Northbrook, Illinois is a town about 20 miles north of Chicago. It is considered to be part of Chicago’s North Shore. The North Shore consists of the communities Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Highland Park, Glencoe, Deerfield, Lake Forest, and Glenview. Many would say that Northbrook isn’t actually considered part of the ‘real’ North Shore because it doesn’t border the lake. However, most people do consider it to be part of the greater North Shore area.
Northbrook is one of the most accessible communities north of Chicago. It is easy to get to by way of the tollway (294) and the Edens (94). In addition, there is a Metra stop in downtown Northbrook that shoots right into Union Station. And on an express train, riders can typically make it to the Loop in about 25 minutes. Northbrook is large enough (33,000 people) to have many living and working options. Allstate is based out of Northbrook and there are many commercial businesses throughout the town.
The housing stock in Northbrook is pretty consistent. There are split levels, ranches and colonials. As smaller homes have been torn down over the years, newer construction is being built. However, new construction in Northbrook isn’t always frequent and can be expensive for the square footage of the home.
The village is divided into ‘districts’ as in school districts. There are four school districts in Northbrook: Districts 28, 27, 30 & 31. Each district is unique upon to itself and residents don’t generally move between districts once their children begin Kindergarten.
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District 28
District 28 is closest to downtown Northbrook, the park, the library and the Metra train station. Because these were the first homes built in Northbrook, there are many smaller ‘starter’ homes on smaller lots. You find a strong sense of community in downtown District 28 because the lots are so close together, so you see your neighbors… a lot! However, with smaller lots comes smaller houses. So, someone looking for a larger home in District 28 will most likely have to venture to East Northbrook which is east of Waukegan Road.
In East Northbrook, the lots are much larger, however, the prices tend to be much higher as well. Many residents of East Northbrook have to decide if they want their children crossing Waukegan to get to the grade school and the junior high. However, during school hours, there are always crossing guards and the crosswalk light always works when pressed.
Bridlewood and Voltz are a few of Northbrook’s most coveted streets boasting multi-million dollar homes and large 2 acre lots.
There are three grade schools in District 28, Meadowbrook, Westmoor and Greenbriar. All three grade schools feed into Northbrook Junior High and all NBJH students will attend Glenbrook North which is in District 225 (a shared high school district with Glenbrook South – mainly Glenview residents)
The housing stock in District 28 is also limited. Generally, you will find many homes with a one-car garage and tight living space. There are some colonial homes in District 28, but most of them will be located in the Westmoor school district. These have two car garages and larger basements.
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District 27
District 27 is quite large as far as acreage is concerned. The homes built in District 27 are generally from the 1970s and 1980s. Many of the homes in District 27 are nice, solid colonial homes. These generally have four or five bedrooms upstairs and a two-car garage. There are some solid ranch homes in District 27, and the subdivision Charlemagne is a great neighborhood that has nice space for a four-bedroom ranch.
Both the lots and the homes are bigger in District 27 than in District 28. However, the prices tend to be a touch less because you are a bit further from town. But, District 27 has a strong sense of community and the owners take care of their properties and upkeep their yards.
In addition, the children who live in District 27 will get to know each other extremely well over the course of their school lives because they start with Kindergarten through 2nd grade at Hickory Point grade school. They move to Shabonee for grades 4 & 5 and then they all attend Wood Oaks Junior High for grades 6 through 8. Again, this district feeds into Glenbrook North.
Because the district is so big, it might be harder for kids to walk or ride their bikes to a friend’s home, as riding their bikes outside of their immediate subdivision could prove intimidating as the district is surrounded by Dundee, Pfingsten, Sanders and Techny. However, within this large boundary are incredibly tight communities and subdivisions that have their own culture and sense of community.
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District 30
Much of District 30 is also an in-town location. The housing stock in 30 is completely different depending on what street you are on. The homes that are closer to town reside on streets with larger lots and homes that were built in the 50s. Many are very small ranches on large parcels of land. Once the homes have become tired, developers have come in and bought up many of the starter homes. This is the best place to find new construction in District 30… on the streets inside of Shermer, Techny, Western & Woodlawn. Speaking of Woodlawn, this is another incredible street that can boast multimillion-dollar homes.
There are some wonderful subdivisions in District 30 that the residents will never leave. Sunset Fields has fantastic and affordable colonials, split levels and ranches. The amazing subdivision of Southbridge Commons. These are a few of the best kept streets in all of Northbrook. The trees are mature, the homes are cute and it’s a great location! In fact, living in District 30, many of the kids can walk or ride their bikes to the grade school, the junior high and the high school.
Around the back of District 30 the housing stock are generally homes built in the 1970s and 1980s. These are generally very large homes and a bit more modern. However, many of them do need to be updated to bring them into this century. However, if you are looking for a lot of space, then this is a great place to start your search. And, we can’t forget to mention the beautiful street of Woodmere. Another street with large, mature trees and well-built homes that the residents love.
The grade schools in District 30 are Wescott and Willowbrook. Both schools consist of grades 1-5. In grades 6-8, the District 30 kids attend Maple school which is just south of Glenbrook North in a brand-new state-of-the art facility. District 30 consists of both Glenview and Northbrook residents, and 30 is a ‘split district’. This means that Maple school has kids from both Glenview and Northbrook attend it. And when high school rolls around, Northbrook students go to Glenbrook North and Glenview students attend Glenbrook South.
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District 31
District 31 contains the newest homes that were built in Northbrook. Many of them were built in the 1980s and 1990s. They boast very large layouts and lots of square footage. This is the district that is furthest away from the Metra station, however, many residents love the fact that these homes are incredibly close to 294 and provide easy access to get to the western suburbs or Wisconsin.
If you are looking for a getaway vacation home, you might find it on Citation Lake in District 31. These homes sit on a lake that can be used by its residents. Some of these homes have pools and a nice relaxing vibe.
District 31 is generally where you can get the most home for your money, However, that seems to be changing as the years go by. This is one of the most up and coming areas in Northbrook and younger families and empty nesters are both considering making this their permanent residence.
The homes in District 31 are typically large colonials or ranches over 3,400 square feet. They generally all have two-car garages and large basements. There isn’t a lot of new construction in District 31 as the homes that are here are too new to be torn down. There are a lot of homes that were built in the 90s and have higher ceilings, larger basements and three car garages. But they may be dated for some of today’s younger buyers and while the layout and the size is great, they could use a bit of freshening up with the newest trends and styles.
The grade school in District 31 is has only two schools, Winkelman (grades K-5) and Field School (Grades 6-8). This district is also a split district. That means that some kids will go to Field School for junior high and then will split into Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South for high school. There is a small section of Northbrook that attends Glenbrook South, so if you are looking in Northbrook to find a home, make sure that it goes to the high school that you want.
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Downtown Northbrook
Northbrook’s downtown is vibrant and developing into something more than it has been for most of its life. There are new housing developments that are bringing more residents into downtown Northbrook. The center of Northbrook’s downtown is the park at the Village Green that has activities throughout the year including Tuesday’s in the Park and many baseball games and don’t forget Northbrook Days in early August! There have been many restaurants that are staples in Northbrook including Oliverii’s, Landmark, Little Louie’s and Francesca’s North. In addition, some new restaurants have made their solid mark in Northbrook including House 406 and Kamahachi!
Many people make Northbrook a destination stop to come to the ‘shop local’ stores of La De Da, a cute gift store, the locally-owned, down-home Book Bin, and the trendy clothing boutique, Juniper!
Northbrook is an incredible town with its wide variety of opportunities, diversity and solid school systems. When deciding what town to look at on the North Shore, Northbrook should definitely get a look… and a shout out!!
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If you want more information about Northbrook, contact info@spaniakteam.com or give us a call at 847-379-8813!
