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Small city

Living in Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest is a small city of 19,416 people in Lake County, Illinois. It's about 24 miles from Kenosha, WI and 29 miles from Chicago, IL, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 31°F, with about 37 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $938k and rent runs about $2k a month.

19,416people
$938kTypical home
$1,815/moRent
83° / 31°Summer / winter
37"Snow
162Sunny days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 19,416
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 1,129 people per sq mi
  • 29 mi to Chicago, IL
  • 24 mi to Kenosha, WI
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $938k (≈$5,917/mo)
  • Median rent $1,815/mo
  • Median household income $235k
  • Property tax about 1.1% of value
  • 2.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 83°F
  • Winter highs around 31°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
  • 162 sunny days a year (30 totally clear)
  • 203 cloudy days a year
  • 61 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 37" of snow a year
  • 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 23 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (29 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (504 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 46
  • 29% of households have kids
  • 26% are 65 or older
  • 80% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 11% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 34 min
  • 17% walk or take transit to work
  • 18 mi to ORD airport
  • 18 mi to ORD (major hub)
  • 11 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 83% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1976
  • 95% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 679 ft
  • 610 mi to the ocean
  • 2 mi to a big lake
  • 6 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 24 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 6 mi to the nearest campground
  • 152 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 3,385 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 619 bars within 25 mi
  • 905 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 11 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 95 museums within 25 mi
  • 34 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 6 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 15% of Illinois districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 1 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 4 congregations per 10k people
  • 2 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Lake County: D+21 in 2024
  • Illinois: D+11 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Lake Forest

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