Subdiview

Park Ridge · Cook County · IL

Homes for sale in Park Ridge.

Active listings
58
Median list
$712K
Avg time on market
9 days
Sold · last year
403
Photo: Kelly Martin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

About the community

Living in Park Ridge.

Park Ridge sits about 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago in Cook County, tucked up against O'Hare International Airport and the Far Northwest Side of the city. It is a mature, tree-lined commuter suburb of roughly 39,656 people that grew out of a 19th-century brick-making settlement once nicknamed Brickton. Families come for the schools: elementary and middle grades run through Park Ridge-Niles School District 64, and high schoolers attend Maine Township High School District 207, anchored by Maine South and Maine East. The commute is a major draw, with two Metra stations, Park Ridge and Dee Road, on the Union Pacific Northwest Line running to Ogilvie Transportation Center downtown. The heart of town is the walkable Uptown district around the 1928 Pickwick Theatre, an Art Deco landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

At a glance

~39,700 residents

Park Ridge had a population of 39,656 at the 2020 census, one of the larger suburbs in northwest Cook County.

District 64 and District 207

Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 covers K-8, and Maine Township High School District 207 runs the high schools, including Maine South and Maine East.

Two UP-NW Metra stations

The Park Ridge and Dee Road stations on the Union Pacific Northwest Line run direct to Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago.

Pickwick Theatre

A 1928 Art Deco movie palace on the National Register of Historic Places anchors the Uptown district.

Borders O'Hare

Park Ridge sits next to O'Hare International Airport, about a 9-minute drive to the terminals, convenient for frequent travelers.

Advocate Lutheran General

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is the city's largest employer, with roughly 3,700 workers.

Median income ~$143k

The median household income is about 142,986 per Data USA, reflecting an affluent, established population.

What’s close

Park Ridge sits about 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, bounded by the Des Plaines River to the west and O'Hare International Airport and the city of Chicago to the south and east, with a compact Uptown core at its center.

Uptown district
The historic commercial core along Prospect Avenue near Touhy Avenue, centered on the Pickwick Theatre, with dining, shops, and the farmers market.
Park Ridge Metra station
Located at 100 S. Summit Ave., about 13 miles from Ogilvie Transportation Center, on the Union Pacific Northwest Line.
Major roads
Northwest Highway (US 14) runs diagonally through town, with Cumberland Avenue, Touhy Avenue, and the nearby I-90 Kennedy Expressway corridor.
Des Plaines River
The river forms the western edge of the city, separating Park Ridge from Des Plaines and lining the area with Cook County forest preserve.
Maine South and Maine East
Two of District 207's high schools serve Park Ridge, a major driver of family demand in the city.
O'Hare International Airport
The airport borders the city's southeast side, roughly 6 miles and a 9-minute drive from the terminals.

What it’s actually like to live here

Daily life in Park Ridge centers on the Uptown district, a walkable commercial area along Prospect Avenue anchored by the historic Pickwick Theatre, which still operates as a movie house and live-event venue. Recreation is handled by the Park District of Park Ridge, which has served the community since 1914, and Hodges Park north of City Hall has hosted outdoor summer concerts for decades. The city is overwhelmingly residential and owner-occupied, with a homeownership rate around 85 percent. The result is a stable, family-oriented suburb where most blocks are lined with mature trees and single-family homes.

Park Ridge has a strong commuter character, with many residents driving alone or riding Metra and an average commute around 29 minutes. The Des Plaines River corridor and Cook County forest preserves on the western edge add green space and trails close to home. The town's cultural identity is tied to its film and theater history, from the Pickwick's long run as a neighborhood movie palace to its place in regional film and television. The median age is about 44, reflecting an established population that tends to stay put.

Neighborhoods

Detailed Park Ridge 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 Park Ridge.

Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.

  • D64Grades K-8

    Park Ridge-Niles School District 64

    Schools serving the area

    • Carpenter Elementary School
    • Field Elementary School
    • Franklin Elementary School
    • Roosevelt Elementary School
    • Lincoln Middle School

    District 64 serves Park Ridge and part of Niles, with K-5 elementary schools feeding Lincoln and Emerson middle schools. Confirm the assigned attendance-area school by address.

  • D207Grades 9-12

    Maine Township High School District 207

    Schools serving the area

    • Maine South High School
    • Maine East High School
    • Maine West High School

    Maine South and Maine East serve Park Ridge addresses, while Maine West is in Des Plaines. Verify the assigned high school with the district before writing an offer.

Getting around

Commute + transit from Park Ridge.

MetraUP-NW line
  • Stations: Park Ridge, Dee Road
  • Terminal: Chicago Ogilvie (OTC)
DriveBy car
  • Routes: US 14 (Northwest Highway) · Cumberland Avenue · Touhy Avenue · I-90 (Kennedy Expressway)
  • O'Hare Airport: ~9 min
  • Chicago Loop: ~22 min

By the numbers

Park Ridge taxes + market stats.

Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.

Property tax rate

2.51%

effective avg

Sales tax

10.00%

combined

Median sold price

$600,000

MRED · last 12 mo (403 sales)

Median household income

$142,986

ACS

How Park Ridge got here

A bit of history.

The area that became Park Ridge was home to the Potawatomi until their removal in 1833, and the first New England and New York settlers arrived in the early 1830s near a portage between the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers. The local soil was rich in clay, and in 1854 George Penny established a brickworks that turned the settlement into a brick-making center for the fast-growing city of Chicago. Because of that industry, the community was nicknamed Brickton, having earlier been called Pennyville for the brickyard owner. The community was incorporated in 1873.

Park Ridge grew steadily as a Chicago commuter town, with a population of about 2,000 in 1910, more than 10,000 by 1930, and over 32,000 by 1960. Its most recognizable landmark, the Pickwick Theatre, opened as an Art Deco movie and vaudeville house in 1928 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The city is the hometown of former First Lady and presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, a 1965 graduate of Maine South High School, and actor Harrison Ford, who attended Maine East High School.

The questions buyers actually ask

Park Ridge FAQ

The questions I get most from buyers shopping Park Ridge. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.

What schools serve Park Ridge?
Park Ridge is served by two public districts. Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 covers elementary and middle school, with K-5 elementary schools like Carpenter, Field, Franklin, and Roosevelt feeding Lincoln and Emerson middle schools. High schoolers attend Maine Township High School District 207, primarily Maine South or Maine East. Because attendance areas vary by block, confirm the assigned schools by address before buying.
How long is the commute from Park Ridge to downtown Chicago?
Park Ridge sits about 15 miles northwest of the Loop, and driving downtown typically takes roughly 20 to 26 minutes depending on traffic. Many residents instead ride Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line from the Park Ridge or Dee Road stations straight to Ogilvie Transportation Center. The average overall commute time for Park Ridge workers is about 29 minutes.
How close is Park Ridge to O'Hare Airport?
Park Ridge borders the O'Hare area and is only about 6 miles from the terminals, roughly a 9-minute drive without traffic. That proximity is a major convenience for frequent travelers and airline workers. Some homes near the airport do notice aircraft noise, so it is worth visiting a specific block at different times of day.
What are property taxes like in Park Ridge?
Park Ridge has a median effective property tax rate of about 2.51 percent, higher than the national median. On a home around 415,000 that works out to roughly 10,000 a year. Cook County mails assessment notices each spring, and homeowners can appeal an over-assessment. Always review the actual tax history for a specific property before writing an offer.
What is there to do in Park Ridge?
The centerpiece is the historic Pickwick Theatre, a 1928 Art Deco movie palace that still shows films and hosts live events in the Uptown district. The Park District of Park Ridge runs pools, recreation centers, and programs, and Hodges Park hosts a popular summer concert series downtown. Cook County forest preserves along the Des Plaines River add nearby trails and natural areas.
Is Park Ridge really the hometown of Hillary Clinton and Harrison Ford?
Yes. Park Ridge is the hometown of former First Lady and presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who graduated from Maine South High School in 1965, and actor Harrison Ford, who attended Maine East High School. The city leans into that history, and its film-and-theater identity is a point of local pride.
Who is the real estate agent for Park Ridge?
Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers Park Ridge in Park Ridge, 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 Park Ridge 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 Park Ridge.

If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Park Ridge.

Your local agent

Joe knows Park Ridge

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
  • Park Ridge 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

Get a real valuation