Northbrook · Cook County · IL
Active listings
Inventory in Northbrook turns over week to week. Check back, or ask a Subdiview agent to set up an alert so you’re the first to know when a new one hits the market.
About the community
Northbrook is a village of about 35,000 in northern Cook County, sitting on the greater North Shore north of Chicago and touching the Lake County line. It is a settled, owner-heavy suburb with a high median household income and a strong public-school reputation: most of the village feeds Glenbrook North High School in District 225. Commuters use the Northbrook station on Metra's Milwaukee District North line, about 21 miles from Chicago Union Station, and O'Hare is roughly a 20 minute drive. Landmarks include the Northbrook Court shopping center, the Northbrook Park District system with Techny Prairie Park and Fields, and the Allstate corporate headquarters. The housing stock runs from mid-century ranches and split-levels to teardown rebuilds and newer custom homes.
~35,000 residents
An established North Shore village, 35,222 at the 2020 census. Mostly owner-occupied with a median age near 50.
Glenbrook North feeder
Elementary Districts 27, 28, 30, and 31 feed Glenbrook North High School in Northfield Township High School District 225.
Metra MD-N
Northbrook station on the Milwaukee District North line, about 21 miles to Chicago Union Station.
Northbrook Court
Enclosed regional shopping center with more than 90 stores, dining, and free parking.
Northbrook Park District
More than 500 acres of open space, including Techny Prairie Park and Fields with a nine-hole golf course, turf fields, a skate park, and trails.
Major employers
Home to the Allstate corporate headquarters and other large firms such as UL (Underwriters Laboratories).
Median home value ~$569k
Zillow Home Value Index for the village. The market spans condos and townhomes through larger single-family homes.
High household income
Median household income about $158,000, well above the county and national figures.
Northbrook's commercial life runs along Shermer Road downtown, the Northbrook Court area, and the Milwaukee Avenue and Sanders Road corridors. Family neighborhoods spread out around the Park District trail system.
Northbrook reads like a settled, owner-occupied North Shore suburb, with a homeownership rate near 87 percent and a median age around 50. Daily life centers on the Northbrook Park District, which manages over 500 acres of open space and runs facilities like Techny Prairie Park and Fields with its golf course, turf fields, skate park, and trail network. The village has its own public library and strong civic infrastructure, and the North Shore generally is known for low crime.
The school reputation is the primary draw. Elementary Districts 27, 28, 30, and 31 all feed Glenbrook North High School in District 225. Retail and dining cluster around Northbrook Court and the historic downtown along Shermer Road, while nearby green space includes the Forest Preserves of Cook County River Trail Nature Center. Because Northbrook is largely built out, most activity is resale of existing homes plus teardown-and-rebuild on established lots rather than large new subdivisions.
Neighborhoods
Browse the listings above. Detailed neighborhood pages with market stats, school info, and lifestyle take-downs land here as we roll them out.
Schools
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
Northbrook School District 28
Schools serving the area
Serves a large portion of central Northbrook. The village is split among several elementary districts (27, 28, 30, 31), so confirm the assigned schools by exact street address.
Northbrook School District 27
Schools serving the area
Covers another portion of Northbrook. Verify by address since district lines run through the village.
Northfield Township High School District 225
Schools serving the area
District 225 is the high school district for most of Northbrook (Glenbrook North). Small edges of the village fall into other high school districts, so verify by address.
Around town
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
Techny Prairie Park and Fields
Northbrook Park District site with a nine-hole golf course, lighted turf fields, a skate park, and more than two miles of trails.
River Trail Nature Center
Forest Preserves of Cook County nature center with self-guiding woodland trails and native animal exhibits, free admission.
Northbrook Court
Enclosed regional shopping center with more than 90 specialty stores, dining, and free parking.
Northbrook Park District
Village park agency managing over 500 acres of open space plus recreation programs and facilities for all ages.
Northbrook History Museum
Local history museum and area-history resource operated by the Northbrook Historical Society.
Northbrook Public Library
The village's public library, serving Northbrook since the 1950s with collections, programs, and meeting spaces.
Getting around
By the numbers
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
1.81%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$665,000
MRED · last 12 mo (500 sales)
Median household income
$157,782
ACS
How Northbrook got here
When it incorporated in 1901, the village was known as Shermerville, named for Frederick Schermer, who donated the land for its first train station. At incorporation it had 311 residents and 60 houses. The Society of the Divine Word built the Techny Towers complex in 1901 as a North American headquarters and technical school, and the Techny area still carries that name.
The village changed its name to Northbrook in 1923 to improve its image, choosing the name because the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River runs through town. Postwar growth was rapid, with population climbing from 3,319 in 1950 to 30,735 by 1980 and reaching 35,222 at the 2020 census. Glenbrook North High School, founded in 1953, anchored the buildout of family neighborhoods, and filmmaker John Hughes, who grew up here, used the fictional Shermer as a stand-in for the town in several films.
The questions buyers actually ask
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Northbrook. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
Nearby
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Northbrook.
Your local agent
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.
Thinking of selling?
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.