Waukegan · Lake County · IL
Homes for sale in
Lake County Gardens.
- Active listings
- 1
- Median list
- $290K
- Avg time on market
- 16 days
- Sold · last year
- 5
Active listings
1 home on the market
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About the community
An attainable, established mid-century neighborhood in north Waukegan.
Lake County Gardens is a modest single-family neighborhood in the north end of Waukegan, west of Lewis Avenue near McKay Street. Its homes were built mostly between the early 1950s and the late 1970s, on a quiet grid of streets, and it reads as an unpretentious, value-oriented pocket rather than a newer master-plan. The draw is practical: a detached house with a yard at one of the more accessible price points in Lake County, close to Lewis Avenue shopping, the Bonnie Brook golf area, city parks, and a Metra line into downtown Chicago.
At a glance
Mid-century single-family
Detached homes built mostly from the early 1950s to the late 1970s.
Compact, practical homes
Housing stock skews small to medium, the classic mid-century starter house.
Waukegan District 60
Served by Waukegan Community Unit School District 60; confirm the exact assigned schools by address.
Bonnie Brook golf nearby
The Waukegan Park District's Bonnie Brook course sits along the Lewis Avenue corridor close by.
Lakefront and parks
Waukegan's Lake Michigan beach, harbor, and the deep Waukegan Park District system are a short drive east.
Metra UP-N line
The Waukegan station offers a single-seat ride into downtown Chicago at Ogilvie.
Route 41 and I-94
Quick access to US 41 and, a short drive west, I-94 for Chicago and Milwaukee.
Attainable pricing
Among the more affordable single-family options in Lake County.
What’s close
Lake County Gardens sits in north Waukegan, west of Lewis Avenue near McKay Street, with US Route 41 and the Waukegan Metra station the main commuter links.
- Amenities nearby
- The Bonnie Brook golf course, Waukegan Park District parks and playgrounds, and Lake County Forest Preserves such as Lyons Woods.
- Shopping
- The Lewis Avenue corridor for everyday needs, with Gurnee Mills and the Gurnee retail hub a short drive west.
- Hospital
- Vista Medical Center East on Sheridan Road in Waukegan is the nearest full-service hospital with an emergency department.
- Highway
- US Route 41 runs through Waukegan, with I-94 a short drive west for Chicago and Milwaukee.
- Schools
- Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Specific elementary and middle assignments vary by address, so confirm before you buy.
- Train
- Metra Union Pacific North line from the Waukegan station into Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago.
What it’s actually like to live here
Lake County Gardens offers an attainable foothold in one of Chicagoland's more affordable single-family markets. The appeal is practical: modest mid-century homes on established city streets, quick access to Lewis Avenue shopping and the Bonnie Brook golf area, city parks, and a Metra line that puts downtown Chicago within a single-seat commute. For a buyer priced out of neighboring Gurnee or the North Shore, this is a place where a detached house with a yard is still within reach.
The honest framing is that this is city-of-Waukegan living, and Waukegan is a large, economically mixed lakefront city. The housing stock is older and often needs updating, and condition can vary block to block, so it pays to tour the specific street and inspect carefully rather than judge by the neighborhood name. Property taxes, as across Lake County, are high relative to home values and are the single biggest carrying cost to underwrite up front.
On balance the neighborhood suits value-minded first-time buyers, downsizers, and investors who want an affordable single-family entry point with real transit and lakefront access nearby, and who are comfortable doing their own diligence on individual homes and school assignments. It is a solid, unpretentious working-neighborhood choice rather than a status address.
The questions buyers actually ask
Lake County Gardens FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Lake County Gardens. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What are property taxes like?
- Roughly $5,000 – $9,000 per year, depending on home size and value. Lake County assessor records are the source of truth. Happy to pull a specific bill on any home you're considering.
- What's the typical closing timeline?
- 30 to 60 days from accepted offer to keys. Cash deals can close in two weeks. Conventional financing is usually closer to 60.
- Is Lake County Gardens a real neighborhood?
- Yes. It is a genuine, named single-family subdivision in north Waukegan, west of Lewis Avenue near McKay Street, recognized consistently across real-estate platforms. Its precise platted boundaries are not published on a primary municipal source, so treat exact edges as approximate.
- What do homes cost here, and how is the market?
- This is an attainable, value-oriented single-family market, but prices and conditions move, so check the live Market snapshot on this page for current numbers rather than relying on a fixed figure.
- Is there an HOA or monthly dues?
- No mandatory HOA was found for this neighborhood, which is typical of older Waukegan subdivisions. Confirm on any specific home before writing an offer.
- What schools serve the neighborhood?
- It is within Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Exact elementary and middle school assignments are address-based and vary, so confirm the specific school for a given home directly with the district before you buy.
- How is the commute to Chicago?
- The Waukegan Metra station on the Union Pacific North line offers a single-seat ride into downtown Chicago at Ogilvie, and US Route 41 plus I-94 a short drive west handle driving to Chicago and Milwaukee.
- What are the tradeoffs of living here?
- Older housing stock and high Lake County taxes. Homes often need updating and condition varies block to block, so inspect carefully. The offsetting draws are affordability, a single-seat Metra commute, and lakefront and park access nearby.
- Who is the real estate agent for Lake County Gardens?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers Lake County Gardens in Waukegan, 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 Lake County Gardens specifically, not national averages, and can help you buy or sell here. Reach Joe at 224-385-8779 or joe@joekeeganhomes.com.
Your local agent
Joe knows Lake County Gardens
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
- Waukegan specialist
- Honest local market take
- Brokerocity
Market snapshot
Lake County Gardens, by the numbers
Live MRED data, refreshed daily. The numbers below tell you what this market is doing today, not what Zillow's algorithm thinks it might be doing six weeks from now.
Typical list price
$289,900
Typical sale price · last 90 days
$265,000
Homes for sale right now
1
Avg time on market
16 days
Sold in the last year
5
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC for the period August 1, 2025 through August 1, 2026. Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
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
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