Batavia

In the heart of Batavia, IL, Woodland Hills unfolds its unique character: a place where commercial corridors converge with a vibrant downtown, close to the scenic Fox River and public parks. Located just an hour north of Chicago, Woodland Hills offers residents serene natural beauty with proximity to modern amenities. <br><br>A significant portion of the northside of Woodland Hills is designated for commercial businesses within the Kirk Road and Fabyan Parkway intersection. Major corporations such as Fermilab and the ALDI Corporate Batavia and its distribution center create a hub for commerce. Transportation headquarters, food service distributors and other manufacturers make up this industrial park, which houses over 20 businesses and employs nearly 2,000 people. <br><br>Homes in this region are primarily located in the southern portion of the community, between Randall and Kirk Roads. Potential homebuyers can choose from classic Colonials with brick exteriors, split-levels and ranch-style homes. Many residences sit on sizeable, well-cared-for lots that lead to tree-lined sidewalks where residents can stroll for a morning or afternoon walk. Home prices start around $300,000 and reach over $550,000. <br><br>Woodland Hills offers its residents numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation. Its namesake green space, Woodland Hills Park, is a beloved spot for dogs and their humans, as it's common to see the canine companions frolicking in the wide-open field. The mulched play area allows kids some everyday fun on safe terrain. The park sits between and across from residences, making it easily accessible on foot and immediately accessible to neighbors who live next door. Nearby, Big Woods Park grants additional outdoor recreational space and is known for its softball field, where casual games and youth leagues are held. A canopied picnic area is designated for al fresco dining, whether to enjoy a bagged lunch or takeout from a local eatery. Additionally, the community bumps up against an expansive green space with several recreation sites on the grounds, including Strikers Fox Valley Soccer Club, Fox Valley Ice Arena and Settler’s Hill Golf Course, a public 18-hole course on rolling hills and gorgeous greens. <br><br>Students attend public and private schools in Batavia and in neighboring Geneva. J.B. Nelson Elementary School and Sam Rotolo Middle School, which both have a Niche score of an A-minus, provide a strong educational foundation before students move on to Geneva Community High School. Geneva Community High is ranked No. 5 as the best public high school in Kane County and earns a Niche score of an A, with academics and teachers receiving the highest accolades. It was recognized as the 2023 Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education and boasts an impressive athletics and state-of-the-art fitness center. The school is home to Burgess Field, which hosts highly anticipated football games and related events.<br><br>In Batavia’s historic downtown, paved and cobblestone walkways allow residents to stroll as they make their way to patron independent shops, such as Wilson Street Mercantile and Light & Pine Collective. Wilson Street is a bustling main road that includes a bridge connecting to the riverwalk, providing scenic views of the Fox River. The town celebrates its local artists by displaying crafty mailboxes, sculptures and paintings. To get around downtown, residents can find street parking or catch the local Pace bus. Boardwalk Shops, a collection of small businesses, is a go-to location for unique items, home décor and gifts for family and friends. <br><br>After a busy day of shopping, residents can rejuvenate with a meal and refreshing drink while dining at quaint restaurants and eateries. The Gammon Coach House is a neighborhood staple with a cozy vibe offering craft beer, fine spirits and American pub fare. To take an international culinary journey, Boca Ditos Argentine Café is family-owned and is known for its delectable empanadas. Home chefs shop for fresh produce and pantry fillers at Berkely Finer Foods, Fresh Thyme and ALDI. <br><br>Woodland Hills is a community that provides the best of suburban living while maintaining a close connection to nature and urban amenities.

The Fox River cuts straight down the heart of Batavia, and homeowners on the city’s northwest side rarely have to drive across the bridge to their east side counterparts for essentials. Randall Road, a major shopping corridor, runs north to south here, connecting residents to their Tri-Cities neighbors in Geneva and St. Charles. Some homeowners live right across the street from Batavia’s only high school campus or local elementary schools. And whether residents live in century-old homes or purchase the last remaining space for new constructions, they’re close to reminders of the past in Kane County’s oldest city. “Batavia was ‘windmill capital of the world,’ and we had six windmill factories,” says John Gamble, real estate broker with Re/Max and Batavia resident of 25 years. “A lot of those limestone buildings got converted to different things, like Water Street Studios, which is an artist corporative with 40 studios or more on the west side. They make things and host gallery openings and things like that.” Batavia’s historic train depot was also moved to the west side during its restoration and now serves as a museum honoring the city’s past, overlooking the bike path that connects the Tri-Cities to the rest of the northwest suburbs. With its relatively small size, Batavia makes the most of available land and infills spare spaces with neighborhood parks. Most northwest neighbors are within walking distance from a park, from Carriage Crest Park’s multiple playgrounds for different age groups to centrally-located Memorial Park’s baseball, softball and soccer fields. The Batavia Riverwalk anchors the village center with a boat-themed playground and canoe access onto Depot Pond. It’s common to see bikers on the Fox River Trail tracing the waterway. “We got the city to be recognized as a bicycle-friendly community,” says Gamble, a founding member of the Batavia Bicycle Commission that worked towards this designation from the League of American Bicyclists. “People feel comfortable letting their kids bike around. The trail goes up and down the river through other communities, and a lot of times we right into another town for a beer.” The Fox River Trail links in with other trail systems in the northwest suburbs, so bikers can travel for hundreds of miles and even cross the border into Wisconsin. Batavia’s switch from a standalone community to a bedroom community of commuters to Chicago and corporate centers like Oak Brook opened its doors to new types of housing. “There were a few high-end properties from owners of the windmill company or the bank , but not all levels of inventory,” Gamble says. “Now it has everything—move-up homes, high-end homes. There’s the ability for multigenerational families to stay in Batavia as their housing needs mature or change, which is cool to see.” Northwest Batavia’s options are similar to the other areas of the city—ranch-styles, split-levels and colonial-styles with attached two-car garages sit among American Foursquares and National Folk homes built in the early 1900s. The community gradually built out with ranch-style duplexes and condo or townhouse communities with professional landscaping. The last three decades gave way to subdivisions of New Traditional homes with clipped lawns and shaped shrubbery. “This year a few of the last major- sized lots were approved for development, so we’ll have some brand-new constructions in the coming years,” Gamble says. “After that, it’s pretty much built out.” Homes here range from about $280,000 to $600,000, with condos and townhouses on the lower end and the newest neighborhood additions on the upper end. Randall Road and Lincoln Highway run along Batavia’s west side, leading to Geneva and St. Charles to the north and Aurora and Interstate 88 to the south. Commuters live about 44 miles from downtown Chicago, 39 miles from Chicago O’Hare International Airport and 43 from Chicago Midway International Airport; corporate centers in west suburbs like Oakbrook Terrace are within 30 miles. Some residents leave the car at home in the warmer months, taking advantage of the Fox Valley Bike Share stop at the Batavia Depot Museum and riding to the Geneva Metra Station, 3 miles away. The Union Pacific West line stops at this station for an hour and 15 minutes to Ogilvie Transportation center downtown. Residents are also close to healthcare options, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital 3 to 4 miles up Randall. “Living on the west side of the river is super convenient. You don’t have to sit through traffic to get places,” says Julie Bletzinger, broker with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group and Tri-Cities native. North Randall Road includes big-box shopping like Aldi or Jewl-Osco, along with Hobby Lobby, Menard’s and Emagine Batavia, the city’s movie theater. Most of the restaurants on this strip are familiar fast-food joints and chain restaurants like Culver’s, save for a few locally-owned spots like Swordfish, a sushi lounge. Batavia’s village center is also the epicenter of its local food scene and commerce, with decades-old businesses like record store Kiss the Sky. The parking lot is often full at family-owned Taqueria El Sazon, and patrons may need to park across the street to snag a table at this Tri-City favorite for homemade chips and margaritas. “We have an old time barber shop that’s been in business since ‘57, and a bunch of us get together on Wednesdays and chat there,” adds Gamble. Locals take one of two pedestrian bridges or drive the Wilson Street bridge to visit the other side of the river. “We’ll also go to restaurants or bars in any of the three towns,” Gamble says, the closest stop being Geneva’s walkable 3rd Street shops. Kids in northwest Batavia are zoned for H.C. Storm School, which serves kindergarten through 5th grade and scores an A from Niche. Sam Rotolo Middle School gets an A-minus and Niche’s number 4 spot for best public middle schools in Kane County. Students from the east side of the city take the bus across the river to join their west side peers at Batavia High School, which scores an A and offers post-secondary options like a Waubonsee Community College manufacturing program and dual enrollment through the Fox Valley Career Center. The school is also home to the state-of-the-art Batavia Fine Arts Centre, complete with tiered seating and a hydraulic orchestra pit. North River Street closes to traffic and opens to pedestrians for the Batavia Farmers Market from May through October, before the event moves indoors for the winter months. “It’s really a social event,” Gamble says. “You can get breakfast there, and there’s so many options. People will bring knifes in to get them sharpened by the knife guy.” The Peg Bond Center, a bandshell-like enclosure on the riverfront, is the live music anchor for the annual Windmill City Festival, and kids collect their treats in costume and roll pumpkins down a hill during BatFest, hosted by Batavia Main Street. Residents are quick to find other ways to get involved in their community year-round. “The city itself has a number of commissions, whether that’s tree, bike, or environmental, and you’ve got your civic organizations like the Rotary,” Gamble says. These groups set up booths at the annual Volunteer Fair, giving residents a chance to peruse their options.

Batavia, west of the Windy City, is prime Chicagoland: a suburb with comfortable homes, highly rated schools and a bountiful supply of parks and spaces to enjoy nature. According to Realtor Austin Weiss, "Chicagoland essentially is the city and the greater suburbs that are outside of Chicago." Weiss, the owner of Austin Weiss Home Advisors, powered by Keller Williams Realty Infinity, hosts the YouTube channel "Living in Chicago Illinois." He considers Chicagoland to extend as far as the Fox River, which runs straight through Batavia. Southwest Batavia extends below Main Street, close to downtown and the riverside. Also within the county, the unincorporated community of Mooseheart, founded by the Loyal Order of Moose, is known as the "City of Children" for its residential campus and independently accredited school system. Homes dating from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s include Italianates, Victorians, Foursquares and cottage-style bungalows. Later builds include ranch-style homes, split-levels and spacious custom houses. Mooseheart Lake is a boon for those living in nearby subdivisions such as Tanglewood Hills or Harvell Farms. Spacious, newer homes in proximity to the lake are situated on large lots, some a quarter-acre in size. Southwest Batavia’s Single-family home prices range from about $215,000 for a two-bedroom of about 1,000 square feet to $750,000 for a four-bedroom with over 3,500 square feet. Kids may attend public schools, like Alice Gustafson School, for prekindergarten through fifth grade. Niche gave the school an A-minus grade and lists its student-teacher ratio as 13 to 1. Sam Rotolo Middle, with an A-minus, is rated among the top 5 public middle schools in Kane County. Batavia High, also in the top 5 in its category, received an A grade and offers over 70 extracurricular activities. To the south, the Mooseheart Child City & School is home to disadvantaged children and teenagers. The 1,000-acre residential campus has educational resources tied to its own accredited school system. Southwest Batavia's residents take advantage of the riverside scenery and the ten public parks in the Batavia Park District. Engstrom Family Park includes a playground with a 50-foot zip line, sports facilities and a 1-mile trail. Walnut Park is smaller and includes a playground and picnic area. Les Arends Forest Preserve offers a peaceful refuge along the Fox River shoreline. The accompanying Fox River Regional Bike Trail is a 40-mile-long route built on former railroad lines. Cyclists can cross six bridges on their journey past the sleepy suburban towns of northern Illinois. Downtown is close enough to home that Southwest Batavia residents frequent its shops and eateries. Daddio's Diner, designed with retro flair, serves breakfast all day and has a menu full of lunch and dinner favorites, too. Fernando's Street Kitchen started with pop-up events and catering featuring Mexican cuisine and now has a brick-and-mortar restaurant right by the Batavia Public Library. Shopping centers provide household needs, and specialty businesses, like Kiss the Sky, have community connections. The record shop, known for promoting local and regional artists, opened in 1996. Everyday groceries are found just a short drive away at Jewel-Osco, just one of many stores off North Randall Road. A family-friendly community, Batavia holds the customary seasonal and holiday celebrations. BatFest is an annual Halloween-themed event, the Celebrations of Lights Festival delights when it's cold outside and Easter egg hunts enliven the spring scene. The Fourth of July festivities are a big hit, and the multiday Windmill City Festival takes place later in the month. Labor Day weekend is the time for the Downtown Batavia Block Party and Taste of Batavia, which include live entertainment, a pie bake-off and a car show. An indoor farmers market, with over 30 vendors, is held on Saturdays from November to late May; the outdoor version, with even more vendors, is found on River Street the rest of the year. Batavia is considered a suburb of Chicago, which is about 40 miles away. State Route 31 runs along Southwest Batavia and the river. It's not far to reach state routes 25 and 56 or Interstate 88 to the south. Public transportation includes Pace buses on the 802 Route from Aurora to St. Charles. For more extensive travel, O'Hare International Airport, northwest of Chicago, is only about 40 miles from Southwest Batavia.

Established in 1833, the Batavia Historic District stands as the oldest city in Kane County. “Despite its historical roots, the area seamlessly blends a rich legacy with modern amenities and continuous economic growth,” says Shirley Mott, Communications and Membership Coordinator for the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. Within this dynamic locale, a few original structures proudly coexist with contemporary builds, while traces of historical architecture serve as poignant reminders for residents to honor the past and embrace the future. Batavia Historic District is a place where tradition meets vision. Located along the picturesque Fox River, the community enjoys proximity to scenic public parks, entertainment venues, notable landmarks and local eateries, offering residents a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities. Being just an hour away from downtown Chicago, the Batavia Historic District provides residents with accessibility and commuting opportunities. Stepping into the community, charming Folk Victorians from the late 1800s and early 1900s line the streets, complemented by turnkey American foursquare homes and farmhouses featuring cream wood siding. Amidst this historic tapestry, mature trees grace single and double lots, creating a picturesque landscape. For those with a taste for modern living, discover contemporary condominiums and townhouses located near the Fox River. Just outside their front doors, residents can follow inviting walking paths along the riverbank, tempting them to savor the unhurried pace of life. A wander through spacious, tree-lined streets, is ideal for leisurely morning or afternoon strolls, offering a refreshing escape from the daily hustle. As for the price tag on a piece of this idyllic setting, detached homes range from the mid $200,000s and reach up to $500,000. If condos or townhouses better suit a homebuyer’s style, expect averages ranging from nearly $400,000 to $500,000. “Among the green spaces that flank the Fox River, the Batavia Riverwalk is one of the most notable,” says Mott. “There are a lot of bike paths and more.” Residents can explore the riverwalk’s playground area designed for the little ones to unleash their energy and unwind. Nearby, a cozy picnic and shelter area is ideal for indulging in casual al fresco dining or hosting celebratory events with a scenic water view. Wander along pedestrian paths that cater to walkers, runners and cyclists. For fishing enthusiasts, a designated area awaits, promising a tranquil spot for casting lines and enjoying the serene waters. In the winter, residents can embrace outdoor adventures at the open-air ice rink, adding a touch of magic to the season. As spring and summer roll around, dive into a variety of activities with bike share options and rentals available for kayaks and paddleboats. Whether you're seeking thrilling escapades or tranquil moments by the water, this multifaceted space offers a haven for every season and adventure preference. The city of Batavia provides students with access to a quality education through public and private institutions, such as Holy Cross Catholic School and Mooseheart Child City & School. Students can begin their public education at J.B. Nelson Elementary School, which earns an overall Niche score of A-minus. From there, students move on to Sam Rotolo Middle School, which also earns an overall Niche score of an A-minus. Rotolo Middle provides a solid educational foundation before students ascend to Batavia High School. Batavia High earns an overall Niche score of an A, with teachers and clubs/activities receiving the highest accolades. The Batavia Depot Museum, situated on the riverwalk grounds, stands as a prominent local landmark, preserving the region's rich history. The museum highlights the area's connections to agriculture, rail transport, windmill construction and limestone manufacturing—the very material used in the construction of many downtown buildings. Modern farmhouses, painted in fresh hues like navy, await eager occupants as a nod to this rustic heritage. Clark Island serves as another favored outdoor recreation spot, offering bike trails and a baseball field to keep residents active. “And we also have the Peace Bridge, which is very iconic to the people here. They rally around the letters that spell out P-E-A-C-E and love taking pics and selfies there,” says Mott. “It’s a testament to how we feel about living here in Batavia.” Residents can explore a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment options along the river. Accessing central eateries is easy with West Wilson Street. There are several spots to pick up a coffee, including the Flyleaf Bakery Café, located inside the Batavia Public Library. For traditional Italian cravings, Acquaviva Ristorante serves authentic dishes such as gnocchi with vodka sauce. The Windmill Grille & Pizzeria is a modern take on American comfort foods, while Sturdy Shelter Brewing offers fun trivia nights and an upscale industrial atmosphere. Later, get some laughs at the Comedy Vault or ponder local art at Water Street Studios. A great place to get groceries is Berkeley’s Finer Foods. Locally grown and sourced produce is for sale at the year-round Batavia Farmer’s Market, which goes indoors from November through May at The Dock. Events in Batavia’s Historic Downtown are eclectic. Holidays are commemorated with Easter egg hunts and Winter Art Markets. There’s also a pie bake-off at Taste of Batavia during Labor Day weekend, plus pop-up cocktail nights and community dinners. “The Windmill City Festival, which is held at the Batavia Depot Museum, is highly anticipated and well-attended,” says Mott. Residents can access a bustling route along the eastern border via the major thoroughfare of Lincoln Highway, which is easily reachable by bus. On the eastern boundary, you'll find North Washington Avenue, also known as Illinois Route 25.