Rolling Meadows · Cook County · IL
Active listings
About the community
Rolling Meadows is a city in Cook County, Illinois, about 24 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop in the northwest suburbs. The 2020 census counted 24,200 residents across a compact 5.62 square miles. It began as a 1950s tract-home development built by Kimball Hill and grew into a community known for blue-collar roots, affordable housing, and a strong park system. Most of the city is served by Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 at the elementary and middle level, with high schoolers attending either Rolling Meadows High School (District 214) or William Fremd High School in Palatine (District 211). The southern edge along Golf Road sits within the Golden Corridor employment belt and hosts major employers including Northrop Grumman and Arthur J. Gallagher. There is no Metra station in the city itself; the nearest is Arlington Park on the Union Pacific Northwest line in adjacent Arlington Heights. The city borders Arlington Heights, Palatine, and Schaumburg.
~24,200 residents
Rolling Meadows had 24,200 residents at the 2020 census across about 5.62 square miles of northwest Cook County.
District 15, plus 214 and 211
Most of the city attends Palatine CCSD 15 for K-8, with high schoolers split between Rolling Meadows High School (District 214) and William Fremd High School in Palatine (District 211).
Arlington Park Metra nearby
There is no in-city station; the closest is Arlington Park on the UP-NW line in neighboring Arlington Heights, about 24 miles to Ogilvie.
I-90 at the south edge
Interstate 90, the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, runs along the south, with Golf Road, Algonquin Road, and Kirchoff Road as key arterials.
Golden Corridor jobs
Northrop Grumman is the largest employer at roughly 2,450 workers, followed by insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher at about 2,000.
Median income ~$98.5k
The 2024 median household income was about 98,514 per Data USA.
~72% homeownership
The 2024 median property value was about 326,200, with a homeownership rate near 71.8 percent.
5.62 square miles
The city covers about 5.62 square miles roughly 24 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop.
Rolling Meadows sits in the northwest suburbs of Cook County, about 24 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, wedged among Arlington Heights, Palatine, and Schaumburg. Its compact 5.62 square miles are bounded on the south by Interstate 90 and threaded by arterials like Golf Road, Algonquin Road, and Kirchoff Road.
Rolling Meadows is built around affordable, owner-occupied single-family neighborhoods, with a homeownership rate near 71.8 percent and a 2024 median property value around 326,200. The Rolling Meadows Park District, formed in 1958, anchors local recreation and has been a four-time finalist for the National Gold Medal Award for excellence in parks and recreation management. Residents have access to a Community Center with more than 50,000 square feet of programming space, plus parks like Kimball Hill Park just north of downtown. The Rolling Meadows Library, open since 1960, serves as a community hub for learning and culture.
The city blends residential life with a substantial daytime workforce, since its southern Golf Road corridor sits within the Golden Corridor employment belt that hosts Northrop Grumman, Arthur J. Gallagher, and other large employers. Commuting is mostly by car, with an average commute of about 25 minutes and most workers driving alone. For those headed downtown, the Arlington Park Metra station on the Union Pacific Northwest line in neighboring Arlington Heights provides a rail option to Ogilvie Transportation Center. The mix of jobs, transit access, parks, and modestly priced housing gives Rolling Meadows a practical, family-oriented suburban character.
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.
Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15
Schools serving the area
Almost all of Rolling Meadows is served by District 15 at the elementary and middle-school level.
Township High School District 214
Schools serving the area
About half of Rolling Meadows is zoned to District 214's Rolling Meadows High School.
Township High School District 211
Schools serving the area
The other half of the city is served by District 211 via William Fremd High School in Palatine. Small portions also fall within Arlington Heights District 25 and Schaumburg District 54. Always confirm per address.
From the neighborhood
Real local creators on TikTok. Tap a tile to play it right here.
Come to Saturday’s pajama crawl on the Huntley Square to try Duck A Diet’s yogurt parfait.
@huntleyareachamberVISIT NOW! Now Opened! 10723 Dundee-Huntley Rd, Huntley, IL 60142 Opened 11am-7pm Monday-Saturday #restaurant #familyownedbusiness
@huntleys.deliCheers! Thats a rap on the season! Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us this year!! 🥳🥂 (its grape juice) #weddings #events #banquethall #huntley #fyp
@pinecrest.golf.clI work as an activity aide at an assisted living facility and every so often we put on outings for the residents, yesterday’s outing was to Tom’s Farm Market in Huntley, IL 🌾 I’d been seeing the App
@allaboutallysonAround town
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
Kimball Hill Park
A park just north of downtown with a pond, fountain, fishing piers, a walking path, a playground, and lit ball fields.
Rolling Meadows Community Center
A 50,000-plus square foot Park District facility with a gymnasium, auditorium, and recreation programs.
Rolling Meadows Library
Open since 1960, the library holds well over 185,000 items and offers programs, digital media, and a StoryWalk path.
Salt Creek Rural Park District
A second park district serving parts of Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights, and Palatine with recreation and leisure programs.
Community Center Park
Features a Ninja-Warrior-style Challenge Course, a Fitness Court, and dedicated pickleball courts.
Disc Golf and Foot Golf
The Rolling Meadows Park District offers disc golf and foot golf among its sports and fitness activities.
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
2.70%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.25%
combined
Median sold price
$325,000
MRED · last 12 mo (253 sales)
Median household income
$98,514
ACS
How Rolling Meadows got here
In 1836, Orrin Ford became the first landowner in the area that is now Rolling Meadows, staking a claim of 160 acres in a place known as Plum Grove. Other farm families followed, many from Vermont, and by the early 1840s settlers had dammed Salt Creek and claimed the Plum Grove area. The community became part of the newly formed Palatine Township in 1850 as German immigrants arrived, and in 1862 the Salem Evangelical Church was built, its small cemetery still standing at Kirchoff and Plum Grove roads. In 1927, H.D. Curly Brown bought 1,000 acres intending to build a golf course and a racetrack.
In the early 1950s, developer Kimball Hill purchased the land intended for the golf course and began selling homes by advertising a basic floor plan in the Chicago Tribune. The first families moved into the development, which Hill named Rolling Meadows, in 1953, and 700 houses had sold by 1955, mostly to blue-collar workers. Rolling Meadows incorporated as a city in 1955 and boomed through the 1950s and 1960s as businesses such as Western Electric arrived. By 2000, the city had begun revamping commercial areas along Kirchoff Road, while corporations established bases along Golf Road in what became known as the Golden Corridor.
The questions buyers actually ask
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Rolling Meadows. 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 Rolling Meadows.
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.