The estimated median household income in 2008 was nearly $200,000. According to Census Bureau 2005 estimates, nearly 45% of the adult (25+) population held a graduate degree and over 40% had a bachelor’s degree, ranking Winnetka among the most highly-credentialed communities in the nation. Winnetkans number just over 12,000, and 95% of them are white.
Winnetka
The North Shore Village of Winnetka is on the shores of Lake Michigan, approximately 19 miles north of downtown Chicago. It’s bordered on the south by Kenilworth and Wilmette, on the west by Northfield, and on the north by Glencoe.
Winnetka Schools
Public Schools
District 36 elementary, middle and junior high public schools in Winnetka rank, along with famed New Trier High School, among the best in the state and nation, and are a major factor in choosing Winnetka. Public school students attend K-4 neighborhood schools before moving on to community-wide schools for the upper grades.
The K-4 Crow Island elementary school is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Larry Parkins and Eero Saarinen, it opened in 1940 and has been acclaimed as one of the most architecturally significant schools in America.
Students in the Woodley Road areas and most of Indian Hill attend District 37 schools, Avoca West and Marie Murphy, both of which were ranked among the top 10 in Cook County by Chicago Magazine, and New Trier High School. District 37 covers parts of Wilmette, unincorporated Winnetka, Glenview and Northfield.
Private Schools
Winnetka also has a variety of private and parochial schools, including North Shore Country Day (pre-K-12), which draws mixed reviews from locals, and Sacred Heart (pre-K-8), which was rated one of Chicago’s top 25 private schools by Chicago Magazine.
Civic Life
Neighborhood circles, almost non-existent today, were long a distinguishing feature of Winnetka’s civic life.
Winnetkans still remain almost feverishly active at community meetings, and in cultural, charitable, civic and social organizations, many of which are hosted at the historic Winnetka Community House. The Winnetka Caucus Council, an unusual form of non-partisan self-government, also attracts the energies of many Winnetkans.
Winnetkans still remain almost feverishly active at community meetings, and in cultural, charitable, civic and social organizations, many of which are hosted at the historic Winnetka Community House. The Winnetka Caucus Council, an unusual form of non-partisan self-government, also attracts the energies of many Winnetkans.
Recreation
Winnetka is a year-round recreational paradise – as is the back yard of many a Winnetkan.
The Winnetka Park District oversees an array of parks and programs that would be envied by communities many times Winnetka’s size, including spectacular public swimming and sailing beaches, 9- and 18-hole golf courses, an ice arena, a variety of playing fields and the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center.
Winnetka is bordered on the west by the pastoral Skokie Lagoons, one of the state’s best fishing spots, and Cook County forest preserves, with their verdant biking trails.
Transportation
Downtown Chicago is 35 to 40 minutes away on the Metra / Union Pacific North Line train, which makes three stops in Winnetka. Winnetka is the only North Shore community where the trains run below grade. Vehicle and pedestrian bridges cross the tracks at a number of points.
No point in Winnetka is more than 3 miles from the Edens Expressway (I-94), a quick commute to employment corridors further north and a reasonable commute to downtown.
Winnetka is served by the suburban Pace bus system and a variety of private taxi and limo services which offer both local and airport transit.
No point in Winnetka is more than 3 miles from the Edens Expressway (I-94), a quick commute to employment corridors further north and a reasonable commute to downtown.
Winnetka is served by the suburban Pace bus system and a variety of private taxi and limo services which offer both local and airport transit.
Shopping, Dining and Nightlife
Nightlife in Winnetka centers around the home and the whirl of civic, social and charitable events.
Winnetka has two thriving, pedestrian-friendly concentrations of charming, locally-owned diverse shops, restaurants and salons, adjacent to the Hubbard Woods and Elm Street Metra stations.
Winnetka has two thriving, pedestrian-friendly concentrations of charming, locally-owned diverse shops, restaurants and salons, adjacent to the Hubbard Woods and Elm Street Metra stations.
The major grocery chains (Dominick’s, Jewel, Walgreens) have no outlets in Winnetka, but are In neighboring Northfield and Wilmette. Many Winnetkans prefer the high-service Grand Food Center, where scenes from Home Alone were filmed and where your tweens can still find a 6-pack of Green River.
Winnetka is a few miles drive (or Pace bus ride) distant from two major upscale regional shopping centers. Old Orchard is anchored by Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Lord & Taylor. Northbrook Court’s anchors include Macy’s, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus.
Winnetka is a few miles drive (or Pace bus ride) distant from two major upscale regional shopping centers. Old Orchard is anchored by Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Lord & Taylor. Northbrook Court’s anchors include Macy’s, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus.
Neighborhoods and Housing Stock
If you ask Winnetkans what neighborhood they live in, the answer is likely to be the name of a public elementary school: Greeley, Hubbard Woods or Crow Island.
Winnetka has a number of neighborhoods that have a distinctive character and housing styles:
Greeley
The Greeley School attendance boundaries are the area east of Green Bay Rd and south of Tower Rd. All of Greeley is a highly-sought after area due to its proximity to the lake and the fact that most of its homes are within a 5- to 10-minute walk of one of Winnetka’s three Metra stations and in-town retail areas.
Greeley includes and is bordered by a vibrant, walkable area of one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants, salons and personal services near the Elm Street Metra station.
Hubbard Woods
The Hubbard Woods school boundaries include the area north of Pine St west of Green Bay Rd and north of Tower Rd east of Green Bay Rd.
Hubbard Woods is not as uniformly desirable as Greeley, but it does have some of Winnetka’s most attractive streets – Private Road, Laurel Ave, and Ardsley and Pelham Roads, to name a few. It also boasts a delightful, pedestrian-friendly stretch of mostly locally-owned shops, restaurants and salons along Green Bay Rd.
Crow Island
Pine St and Green Bay Rd are the northern and eastern boundaries of the Crow Island school’s attendance area. Crow Island is, as a broad-brush proposition, the most affordable of Winnetka’s neighborhoods.
The eastern parts of Crow Island also have easy walk-to-train and town access. You can view more about Crow Island in the YouTube video below!
Greeley includes and is bordered by a vibrant, walkable area of one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants, salons and personal services near the Elm Street Metra station.
Hubbard Woods
The Hubbard Woods school boundaries include the area north of Pine St west of Green Bay Rd and north of Tower Rd east of Green Bay Rd.
Hubbard Woods is not as uniformly desirable as Greeley, but it does have some of Winnetka’s most attractive streets – Private Road, Laurel Ave, and Ardsley and Pelham Roads, to name a few. It also boasts a delightful, pedestrian-friendly stretch of mostly locally-owned shops, restaurants and salons along Green Bay Rd.
Crow Island
Pine St and Green Bay Rd are the northern and eastern boundaries of the Crow Island school’s attendance area. Crow Island is, as a broad-brush proposition, the most affordable of Winnetka’s neighborhoods.
The eastern parts of Crow Island also have easy walk-to-train and town access. You can view more about Crow Island in the YouTube video below!
The Village of Winnetka is considered – except by the occasional Lake Forester – to be the “crown jewel of the North Shore,” and it shines like a many-faceted relentlessly-polished diamond.
For additional details or current market information, please don't hesitate to contact me!
A very special thanks to YoChicago for the content provided in this article!
Home Page | About | Buyer Resources | Seller Resources | Properties | My Listings | Area Info | Testimonials | About Coldwell Banker | Search MLS | Mortgage Resources | Communities | Evanston Market Summaries | Evanston Architectural Styles | Featured Listings | My Successes - Sold by Barb! | Spotlight On... | Think Outside the Box to Improve Home Value | Archives | Archived Evanston Market Summaries | Spotlight On... (2) | The Rise of the Intra-Family Mortgage... | Strategic Default - What to Know Before You Walk | FICO Study Yields Blueprint for Strategic Default
Site Map | E-Mail
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
1622 Orrington • Evanston, IL 60202
Phone: (847) 316-8047 •
