Surrounded on three sides by the meandering Saint Joseph River, McNaughton sits on land that was once the prime piece of real estate in Elkhart. In 1905, philanthropist John McNaughton donated the land to be used in perpetuity as a city park. That park and the tree-lined residential neighborhood that surrounds it still bear McNaughton’s name. And it remains a desired spot for Elkhart residents to live.
The neighborhood developed gradually over the decades, giving McNaughton a wide range of housing styles and lot sizes. American Foursquares from the 1900s, bungalows from the 1920s, Cape Cods from the 1930s, and ranches from the 1970s are among the options. Prices in the neighborhood range from $130,000 to $290,000, with riverfront homes along Rainbow Bend Boulevard at the upper end of that scale.
McNaughton is less than a mile from a pair of Elkhart Community Schools – Mary Daly Elementary and West Side Middle. Billing itself as one of Elkhart’s last true neighborhood schools, Mary Daly pledges that all students and families will be known on a first-name basis. It receives a C-minus rating on Niche. West Side Middle, one of Elkhart’s three middle schools, earns a C-rating. High schoolers attend Elkhart High, which opened in 2021 following the merger of Elkhart Central and Elkhart Memorial High Schools. Niche grades the school B-minus.
Sitting in an elbow bend of the Saint Joseph River, McNaughton Park is the heart of its namesake neighborhood. The park's 27 acres contain green space, a boat launch, a playground, a splash park, tennis courts, a softball field, and an indoor pavilion. “It’s the most utilized pavilion in our park system,” says Elkhart Parks and Recreation superintendent Jamison Czarnecki. “People can rent it for birthday parties, family reunions, weddings and the like.” There are also plans to improve the park in the park system’s new Five-Year Master Plan. “We’re looking to add a walking path along the river and add a secondary court – whether pickleball or volleyball,” Czarnecki says.
Other than the park, Elkhart General Hospital and one of just two Slavic Baptist churches in Indiana, McNaughton is entirely residential. However, Napanee Street is a primarily commercial corridor along McNaughton’s western boundary. Golden Egg Pancake House, just north of West Middle School, is an Elkhart breakfast staple. Just south of the river, Jade Garden is a Chinese restaurant with a reputation for friendly service. The nearest grocery store is a Save A Lot south of the river on Napanee Street.
In a city known for manufacturing band instruments, of course there is live music. The Elkhart Municipal Band performs free concerts every Tuesday night throughout the summer at McNaughton Park’s Arthur Singleton Band Shell. There is also a monthly summer concert series at the band shell on Sundays during the summer that features local musicians from a range of genres.
Though the neighborhood itself is walkable, reaching the rest of Elkhart requires a vehicle. A pair of bridges connect McNaughton to Elkhart’s south side, while Lexington Avenue heads east towards downtown. The Interurban Trolley Yellow Line, which stops at Elkhart General, runs 1.5 miles east to downtown and heads 10 miles west to Mishawaka. Ambulance and helicopter traffic to Elkhart General do make McNaughton a bit noisier than a typical residential neighborhood, as do occasional sounds from a rail yard just south of the river bend.
The neighborhood’s most valuable properties are on the riverside in part because flooding is a minimal concern here. Water levels on the Lower Saint Joseph are controlled by the Johnson Street Dam in downtown Elkhart.
Shena Omotola
Skyward Realty
(219) 351-6993
47 Total Sales
1 in McNaughton
$150,000 Price
Penny Seegers
eXp Realty, LLC
(574) 622-5801
173 Total Sales
2 in McNaughton
$130K - $327K Price Range
Kathy Lampert
Century 21 Circle
(574) 318-3751
101 Total Sales
2 in McNaughton
$215K - $225K Price Range
Jessica Enfield
SUNRISE Realty
(574) 393-8641
63 Total Sales
1 in McNaughton
$265,000 Price
Joshua Vida
Paradigm Realty Solutions
(574) 444-3889
753 Total Sales
3 in McNaughton
$180K - $270K Price Range
Heidi Gaskill
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Elkhart
(574) 891-5494
220 Total Sales
2 in McNaughton
$206K - $216K Price Range
On average, homes in McNaughton, Elkhart sell after 43 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in McNaughton, Elkhart over the last 12 months is $195,000, down 5% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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