Palatine · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Palatine.
- Active listings
- 123
- Median list
- $425K
- Avg time on market
- 9 days
- Sold · last year
- 885
Active listings
123 homes on the market
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About the community
Living in Palatine.
Palatine is a village of about 66,000 people in northwest Cook County, with a small slice extending into Lake County, roughly 30 miles from downtown Chicago. The character is classic mature suburb: leafy postwar subdivisions, a revitalized walkable downtown centered on the Metra station, and easy access to open space at the Deer Grove Forest Preserve on the north side. Public schools fall under Township High School District 211, the largest high school district in Illinois, and Community Consolidated School District 15 for elementary and middle grades. Commuters ride the Union Pacific Northwest Metra line straight into Ogilvie Transportation Center, and O'Hare is a short drive southeast. Notable areas include the downtown core around Wood Street, the Plum Grove and Fairgrounds Park neighborhoods, and the wooded northwest side near the Deer Grove preserve.
At a glance
~66,000 residents
About 66,000 residents as of recent Census estimates, one of the largest communities in Cook County.
UP-NW Metra downtown
The Palatine station sits downtown on the Union Pacific Northwest line with direct trains to Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center.
Township HSD 211
Served by Township High School District 211, the largest high school district in Illinois, plus CCSD 15 for elementary and middle grades.
Deer Grove Forest Preserve
The Deer Grove preserve on the north side spans nearly 2,000 acres with about 15.5 miles of trails.
Walkable downtown
A revitalized downtown around Wood Street with condos, restaurants, a farmers market, and summer festivals.
Weber-Stephen HQ
Weber-Stephen Products, maker of the Weber grill, is headquartered in Palatine.
Cutting Hall
Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center, a 431-seat venue in a 1928 building, is run by the Palatine Park District.
Median income ~$96k
2023 median household income about $95,950 per Data USA.
What’s close
Palatine covers about 14 square miles in northwest Cook County, laid out on a grid of arterial roads around a compact downtown core anchored by the Metra station at Wood Street, stretching from Deer Grove on the north to Harper College near the southern edge.
- Downtown core
- Centered on Wood Street and Smith Street, the revitalized downtown holds the Metra station, parking garage, condos, restaurants, and the farmers market.
- Metra station
- Located at 137 W. Wood Street in downtown Palatine on the Union Pacific Northwest line.
- Major roads
- Northwest Highway (US 14), Dundee Road (IL 68), Rand Road (US 12), Hicks Road, and Quentin Road form the main arterial grid.
- Deer Grove Forest Preserve
- On the north side off Quentin and Dundee Roads, the nearly 2,000-acre preserve is the village's signature open space.
- Harper College
- William Rainey Harper College anchors the south side near Algonquin and Roselle Roads, adjacent to Plum Grove Reservoir.
- Plum Grove Reservoir
- A neighborhood park and fishing reservoir just south of the Harper College campus on Algonquin Road.
What it’s actually like to live here
Daily life in Palatine balances a walkable downtown with abundant parkland. The downtown around Wood Street hosts a popular farmers market and a calendar of summer festivals including Streetfest in August, an Oktoberfest run by the Rotary Club, and a long-running Fourth of July celebration with a parade and fireworks. The Palatine Park District serves roughly 85,000 residents across Palatine and neighboring communities, operating pools at the Family Aquatic Center, Birchwood Park, and Eagle Pool plus several recreation centers. For culture, Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center stages theater, concerts, dance, and film in a historic 1928 building.
The outdoors define a lot of the weekend rhythm. Deer Grove splits into an East section with prairies, savannas, and a flat 2.8-mile paved loop and a more heavily wooded West section with a roughly six-mile hiking and mountain-bike loop, adding up to about 15.5 miles of trails across nearly 2,000 acres. Closer in, Plum Grove Reservoir near Harper College offers a paved multi-use trail and fishing for bass, perch, catfish, crappie, and pike. With Metra access downtown and O'Hare a short drive away, residents get suburban green space without giving up city reach.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Palatine 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 Palatine.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D211Grades 9-12
Township High School District 211
Schools serving the area
- Palatine High School
- William Fremd High School
- James B. Conant High School
- Hoffman Estates High School
- Schaumburg High School
District 211 spans Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Schaumburg, and parts of Arlington Heights and Rolling Meadows. Palatine addresses are typically zoned to Palatine HS or William Fremd HS, so verify the specific address with the district.
- CCSD15Grades Pre-K-8
Community Consolidated School District 15
Schools serving the area
- Gray M. Sanborn Elementary School
- Marion Jordan Elementary School
- Lincoln Elementary School
- Walter R. Sundling Middle School
- Winston Campus Middle School
CCSD 15 is the third-largest elementary district in Illinois, serving parts of Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, South Barrington, Arlington Heights, and Schaumburg. Confirm the assigned attendance-area school by address.
Homes by school
Homes for sale by school in Palatine
Around town
What there is to do in Palatine.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Deer Grove Forest Preserve
Nearly 2,000 acres of forest, prairie, and wetland on Palatine's north side with about 15.5 miles of hiking, biking, and paved trails.
- Culture
Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center
A 431-seat performing arts venue in a 1928 building, run by the Palatine Park District, hosting theater, concerts, dance, and film.
- Parks
Plum Grove Reservoir
A neighborhood park and fishing reservoir south of Harper College with a paved multi-use trail and a fenced dog park.
- Family
Palatine Park District
The district serving about 85,000 residents operates parks, pools, trails, and recreation centers across Palatine and neighboring towns.
- Culture
Harper College
William Rainey Harper College, the community college serving District 512, anchors the south side and hosts public events and a recreation center.
- Shopping
Downtown Palatine Farmers Market
A seasonal farmers market in the revitalized downtown around Wood Street, part of a summer calendar that includes Streetfest and Oktoberfest.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Palatine.
- Stations: Palatine
- Terminal: Chicago Ogilvie (OTC)
- Routes: US 14 (Northwest Highway) · US 12 (Rand Road) · IL 68 (Dundee Road) · Hicks Road
- O'Hare Airport: ~25 min
- Chicago Loop: ~50 min
By the numbers
Palatine taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.25%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$370,000
MRED · last 12 mo (885 sales)
Median household income
$95,950
ACS
How Palatine got here
A bit of history.
The first European-American settler in the Palatine area is generally thought to be George Ela, who built a log cabin near present-day Deer Grove following the Black Hawk War, and Ela Road on the village's western edge is named in his honor. The community grew up around a station on the railroad that became the Chicago and North Western Railway, and Joel Wood surveyed and laid out the village, earning him the title of Palatine's founder. The Village of Palatine was founded in 1866, with one of its original downtown streets named for Wood. The village is thought to be named after a town in New York State.
Palatine's first suburb-style subdivision, Palanois Park, was built mostly just after World War II, and the town grew rapidly from the 1970s onward as part of Chicago's suburban expansion. The village hosted the Cook County Fair from 1914 to 1931, and the former fairgrounds are now a subdivision called Fairgrounds Park that pays tribute to that history. Beginning in December 1999, Palatine launched a long downtown revitalization that produced a new Metra passenger station, a parking garage, and new condominiums, rowhouses, and commercial buildings. Today the village still calls itself a real home town.
The questions buyers actually ask
Palatine FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Palatine. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What school districts serve Palatine?
- Palatine is served by Community Consolidated School District 15 for elementary and middle school, Pre-K through 8, and Township High School District 211 for high school, grades 9 through 12. District 211 is the largest high school district in Illinois, and CCSD 15 is the third-largest elementary district in the state. Most Palatine students attend either Palatine High School or William Fremd High School, but boundaries vary by address, so confirm the assigned schools with each district before buying.
- How is the commute from Palatine to downtown Chicago?
- Palatine sits on Metra's Union Pacific Northwest line, with a downtown station at 137 W. Wood Street running direct trains to Ogilvie Transportation Center in the Loop, roughly 30 miles away. Driving to the Chicago Loop typically takes about 45 to 52 minutes depending on traffic, and many residents prefer the train.
- How far is Palatine from O'Hare Airport?
- O'Hare International Airport is about 15 miles southeast of Palatine, generally a 20 to 30 minute drive depending on traffic. That proximity is a major draw for frequent travelers and air-commuting professionals.
- What are property taxes like in Palatine?
- Palatine is in Cook County, and the median effective property tax rate is around 2.25 percent, well above the national median. On a $364,000 home that is roughly $8,000 a year. Actual taxes vary by parcel and assessed value, so review the specific property's tax history before writing an offer.
- Where are the best areas to look for a home in Palatine?
- Buyers who want walkability and the train gravitate to the revitalized downtown core around Wood Street, where condos and rowhouses sit steps from the Metra station. Those wanting more space and trees often look to the wooded northwest side near Deer Grove, while established postwar single-family neighborhoods like Fairgrounds Park and the Plum Grove area near Harper College offer classic suburban lots.
- What is there to do in Palatine?
- Outdoor recreation centers on the nearly 2,000-acre Deer Grove Forest Preserve with about 15.5 miles of trails, plus Plum Grove Reservoir for fishing and walking. Downtown offers a farmers market and seasonal festivals including Streetfest, Oktoberfest, and a Fourth of July celebration, and Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center hosts live theater and concerts.
- Who is the real estate agent for Palatine?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers Palatine in Palatine, IL through Subdiview, a neighborhood-first home search for the Chicago suburbs and collar counties. Joe prices and negotiates from the live MRED sold comps for Palatine specifically, not national averages, and can help you buy or sell here. Reach Joe at 224-385-8779 or joe@joekeeganhomes.com.
Nearby
Towns next to Palatine.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Palatine.
Your local agent
Joe knows Palatine
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
- Palatine 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