Located in Champaign County
The Village of Tolono in central Illinois is considered a bedroom community for Champaign, which is about 9 miles north. "Tolono has small-town living, with the amenities of the city at your fingertips," says Cathy Means, a Realtor with the Hillard Agency. The surroundings are rural. According to U.S. Census estimates, the population is about 3,500.
Tolono, developed around the 19th century train industry, was at the junction of the Great Western and Illinois Central Railroads. Many railroad employees lived in small homes adjacent to the railroad tracks. In 1861, Abraham Lincoln made a whistlestop speech from a train stopped in Tolono, on his way to take up the presidency in Washington, D.C. It was his last formal address in Illinois. A commemorative marker and plaque in Tolono is one of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area's Looking for Lincoln waysides displays, which number over 260.
Amtrak trains run out of Champaign and bypass Tolono, which has no stop; the next station to the south is Mattoon, about 36 miles away. Freight trains also come through.
Among the late 19th and early 20th century homes are Victorians and American Foursquares. "There are a couple of homes that are pretty historic there. Other than that, it's typical ranches or two stories built in the '50s, '60s, '70s and newer," Means says. Homes built in the early 2000s are generally the newest, and there's some concentration of these in the north part of town. Prices range from about $150,000 to $400,000.
Condos are primarily located between North Long Street and North James Street. There are not enough on the market for an up-to-date price range, but estimated values are usually under $180,000.
Tolono's downtown, around Main and the Holden streets, includes small shops, the Tolono Public Library District, a post office, a Masonic lodge and the police department. TraXside Pub & Sports Lounge is down the block from the railroad tracks. Monical's Pizza is the village's longest-running restaurant, though it originally was in a different location. The Midwest pizza chain was founded in Tolono in 1959. Loose Cobra, a self-proclaimed dive bar, is also a live music venue. Though Tolono has a Dollar General, Savoy, about 5 miles north, is the nearest town for more shopping at stores like Walmart and Aldi.
Unit Seven Schools, a public education district, serves the area. Unity East Elementary School earns a B grade from Niche, and Unity West Elementary receives a B-minus. Unity Junior High also has a B-minus, and Unity High School has a B. The high school's dual-enrollment program is in collaboration with Parkland College and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Tolono West Side Park has playgrounds, tennis courts and fields for soccer, baseball and softball. About a mile away, Tolono East Side Park has a playground and picnic shelter. The parks are among the venues for Tolono Fun Days!, held over two days at the end of June. Highlights include carnival rides, a cake walk, a beer pavilion and parades, including one with golf carts. Participants in the Betty Hardin Memorial Cow Drop each purchase a "square" — akin to a bingo spot on the ground— and win if a cow deposits a patty in their square. Shuttles provide transportation between the two parks. "Tolono also has fireworks for the Fourth of July, of course, and then it's like a carnival in their park all weekend," Means says.
The central part of the village is walkable, with short blocks, though not all streets have sidewalks. People drive for longer distances. U.S. Route 45 goes through Tolono, and Interstate 57 runs north-to south a couple of miles to the west, though it's about an 8-mile drive to access the on-ramp. Tolono is within a 150-mile drive of Chicago and Indianapolis. The Champaign-County Area Rural Transit System's C-Carts public transportation is available by reservation.
Located 5 miles north of Tolono, the University of Illinois - Willard Airport offers nonstop flights to Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. "It's a smaller airport, but they have deals sometimes," Means says. Willard is one of two commercial airports in the U.S. that an educational institution owns and operates.
Interested in learning more about homes in this area? Reach out to , an experienced agent in this area.
Jake Patterson
Realty Select One
(217) 858-3002
128 Total Sales
1 in Tolono
$125,000 Price
Jordan Dunahee
Ramshaw Real Estate
(309) 388-3552
47 Total Sales
3 in Tolono
$90K - $185K Price Range
Cathy Means
Hillard Agency- Tuscola
(217) 394-1947
129 Total Sales
1 in Tolono
$390,000 Price
Todd Salen
KELLER WILLIAMS-TREC
(217) 858-2707
41 Total Sales
1 in Tolono
$115,000 Price
Carol Meinhart
The Real Estate Group LLC
(217) 858-4967
798 Total Sales
14 in Tolono
$90K - $315K Price Range
Laura Heiser
The Real Estate Group,Inc
(217) 858-3171
250 Total Sales
3 in Tolono
$130K - $206K Price Range
On average, homes in Tolono, IL sell after 22 days on the market compared to the national average of 54 days. The median sale price for homes in Tolono, IL over the last 12 months is $221,000, down 12% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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