South Barrington · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
South Barrington.
- Active listings
- 13
- Median list
- $2.30M
- Avg time on market
- 32 days
- Sold · last year
- 57
Active listings
13 homes on the market
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About the community
Living in South Barrington.
South Barrington is a residential village in northwest Cook County, about 30 miles northwest of the Loop and just south of Barrington. It is one of the Chicago area's most affluent communities, with a median household income above 220,000 dollars and a typical home value near a million dollars. The village is defined by low-density estate living: after a 1959 zoning fight, the community settled on minimum lot sizes of one and a half acres, and large custom homes sit on sprawling acreage across the north side. South Barrington is also home to The Arboretum of South Barrington, an open-air lifestyle center for shopping, dining, and entertainment. The southern edge has direct access to the I-90 Jane Addams Memorial Tollway at Barrington Road, including a Pace I-90 express bus station, and most of the village is served by the highly regarded Barrington Community Unit School District 220.
At a glance
About 5,000 residents
The 2020 census population was 5,077, spread across about 7.4 square miles of land for a density of roughly 680 people per square mile.
Median income above 220,000 dollars
South Barrington's median household income was about 221,575 dollars in 2024, among the highest in the Chicago area.
Estate lot zoning
Minimum lot sizes of one and a half acres preserve the village's low-density estate character.
Barrington District 220
Most of the village is served by Barrington Community Unit School District 220, including Barrington High School.
The Arboretum
The Arboretum of South Barrington is an open-air lifestyle center for shopping, dining, and entertainment on Higgins Road.
I-90 access
Direct access to the I-90 Jane Addams Memorial Tollway via Barrington Road, with a Pace I-90 express bus station.
Open space character
The village historically counted some 45 private lakes and ponds and protects open land such as the 80-acre Stillman Nature Center.
What’s close
South Barrington sits in northwest Cook County, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, with quiet estate subdivisions to the north and a busy commercial and tollway corridor along its southern edge.
- The Arboretum of South Barrington
- An open-air lifestyle center with shopping, dining, and entertainment on Higgins Road (IL-72).
- I-90 Tollway at Barrington Road
- The village's southern edge meets I-90, with a Pace I-90 inline express bus station at Barrington Road.
- Barrington
- South Barrington lies directly south of the Village of Barrington, the area's commercial and Metra hub on the UP-NW line.
- Willow Creek Community Church
- A major megachurch campus near Barrington and Algonquin Roads, one of the country's largest churches.
- Estate subdivisions
- Large-lot neighborhoods including early developments such as Sunset Ridge Farms, the Cove, and the Glen.
- Open space and preserves
- The 80-acre Stillman Nature Center plus nearby Forest Preserves of Cook County land such as Spring Lake and Crabtree Nature Center in the surrounding Barrington area.
What it’s actually like to live here
Life in South Barrington is built around space and privacy. The one-and-a-half-acre minimum lots mean large custom homes on wooded acreage, and many estates sit along private lakes and ponds, with the community historically counting some 45 private lakes and ponds across its roughly seven square miles. Homeownership is nearly universal, at about 98 percent of housing units, and households tend to be families. The result is a quiet, low-density residential setting that has been carefully protected since the village's founders fought to keep large-lot zoning in 1959.
Despite that estate feel, residents have shopping, dining, and entertainment close at hand. The Arboretum of South Barrington is an open-air lifestyle center on Higgins Road with dozens of stores and restaurants. The surrounding Barrington area adds nature and recreation, including the Forest Preserves of Cook County Spring Lake preserve with more than 45 miles of unpaved trails for hiking and horseback riding, and the Crabtree Nature Center. Long-running local destinations such as Goebbert's Farm and Garden Center, with its annual fall pumpkin festival, reinforce the blend of upscale living and open, semi-rural character.
Neighborhoods
Detailed South Barrington 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 South Barrington.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- CUSD 220Grades K - 12
Barrington Community Unit School District 220
Schools serving the area
- Barbara B. Rose Elementary School
- Grove Avenue Elementary School
- Countryside Elementary School
- Barrington Middle School (Prairie and Station campuses)
- Barrington High School
Most of South Barrington's zoned public schools are in Barrington District 220. Small portions of the village fall into other districts, so confirm the assigned schools per address.
- CUSD 300Grades K - 12
Community Unit School District 300
Schools serving the area
- Parkview Elementary School
- Carpentersville Middle School
- Dundee-Crown High School
A small portion of South Barrington is served by District 300. Another small portion falls within District 15 and Township High School District 211.
Around town
What there is to do in South Barrington.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Shopping
The Arboretum of South Barrington
An open-air lifestyle center on Higgins Road with shops, restaurants, and entertainment, the village's main retail destination.
- Family
Goebbert's Farm and Garden Center
A long-running family farm and garden center on Higgins Road (IL-72), known for its fall pumpkin festival, animals, and the Happy Jack pumpkin silo.
- Culture
Willow Creek Community Church
One of the country's largest nondenominational churches, with its main campus in South Barrington near Barrington and Algonquin Roads.
- Parks
Spring Lake Forest Preserve
A Forest Preserves of Cook County site in the adjacent Barrington area with thousands of acres and more than 45 miles of unpaved hiking and equestrian trails.
- Parks
Crabtree Nature Center
A nature preserve in nearby Barrington, just over the village border, with grassland, woods, ponds, and marshes.
- Family
Makray Memorial Golf Club
An 18-hole championship public golf course with a restaurant and event space, located in adjacent Barrington just outside the village.
Getting around
Commute + transit from South Barrington.
- Routes: I-90 Jane Addams Memorial Tollway · IL 72 (Higgins Road) · Barrington Road · IL 59
- O'Hare Airport: ~22 min
- Chicago Loop: ~50 min
By the numbers
South Barrington taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.20%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$1,180,000
MRED · last 12 mo (57 sales)
Median household income
$221,575
ACS
How South Barrington got here
A bit of history.
Into the 1950s the South Barrington area was still largely agricultural. In 1959 a group of property owners sought to form a village called Barrington Countryside in order to change zoning to allow quarter-acre lots, but other residents, including William Rose, fought the move and within three days filed papers to incorporate instead as the Village of South Barrington. The founders' goal of preserving an open, low-density character shaped the community, and later zoning established minimum lot sizes of one and a half acres. After incorporation, Rose founded the Barrington Construction Company and bought up farm properties to build three of the village's early subdivisions, named Sunset Ridge Farms, the Cove, and the Glen.
As the village grew, it gained two landmarks that still define it. Willow Creek Community Church, an interdenominational megachurch, was built in 1981 at Barrington and Algonquin Roads, and its weekend attendance had grown to more than 17,000 by 2000. At the same time the corridor along the Northwest Tollway, now I-90, developed commercially, with a 30-screen theater complex going up at Barrington Road and the tollway in 1998 and The Arboretum of South Barrington lifestyle center anchoring the modern shopping scene. Even as commerce grew along the south edge, the village worked to keep its tranquil setting, including the 80-acre Stillman Nature Center prairie preserve donated to the Audubon Society of Chicago in 1976.
The questions buyers actually ask
South Barrington FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping South Barrington. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What school district serves South Barrington?
- Most of South Barrington is served by Barrington Community Unit School District 220, which includes Barrington High School along with Barbara B. Rose, Grove Avenue, and Countryside elementary schools and the two Barrington Middle School campuses. Small portions of the village fall into other districts, including District 15 and Township High School District 211, and District 300 serving Carpentersville schools. Because boundaries vary by location, confirm the assigned schools for a specific address.
- How is the commute to Chicago and O'Hare?
- South Barrington sits along the I-90 Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, giving direct highway access east toward O'Hare and downtown Chicago. O'Hare International Airport is roughly 21 miles away, about a 22-minute drive in normal traffic. The Chicago Loop is about 30 miles southeast, typically a 45- to 60-minute drive depending on traffic. There is also a Pace I-90 express bus station at Barrington Road.
- Are property taxes high in South Barrington?
- South Barrington's median effective property tax rate is about 2.2 percent, slightly below the Illinois state median but well above the national figure. Because home values here are well above average, the actual tax bills are large, with a median annual bill around 16,700 dollars. Buyers should budget carefully and can review or appeal their assessment through the Cook County Assessor's Office.
- What are the lot sizes and estate character like?
- South Barrington is a low-density estate community where homes sit on large lots, the product of a 1959 zoning fight in which the founders chose to preserve open space rather than allow small lots. The village's minimum lot size was set at one and a half acres, and the community historically included some 45 private lakes and ponds across its roughly seven square miles. That gives the village its private, spacious, semi-rural feel even though it is close to major shopping and highways.
- What is The Arboretum of South Barrington?
- The Arboretum of South Barrington is an open-air lifestyle center on Higgins Road (IL-72) within the village, offering a mix of shopping, dining, and entertainment. It is the village's primary retail and gathering destination and a major draw for the surrounding northwest suburbs. The center is part of the commercial corridor that developed along the village's southern edge near I-90.
- Why are there so few listings in South Barrington?
- South Barrington is a small village of roughly 5,000 residents in only about 7.4 square miles, and its one-and-a-half-acre minimum lots cap the total number of homes. Homeownership is nearly universal at about 98 percent, and owners of large custom estates tend to stay put, so turnover is low and inventory is limited at any given time. The combination of a small population, large lots, and high owner-occupancy means relatively few homes come on the market.
- Who is the real estate agent for South Barrington?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers South Barrington in South Barrington, 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 South Barrington 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 South Barrington.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border South Barrington.
Your local agent
Joe knows South Barrington
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
- South Barrington 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
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