,500 students across eight schools. Honest take: the district has operated under direct Illinois State Board of Education oversight since 2012, when chronic financial problems and persistently low student performance triggered an unprecedented state takeover that dissolved the elected school board. The district continues to operate under an Independent Authority and Financial Oversight Panel. Families weighing North Chicago specifically for schools should look closely at current Illinois Report Card data and consider charter and parochial options as well.
Around town
What there is to do in North Chicago.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Foss Park Beach
Free public Lake Michigan beach with band shell, picnic shelters, and a skate park. Managed by the Foss Park District. The IDPH Illinois BeachGuard monitors water quality.
- Recreation
Foss Park Golf Course
Eighteen-hole public municipal golf course operated by the Foss Park District inside the 300-acre lakefront park.
- Culture
National Museum of the American Sailor
On the Naval Station Great Lakes grounds; chronicles Navy history from the Great White Fleet to today. Note: closed for renovation in recent years, check status before visiting.
- Outdoors
Robert McClory Bike Path
25-mile rail-trail running the length of Lake County, with a North Chicago segment paralleling the Metra UP-N line.
- Family
Illinois Beach State Park (Zion)
About ten minutes north for larger sandy stretches, dune habitat, hiking trails, and a 4,200-acre state park along the Lake Michigan shore.
- Family
Six Flags Great America (Gurnee)
About fifteen minutes northwest in Gurnee. Roller coasters, water park, and the Mardi Gras Hurricane Harbor for summer day trips.
Getting around
Commute + transit from North Chicago.
MetraUP-N line
- Stations: North Chicago
- Terminal: Ogilvie Transportation Center
- Distance: 38 miles to downtown Chicago
DriveBy car
- Routes: US 41 (Skokie Highway) · IL 137 (Buckley Road) · Sheridan Road · I-94 / Tri-State Tollway (nearby)
- Chicago Loop: ~65 min
- O'Hare Airport: ~55 min
- Milwaukee: ~60 min
By the numbers
North Chicago taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
3.49%
effective avg
Sales tax
8.00%
combined
Median sold price
$218,000
MRED · last 12 mo (53 sales)
Median household income
$56,815
ACS
How North Chicago got here
A bit of history.
North Chicago was incorporated as a village in 1895 under the name South Waukegan, renamed North Chicago in 1901, and elevated to city status in 1909. Industrial growth started almost immediately with the 1892 arrival of a railroad depot and the relocation of the Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Company, a major barbed wire maker that brought workers from Massachusetts and later recruited Swedish, Finnish, Slovak, Polish, German, and Irish labor. The ethnic geography of the city, including parishes like Mother of God and Holy Rosary, traces back to that period.
The defining event was the establishment of the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in 1911, championed by Congressman George Edmund Foss, for whom Foss Park is named. The base trained over 125,000 sailors during World War I and remains the Navy's only boot camp, with roughly 40,000 recruits passing through each year. Abbott Laboratories, founded in 1888 and long anchored on the North Chicago campus, spun off AbbVie in 2013, which kept its global headquarters in North Chicago. The Chicago Medical School relocated to North Chicago in 1980 and was rebranded as Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in 2004.
The questions buyers actually ask
North Chicago FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping North Chicago. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- Is North Chicago affordable compared to the rest of Lake County?
- Yes, materially so. Zillow puts the typical North Chicago home value at about $167,000 against a Lake County median that runs three to four times higher in towns like Lake Forest or Libertyville. The catch is the effective property tax rate, which Ownwell tracks at roughly 3.49 percent in the 60064 ZIP, well above the Illinois median of 2.33 percent.
- What are the largest employers in or near North Chicago?
- Naval Station Great Lakes (largest single-site military training command in the country, with about 7,000 recruits on base at a time), the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, AbbVie's North Chicago and Abbott Park campus (global headquarters), and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
- How do people commute to downtown Chicago?
- The Metra Union Pacific North (UP-N) line has a North Chicago station with direct service to Ogilvie Transportation Center in the Loop. Drivers typically take US 41 to I-94 (Edens) or stay on I-94 the whole way; the drive is about 38 miles and runs 55 to 75 minutes off-peak.
- How is the school district?
- North Chicago CUSD 187 has been under state financial oversight since 2012 after chronic financial and performance problems. The district continues to operate under an Independent Authority and Financial Oversight Panel. Families weighing North Chicago specifically for schools should look closely at current Illinois Report Card data and consider charter and parochial options as well.
- Is there beach access?
- Yes. Foss Park Beach on Lake Michigan is a public beach managed by the Foss Park District, and the IDPH Illinois BeachGuard monitors water quality. Illinois Beach State Park is about ten minutes north in Zion for larger sandy stretches.
- Who is North Chicago a good fit for?
- Sailors and their families stationed at Great Lakes, employees of Lovell FHCC and AbbVie who want a short commute, graduate students at Rosalind Franklin, first-time buyers priced out of the rest of Lake County, and investors looking for a low entry point with strong rental demand from base and university tenants. It is not a North Shore lifestyle play, and we will be honest about that.
Nearby
Towns next to North Chicago.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border North Chicago.
Your local agent
Joe knows North Chicago
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
- North Chicago 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