Lisa FinksLourdes ArencibiaCarolyn Duris
Chicago’s North Shore
Chicago’s North Shore is not one interchangeable market. The eight communities below differ in housing, location, transportation, downtown structure, lake access and day-to-day feel. Start with the town guides, or take the Town Quiz if you are still figuring out where to focus.
These eight are the communities we cover in depth, not a boundary. Lisa Finks, Lourdes Arencibia and Carolyn Duris are independently licensed Compass agents who collaborate, and each works with buyers and sellers throughout Chicago’s North Shore and the north suburbs, into the city and well beyond.
Eight communities
Five of the eight — Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka and Glencoe — sit on Lake Michigan along Metra’s Union Pacific North line, and Evanston and Wilmette also have the CTA Purple Line. Glenview and Northbrook are inland on the Milwaukee District North line. Northfield, between them, sits on the Edens Expressway with no station of its own.
Each guide below covers housing, schools and attendance boundaries, the commute, parks and downtowns, with links to that town’s market statistics and best-time-to-sell research.
A lakefront village with both Metra and the CTA into the city. Wilmette runs from the Lake Michigan shoreline, Gillson Park and the harbor west past the Edens Expressway, with a downtown around the Metra station. Housing ranges from pre-war houses to the post-war neighborhoods of west Wilmette, with condominium buildings along Sheridan Road.
A lakefront village between Kenilworth and Glencoe whose shops and restaurants are spread across three business districts — Elm Street, Hubbard Woods and Indian Hill — each with its own Metra station. Much of the housing was built before the Second World War, with newer houses mixed in, and most sales are detached houses.
A small, almost entirely residential lakefront village between Wilmette and Winnetka, laid out as a planned community in the 1890s. It has one Metra station, one public school through eighth grade and a few blocks of businesses, so most errands happen in Wilmette and Winnetka. Nearly every sale is a detached house.
Built on the bluffs of Lake Michigan, Glencoe fits a walkable downtown, a beach with a boathouse and a public elementary district organized by grade into 3.72 square miles. Thirteen Frank Lloyd Wright–designed structures survive in the village, and a good share of it is within walking distance of the Metra station.
An inland village between Winnetka and Glenview, mostly built after the Second World War, with the Edens Expressway running through it and no Metra station of its own — residents typically drive to a neighboring town's station. Housing ranges from ranch-style and two-story houses to large houses on big lots; condominiums and townhouses are about a third of sales.
One of the larger markets on the North Shore, west of Wilmette and Northfield, with two Metra stations and two centers: the original downtown and The Glen, built on the former Naval Air Station Glenview. The market runs from condominiums to new construction, and the Edens and Tri-State are both close by.
A lakefront city on Chicago's northern border, home to Northwestern University's lakefront campus, with three Metra stations, seven CTA stops and several downtowns rather than one. Housing ranges from large late-19th- and early-20th-century houses near the lake to bungalows, two-flats, vintage courtyard buildings and downtown condominium towers.
A village north of Glenview and Northfield with a Metra station on Shermer Road, its own high school and a market that runs from condominiums to new construction. Most of its housing dates from the second half of the twentieth century, and attached homes are a large part of the market.
Not sure yet?
If several communities could work, the Town Quiz is a fast way to compare the characteristics that matter to you. If you already know more about what you want in a home, Plan My Home Search creates a more detailed starting point.
Go deeper
Each town guide links to its own market statistics, schools page and best-time-to-sell research. These North Shore–wide resources sit alongside them.
Public school districts, attendance boundaries and feeder paths across all eight communities, built around official district sources. Verify the specific address before relying on a school assignment.
North Shore SchoolsA free buyer’s guide covering six of the eight towns — Glencoe, Glenview, Kenilworth, Northfield, Wilmette and Winnetka — and every step from choosing an agent through closing.
Get the Insider’s GuideTown-by-town research on how listing timing has played out across the eight communities, and what seasonality can and cannot tell a seller.
Best Time to Sell ResearchCurrent market statistics for each of the eight communities — prices, supply, contract activity and market time — with context for buyers and sellers.
North Shore Market InsightsPrefer to browse listings first? Search North Shore homes