Bannockburn offers small town feel
Laid-back residents. A country setting. Horse properties. One school for kindergarten to eighth grade. Despite being just outside the third-largest city in the US, Bannockburn has a small-town feel, and that’s by design. According to Eileen Campbell, a real estate agent with Sotheby’s International Realty who lived in Bannockburn for 13 years, the village takes an active role in making sure the community is close-knit. “For example, they recently built a path from Bannockburn to the Riverwoods community so kids could ride their bikes to visit friends. Encouraging those types of relationships is important here.” Residents get in on the act as well, says Campbell. “Every year, just before the holiday season, a neighbor hitches a team of horses to a wagon and gives kids and families rides through Bannockburn streets. It’s pretty neat.” Bannockburn is indeed a place where you can know and be known. Residents “are generally very laid-back and interconnected, but at the same time, everyone respects your privacy. You can not see your neighbor for days but still pick up right where you left off,” Campbell continues.
Housing options include Colonial and Georgian homes
Homes in the area vary in size and price, and most have modern designs with timeless stylings. In the village’s southeast section, home prices range from the $500,000s to $700,000s. Further north, houses sit on spacious residential lots and start at over $1 million, with larger homes on acreage regularly selling in the $2 million to $3 million range. You can expect to pay $775,000 for a classic center hall Colonial with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The asking price for a four-bed, three-and-a-half-bath brick Georgian home is $1,100,000.
Students may attend Bannockburn School and Deerfield High
The Bannockburn School is another example of the togetherness that marks the village. It serves about 150 local students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Rather than sending kids to another district for middle school, “families wanted younger siblings to go to the same place as their older siblings,” says Campbell. “It always helps when the little ones can ride the bus with big brother or sister. It makes everyone feel safer.” After eighth grade, students can attend Deerfield High School, which has an A-plus overall grade on Niche and ranks among the best public high schools in Illinois.
Community has cafe, Greek cuisine and deli option
Eateries in Bannockburn include Yianni’s Opa!, a gourmet Greek restaurant serving kabobs, moussaka, tzatziki, and more tried-and-true classics. Mornings belong to Newport Coffee House and its artisanal small-batch coffees and assortment of soul-nourishing hot beverages. You can grab lunch or a snack at the deli or hot bar at Mariano's while grocery shopping. You don’t have to venture outside the village for essentials, either – the Bannockburn Green Shopping Center provides access to everything from eyeglasses and shoe repair to nutritional supplements and toiletries.
Nearby parks and forest preserves offer year-round activities
Forest preserves and surrounding parks give Bannockburn residents plenty of green spaces to enjoy and explore. The Prairie Wolf Forest Preserve features wetlands and oak woodlands, a trail for hiking, bicycling and cross-country skiing, a dog park, and a self-guided nature trail. To the south is Woodland Park, where you can find athletic fields and courts, a playground, a picnic area, and a large pavilion that is available to rent.
