One of the North Shore's Most Complete Communities
The land that became Glenview was prairie and forest along the North Branch of the Chicago River, first traversed by French explorers using the river systems and home to Potawatomi and Winnebago communities before European settlement arrived. Among the first non-native settlers was Dr. John Kennicott, who arrived from New England in 1836 and became the first physician in the area. He established a nursery and homestead on what is now Milwaukee Avenue, and his son Robert Kennicott became a celebrated naturalist and explorer whose work helped inspire future generations of scientists. The Kennicott family home, known as the Kennicott House, still stands on the grounds of The Grove and is open to visitors today.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 pushed many residents north, and the expansion of railroad lines made the trip practical. Members of a Swedenborgian religious community established one of the first planned settlements on 40 acres near what is now Glenview and Shermer Roads in the 1890s, building a church and school and establishing the neighborhood known as The Park, which still carries that name. After some deliberation, the name Glenview was chosen by majority vote of the residents in 1895, and the village incorporated in 1899 with around 350 people.
The most consequential event in Glenview’s 20th-century history was the establishment of Naval Air Station Glenview in the 1920s. The base grew through four wars, trained thousands of naval aviators, and occupied a substantial portion of the western section of the village. When the Navy closed the base in 1995, the village had to decide what to do with 1,121 acres of former federal land. The solution was The Glen, one of the most ambitious suburban redevelopment projects in Illinois history. The village purchased the land from the Navy for a nominal fee, created a tax increment financing district, and sold it to a developer for millions, using the proceeds to fund permanent village development. The Glen TIF, Illinois’ largest, was retired in 2022 after fully funding the transformation. The resulting neighborhood includes homes, offices, shopping, restaurants, parks, two golf courses, Lake Glenview, soccer fields, tennis courts, walking and biking trails, Kohl Children’s Museum, a Metra station, and a middle school. Street names and preserved control tower shells throughout the development nod to the naval history of the site.
Today Glenview covers 14 square miles in Cook County, 20 miles north of the Loop. It is bordered by the North Branch of the Chicago River, Cook County Forest Preserve land on its eastern and western flanks, and neighboring communities including Northbrook, Wilmette, Northfield, and Evanston.
Living in Glenview
Glenview’s housing stock reflects 125 years of suburban development in one of the Chicago area’s most consistently desirable communities, and the range is genuinely broad.
The oldest residential neighborhoods cluster around the historic downtown and The Park, where early 20th-century Craftsman bungalows, American Foursquares, Colonial Revivals, and Prairie-influenced homes sit on tree-shaded lots. Mid-century ranch homes and Colonials fill the neighborhoods developed through the postwar decades, particularly in the western and central sections of the village. The Glen offers newer construction, including single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums built since the late 1990s with access to the development’s parks, trails, and town center amenities.
The market is very competitive. The median single-family home price in Glenview runs around $705,000 to $780,000, with average prices across all residential types approximately $636,000 to $768,000 depending on the data source and measurement period. Homes have been receiving an average of four offers and selling in around 35 days, a significant improvement from 70 days the prior year. The Glen sub-neighborhood has been tracking at a median around $715,000 with 13.5% year-over-year appreciation. Glenview has remained firmly in seller’s market territory throughout 2025, with demand supported by exceptional schools, proximity to corporate employment centers in Lake County and along the Tri-State corridor, and a quality of civic infrastructure that consistently attracts families from across the Chicago metro.
Glenview is well served by two Metra lines. The Union Pacific North Line stops at the historic downtown Glenview station, and the North Glenview station at The Glen serves the newer western development, both providing daily service into Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center. Interstate 94 runs just west of the village, providing quick highway access north toward Milwaukee and south toward Chicago and O’Hare International Airport, roughly 25 minutes by car. Route 41 (Waukegan Road) and Milwaukee Avenue provide the primary north-south corridors through the village.
Businesses and Local Life
Glenview’s commercial life operates across two distinct centers, each with its own character, connected by the residential fabric of the village.
The historic downtown along Waukegan Road and Prairie Street is the original commercial core of the village. It operates on a walkable, intimate scale with local restaurants, specialty shops, antique dealers, and service businesses that have served the community for generations. The downtown Metra station sits at the center of this district, and the Village Green provides green space for community gatherings and the farmers market that runs Fridays from June through early October. The Oil Lamp Theater, a professional theater company with a 40-year presence in downtown Glenview, presents productions in an intimate venue and anchors the district’s cultural identity alongside Theo Ubique, a professional cabaret theater company that has earned widespread critical recognition for its emotionally powerful intimate productions.
The Glen Town Center at the former naval air station is the village’s second commercial district and operates at a larger scale. Retail anchors, restaurants, and service businesses are arranged around a pedestrian-friendly town center design with nods to the site’s naval history in street names and public art. The Glen Club, a Tom Fazio-designed championship golf course on the grounds, is recognized as one of the premier public golf facilities in the Chicago area. The Park Center, a multi-purpose community facility on the shores of Lake Glenview, houses an indoor aquatic complex, fitness center, preschool, senior center, and extensive recreation programming.
Kohl Children’s Museum, which anchors The Glen’s cultural offerings, was specifically designed for children ages birth to eight with hands-on exhibits on science, health, community roles, and cultural exploration. It is one of the most visited children’s museums in the Chicago suburbs.
The Grove, designated a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is Glenview’s most distinctive cultural asset. The 123-acre site encompasses mature oak forests, restored prairie, wetlands, walking trails, and several historic structures including the Kennicott House, a recreated Native American village, a log cabin, and a one-room schoolhouse. The Grove Interpretive Center brings the natural and cultural history of the area to life through exhibits and educational programming. Wagner Farm, an 18.6-acre working farm owned by the Glenview Park District, offers seasonal programming around livestock, crops, and agricultural history and functions as one of the last working farms in suburban Cook County.
The Glenview Public Library is consistently cited by residents as one of the finest public libraries in the Chicago suburbs, with programming in art exhibitions, author talks, film screenings, and community education that extends well beyond a traditional library’s scope.
For dining, Glenview has built a notably global restaurant scene relative to its size, with Korean, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, Central Asian, and Italian options alongside classic American fare. The dining range runs from casual neighborhood spots to destination restaurants that draw diners from surrounding communities.
The village’s event calendar includes Summer Fest each June, a longtime community favorite drawing tens of thousands of visitors, along with the Friday Farmers Market, annual 5K races, and seasonal programming at The Grove and Wagner Farm throughout the year.
Glenview delivers on almost every dimension that North Shore buyers prioritize: exceptional schools with multiple outstanding options at every level, strong transit access on two Metra lines, abundant recreation from golf to nature preserves to indoor aquatics, and a housing market that reflects sustained long-term demand. It is a community that has invested heavily in its own infrastructure, and that investment shows. For buyers weighing North Shore options, Glenview offers the full package at a price point that remains more accessible than communities further north along the lake.
Ready to explore homes for sale in Glenview? Browse current listings below, or reach out to discuss what’s available and what fits your goals.
Schools In The Area
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