South Elgin

Riverside serenity awaits homebuyers in Downtown South Elgin, where parks, restaurants and riverfront houses hug the shore of the Fox River. Green space and great public schools bring growing families to this growing community, where buyers can find single-family homes for much more affordable prices than in many parts of the Chicago area. Though it’s a small town, residents find ways to stay active in the community by meeting friends at parks, going out to eat and participating in the village’s seasonal festivities. “It’s a small community, but there’s so much to do,” says Courtney Caraway, who’s sold real estate in the area for over 20 years. “And the community is growing, so there are a lot of new businesses, too.” Housing in Downtown South Elgin is a mix of condos and single-family homes, which are primarily ranch-style homes and bungalows built in the 1920s through 1950s. Occasional waterfront properties hit the market, like a newly renovated contemporary cabin on the east side of the river that sold in December 2023. Downtown South Elgin is home to River Crossing, a 55+ community with shared amenities like a community room, an on-site store and an exercise space. Downtown South Elgin residents enjoy quiet, scenic residential streets where sidewalks and neatly mowed lawns are shaded by large trees. Prices here start around $220,000 for a ranch-style home and get as high as $525,000 for a riverfront property. The median list price is about $250,000. Students in Downtown South Elgin attend School District U-46, which is the second largest school district in Illinois and offers students the largest scope of academic opportunities of any district in the Fox Valley area. For example, the district offers a K-12 dual language program that allows them to graduate with the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy. Students start at either Clinton Elementary, which received a B-minus on the educational review site, Niche, or Willard Elementary, which received a C. They continue to the B-plus-rated Kenyon Woods Middle School before graduating from the A-minus-rated South Elgin High School. South Elgin High is also home to the Beacon Academy of Media & Digital Arts, which provides interested students a four-year education in digital storytelling. South Elgin prioritizes keeping parkland along the Fox River so residents can make use of the village’s waterfront space. At Panton Mill Park, residents have picnics and go fishing, and occasional events like concerts and car shows bring the community together. The park also has a splash pad for kids to cool off in the summertime. SEBA Park is the neighborhood’s largest public green space and a favorite amongst the village’s children. Its riverside location makes it also fit for picnics and fishing, and its sprawling playground keeps kids of all ages engaged. Just south of SEBA Park, the South Elgin Dog Park is a popular hangout for resident pups and their owners. Downtown South Elgin is home to an array of eateries like Wee-Dee’s Restaurant, a local fast-food shop serving gyros and hot dogs, and Wise Guys Pizzeria, which serves family-style pizza and pasta. After hours, residents hang out at Blue Raptor Tap House to enjoy a wide selection of craft beers and live music on weekends. For groceries, residents head west down Spring Street to Butera Market, and they do their retail shopping at the village’s Walmart, Sam’s Club and Menards. Downtown South Elgin is about 40 miles from Chicago, and commuters can take the Metra rail from Elgin to get there. Residents get around town with the Pace Suburban Bus that runs down Route 31, and they can also use the Ride-in-Kane program, which provides residents ages 65 and older with transportation to medical appointments and work. South Elgin is 30 minutes from O’Hare and 45 minutes from Midway, and the closest hospital to the neighborhood is Advocate Sherman Hospital, which is 15 minutes away. The Village of South Elgin hosts community events throughout the year, like an Easter egg hunt in the spring, a back-to-school bash in the summer and a pumpkin patch and pet costume parade in the fall. Each November, the village celebrates its annual An Almost Winter Day at SEBA Park, where residents compete in events like asphalt curling and shooting a giant slingshot, enjoy bonfires and s’mores and get to meet Santa.

Hugging the banks of the Fox River about an hour east of Chicago, Whispering Trail offers large homes and a residential lifestyle. Located in South Elgin, less than half an hour from the historic area, the neighborhood is close to parks while also sitting just across Randall Road from two major shopping centers. Residents are never far from taking care of general shopping needs, grabbing a bite to eat or embracing the history of the Elgin community. “There’s an abundance of growth in South Elgin, including a lot of newer homes,” says Courtney Caraway, a real estate expert with Gallery Realty, Inc. “The community also has theaters and museums nearby. Residents don’t have to travel far to experience all that is offered there.” The southern half of Whispering Trail is almost entirely residential and consists of Silver Glen Estates, where most of the homes here are located. Whispering Trail and Bristol Road make up the encircling thoroughfare, with cozy residential streets winding in and around each other and numerous cul-de-sacs branching outward. Stately, modern custom homes can be found here, with large, traditional styles the most common architecture. These large homes can also feature elements of Queen Anne or Cape Cod designs, as well as brick or stone detailing and wraparound porches. Well-manicured lawns are complemented by long driveways and multi-car garages, and prices typically begin in the $600,000s range and can span as high as over $1 million. The Becketts Landing community, in the northeastern corner of Whispering Trail, is currently in progress and there are also homes available there, some that have yet to be constructed. Education for Whispering Trail neighborhood residents can begin at Corron Elementary School, which scores an A with Niche, and continues at Thompson Middle School. Thompson Middle also receives an A grade from Niche and is rated in the top 50 middle schools statewide. St. Charles North High School completes the schooling arc for students here, garnering a grade of A-plus from Niche and rated highly for its athletic and STEM programs. Its sports programs include football, lacrosse, cheer and dance, and all three schools are located outside of the neighborhood boundaries. The Blackhawk County Forest Preserve makes up the southeastern corner of the neighborhood, encircling the bend of the Fox River that loops upward against Whispering Trail. Along its trails, visitors can enjoy the sights and sounds of flowing streams and rushing waterfalls, and the River Bend Bike Trail also meanders its way through the park. In the northeastern section of the neighborhood, the McLean Fen Forest Preserve is dotted with prairie flowers and other foliage, though public access is prohibited. Several other parks, including Jim Hansen Park, Mulberry Grove Park and Ralph E. Tredup Park West, are all located in the surrounding area. Directly across the western boundary of Whispering Trail, comprised of Randall Road, sit South Elgin Crossing and South Elgin Commons. “South Randall Road has everything: grocery stores, restaurants and shops,” Caraway says. At the Crossing, stop in to Best Buy, PetSmart or the Home Depot for big-box needs, while restaurant chains include Red Robin, Starbucks and Buffalo Wild Wings. Supplies are available at the Home Depot. The Village Tavern & Grill and Coffee Haus provide local flavor. At the Commons, various shopping needs can be fulfilled at the Ross Dress for Less or Target, residents can break a sweat at LA Fitness and a medieval dining atmosphere can be found at the Village Squire. Just south of the shopping centers sit Encourage, which offers shakes, tea and more, and F45 of South Elgin, where residents can sign up for planned workouts and programs. Fresh groceries can be picked up at Aldi, to the north, or Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets, situated close to the shopping centers. Just under half an hour northeast is the historic Elgin area, where older buildings, churches and homes can be found. Both St. Mary’s Church and the First Universalist Church were built in the late 19th century and, respectively, in the gothic and Romanesque styles; the latter is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Several museums are located in Elgin as well, including the Fox River Trolley Museum, Elgin Fire Barn No. 5 Museum and the Elgin History Museum. The trolley museum showcases railway relics of the past, while the fire barn was one of the first of its kind in the area. At the Elgin History Museum, find overviews of the city’s past, interactive exhibits for a truly hands-on experience or a scavenger hunt for all ages. Illinois Route 31 and Stearns Road are the primary thoroughfares in and around the Whispering Trail area. Route 31, which takes motorists from Elgin to such areas in Illinois as Montgomery and Crystal Lake, aligns with the curvature of the Fox River and borders the Blackhawk County Forest Preserve. Stearns Road cuts through the northern half of the neighborhood and connects with areas such as Wayne and Bartlett, crossing the river just east of Whispering Trail. Downtown Chicago is about an hour east of the neighborhood, and the Pace Suburban Bus system has one line that makes its way to Whispering Trail along Randall Road.