Somonauk is a quiet village among northern Illinois cornfields
Somonauk has the atmosphere of a classic rural Illinois town, where diners serve homemade pie and quiet neighborhoods are surrounded by miles of cornfields. Named after a word from the Potawatomi tribe that originally lived in the area, Somonauk today is a small community several miles outside the busier Chicago suburbs. The population is fewer than 2,000 people, and the area's CAP Index Crime Score is 2 out of 10, less than the national average of 4.
"It's a quaint little village," says Rebecca Morphey, the village administrator. "It's very peaceful, and we don't have a tremendous number of businesses." To Morphey, Somonauk's best feature is the people who live there. "Everybody is very supportive and everybody pitches in," she says.
Small town living with modern housing options
Many of the village's homes were built throughout the 1900s. These neighborhoods are now shaded by mature trees, with a few cracked sidewalks and a high concentration of ranch-style homes. Prices typically range from $200,000 to $330,000. Since 2000, contemporary townhome communities have been added, with properties that sell from $230,000 to $270,000.
Just north of the village, the small Prairie View Subdivision began construction in the early 2000s and is still slowly filling up with homes. Spacious New Traditional houses range from $490,000 to $540,000, and open plots of land are available for around $25,000. "The homes are very, very upscale," Morphey says.
Career courses and sports at Somonauk's small schools
Kids can attend James. R. Wood Elementary School, which gets a B-plus rating from Niche. Somonauk Middle receives an A-minus, and Somonauk High School gets a B-minus. The high school partners with the Indian Valley Vocational Center to provide career-focused courses like automotive technology, culinary arts and construction. With under 800 students across the district, Somonauk is too small to have its own football team. However, Morphey says community members fill the stands at soccer and basketball games.
Pizza, pies and produce are made or grown close to home
Restaurants in Somonauk are run by familiar faces, with cozy interiors and handwritten specials. Village Courtyard has a long list of handmade pie flavors, and the combined restaurant Rambo's Bar & Grill & Uncle Milty's Pizza Palace takes pride in using from-scratch pizza dough. In 2024, The Farm Basket "Farmers Market" opened, offering seasonal produce and artisan goods. "They have eggs and wine and all sorts of very local products," Morphey says.
Just 3 miles up U.S. Route 34, Sandwich has more restaurant options and Art's Food Market for groceries. The larger city is also home to a golf course and a movie theater. Locals can keep following Route 34 east for 3 more miles to reach Aldi and Walmart.
Local parks and surrounding recreation along the Fox River
The city has several playgrounds, but the largest green space is Somonauk Community Park, which includes pickleball courts, softball fields and a sandy volleyball area. For a taste of history, Finding Heroes Park was built to be a scale model of the world, adorned with plaques about past wars.
The nearby Lake Holiday is not open to the public, but Sannauk Forest Preserve has creek fishing, and the Fox River is less than 10 miles south. It's also about 30 minutes to get to Starved Rock State Park, the most visited park in the state.
Traditions include a Christmas Walk and a well-attended county fair
The village has several small-town happenings, including an annual Christmas Walk and regular programs at the Somonauk Public Library. However, the largest event in the area is the Sandwich Fair, a county festival with carnival rides, animal shows, and tractor pulls. In past years, the event has attracted more than 180,000 attendees. "It's a very big, very nice fair," Morphey says. "It affects the whole area."
The Amtrak train runs from Plano to Chicago
According to Morphey, the school system is Somonauk's largest employer, and there are a few manufacturing companies in the area. To get to Chicago, 65 miles away, residents typically connect to Interstate 88 or Interstate 55. Both interstates are about 20 miles away. There's an Amtrak station 10 miles over in Plano , with a usual twice-daily train that makes it to downtown Chicago in about an hour. It's about 60 miles to the Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Written By
Catherine Lashley
