$304,887Average Value$131Average Price per Sq Ft19Homes For Sale
A resilient community in Tazewell County
Deep in the farmlands of Tazewell County, Washington, Illinois, is the last city along U.S. Route 24 before the state becomes increasingly rural. This community is 11 miles east of Peoria and is defined by its small-town, agricultural feel. Washington is a resilient community of about 16,000 residents who have worked to rebuild the city in the aftermath of a destructive 2013 tornado. They’re grounded by Thursday night markets on Washington Square, Friday night football games and Sunday morning church services. “This is a great, tight-knit community with friendly people and plenty of things to do,” says Chief of Police Mike McCoy. “It’s a conservative, churchgoing community with good hometown camaraderie. People support the town and the things going on.”
Washington is located approximately 3 miles west of Interstate 74 and 3 miles north of I-474.
Washington's motto is "Your Pathway To Discovery; Enjoyment And Knowledge."
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An abundance of land in Washington
Washington's housing options include bungalows, ranch-style and new traditional homes with a median price of $225,000, which is nearly $180,000 below the national median. Due to the area’s rural nature and long-lasting damage from a 2013 tornado, the majority of current listings are for land. “The problem is there are very few homes for sale in Washington,” McCoy says. “When we moved here [in 2017], it was hard. We bought a house that had just been built. A guy bought a lot and just built it. There are some empty lots, but there aren’t very many houses for sale.” He notes that demand is high and adds that buyers can’t go wrong when picking a location. “There’s a list of people who want to move here,” he says. “We get calls all the time from people who want to move here and who want to know which part of town to live in. It’s not like the bigger cities like Chicago where there are sections of town, you’d rather not live in. You can live anywhere here.”
Modern traditional homes are common throughout Washington.
Ranch style homes from the late 20th century can be seen frequently in Washington.
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Washington Park District
The Washington Park District contains 260 acres of parkland, 11 miles of recreational trails and nearly 2 miles of natural trails. The city’s Recreation Facility offers indoor programming, while nearby Washington Park and Oak Ridge Park offer outdoor programming. Washington Park has a pool, and Meadow Valley Park has an off-leash dog park.
Washington features many popular running trails throughout Washington Park.
Residents of Washington will love the playground at Oakridge Park.
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The top public high school in Tazewell County
Three elementary and middle school districts serve Washington students: Washington School District 50, Central School District 51 and Washington School District 52. Washington District 50 gets a C-minus rating from Niche, and both Central School District 51 and Washington School District 52 get A-minuses. The city’s one private school, St. Patrick School, is a Catholic school for preschoolers through eighth grade students run by the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. All public-school students attend Washington Community High School, which gets an A-minus score and also ranks as the top public high school in Tazewell County on Niche.
Students are the highest priority at Lincoln Grade School.
Washington Community High School offers plenty of AP and Honors courses.
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Washington Square taverns and a new Tangled Roots Brewery
“We have a lot of good bars,” McCoy says. “Most of them are not the great big taverns – they’re little homemade taverns, which makes them nice. You meet there, and nobody bothers you and you have a good time.” He recommends Parish’s Pub and W Down Under on Washington Square, the latter of which “has had a revitalization since they opened with new owners." McCoy also notes an upcoming addition, “They’re [also] building a new Tangled Roots Brewery in the square with rooftop seating. When it gets done in the spring, it’ll be a real hotspot,” he says. For dinner, he recommends Bernardi’s, a family-owned Italian restaurant that’s been in Illinois since 1933 and that opened a Washington location in 2001.
Lindy's Downtown Market was founded in October 1958 by Clarence ''Lindy'' Linsley.
Parish's Pub in Washington features over 20 beers on tap.
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A 2013 tornado and low crime rates for the Washington Police Department in 2024
Washington experiences snowy winters and humid summers. “It’s sort of funny: the river makes a big difference in the weather,” McCoy says. “It can snow in Peoria, and we don’t get any here, or vice versa. It’s a matter of whether the weather comes up from the south or the north, and it depends on how it hits the river.” In 2013, a tornado entered Washington from East Peoria, destroying an estimated 1,500 homes and killing three people. In the 10 years following, most of the neighborhoods have been rebuilt.
McCoy notes that crime rates have been lowering in Washington. “From 2023 to 2024, crime was down in 10 or 12 categories,” he says. “Accidents were down; criminal damage was down. We wrote less tickets; we wrote less warnings. People are paying attention to our distracted driving campaign.”
U.S. Route 24, CityLink’s Washington CityLift Service and the Peoria International Airport
U.S. Route 24 passes through Washington and connects it to Peoria, 11 miles east. “We just put in two new roads,” McCoy says. “One that would be Dallas extended and the other connects to Freedom Parkway and attaches lanes on the road to Menard’s and Walmart.” Residents with mobility challenges may qualify for CityLink’s Washington CityLift Service, which provides $2 rides within the Washington urban map area. Washington’s closest airport is the Peoria International Airport, 20 miles west, which offers routes to 13 destinations on three different airlines.
Good Neighbor Days and Thursday nights on Washington Square
Washington kicks off the summer each year with its Good Neighbor Days celebration, a weekend-long festival with carnival rides, a car show, fireworks and a 5K. During the summer months on Thursday evenings, Washington Specialty Shops hosts its Rove and Ramble on Washington Square events. During Rove and Ramble, local vendors set up to sell their wares, while live music plays and community members hang out, shop or eat. “Thursday nights are a big deal in the square,” McCoy says. The city has annual parades of the high school’s homecoming and at Christmas too. “Both of those get a lot of attention,” McCoy says.
Written By
Ellen Daly
Photography Contributed By
JJ Starr
Video By
Matt Pangman
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Renee Sommer,
an experienced agent in this area.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
View GreatSchools Rating Methodology
On average, homes in Washington, IL sell after 23 days on the market compared to the national average of 54 days. The median sale price for homes in Washington, IL over the last 12 months is $243,000, up 10% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
Spacious and welcoming 5-Bedroom home with a flexible layout featuring 3 bedrooms on the main floor and 2 upstairs with a walk-in closet. The unfinished basement offers 3 additional rooms, 1 already used as a bedroom (no egress), a family room, a second bath ready to be completed, a laundry area, and a separate exterior entrance. Enjoy a large, private backyard surrounded by woods, ideal for
27.15 acres - perfect site for subdivision development - utilities at lot line; mostly tillable, gently rolling farm ground; Triangular in shape - see aerial plat in photos
Absolutely stunning piece of land in the Centennial Park Estates subdivision in Washington, IL. Enjoy 3.15 acres of flat land for the home building process, mixed with mature trees and wooded timber. Land has public water, no sewer. This piece of paradise will capture your building fantasies of entertaining with beautiful views from the kitchen sink and waking to open windows with nature sounds.
Don’t miss your chance to buy one of the sites available in the desirable Devonshire Estates to build your dream home! Convenient location is close to park, pool, schools and Five Points Community & Fitness Center.
Don’t miss your chance to buy one of the sites available in the desirable Devonshire Estates to build your dream home! Convenient location is close to park, pool, schools and Five Points Community & Fitness Center.
Welcome to this beautifully maintained quad-level home, perfectly tucked at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. Designed for comfortable living and easy entertaining, this move-in-ready property blends thoughtful updates with a spacious, inviting layout. LVP flooring flows seamlessly throughout the home, creating a modern, cohesive feel. The updated kitchen opens to an informal dining area, with
Don’t miss your chance to buy one of the sites available in the desirable Devonshire Estates to build your dream home! Convenient location is close to park, pool, schools and Five Points Community & Fitness Center.
Don’t miss your chance to buy one of the sites available in the desirable Devonshire Estates to build your dream home! Convenient location is close to park, pool, schools and Five Points Community & Fitness Center.
Newly renovated Apartment buildings in Washington Illinois. The units are spacious, two bedroom, two bath with lots of living space! Walk-in closet in the master bedroom. Full kitchen furnished with stainless steel appliances. Each unit also has a washer and dryer. All units have a patio or balcony. We are pet friendly with a pet deposit! Garbage, snow removal, and lawn maintenance are
The Mallard Way Rental Community, made up of Camden Court and Mallard Lakes Apartments, features 68 units with a mix of 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, and 3 bedroom options. These newer apartments feature spacious room sizes, washer and dryers in each unit, and generous storage spaces. Our neighborhood is close to parks, shopping, entertainment, and just minutes from Peoria. Call us today to schedule your
**8 Brand-New Apartments!!!*** Beautifully landscaped. Private balconies. Enclosed garage. Vaulted ceilings on 2nd floor. Find out why these are some of the best apartments in central Illinois!
Colonial Village is centrally located in the town of Washington, IL within walking distance to many stores and restaurants. Units include a 1 stall carport (Except for building 1304- assigned parking spots + visitor parking instead,) coin operated washer/dryer in each building, stove, fridge and plenty of closets! Resident pays water & electric. If you're interested in calling Colonial Village
Conveniently located 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home recently remodeled in the past 3 years. Home offers 3-bedrooms and 2-bathrooms on the main level. There is a dining/multi-purpose room on the main floor also. There is a 2-car garage. Basement includes a bedroom without an egress window and open space for storage, relaxing, etc.
Life is simple in Hillcrest, Washington, just across the river from Peoria. People work hard, mind their business, keep an eye out for their neighbors and try to live fair and square. That's how it's been as far back as memory serves and how it remains today. "I've been all over the United States, and I always come back here," says Washington native and retired Realtor Fred Joos, one-time owner of Joos Realty and a past president of both the Peoria Area Association of Real Estate Appraisers and the Peoria Area Association of Realtors. Joos has built 150 houses and five subdivisions throughout Washington, including Hillcrest. "Here, you're close enough to big cities if you need that, but far enough from them not to have big city problems."
A residential area on the last edges of the suburbs, the median year Hillcrest homes were built is 1978. However, there's a strong presence of mid-century ranch-style homes and split levels around too. "As you go further south, the houses get younger. You start with homes 50 and 60 years old closer to the center, then as you get further south, they're 20 and 30 years old," Joos says. The median price for a single-family here is roughly $270,000, with homes selling generally in the $120,000 to $300,000 range. Old Cape Cods built after the war, with decent kitchens and baths, can go from $120,000 to $140,000," Joos says, "but several larger homes have sold from $350,000 to $450,000."
Students in Hillcrest attend schools within Central School District No. 51, which has an overall Niche rating of A-minus. They may start at Central Primary School and then move on to Central Intermediate School, both of which score an A on Niche. Washington Community High School has an A-minus.
Most Hillcrest residents drive when they need to get somewhere. When they get going, they mainly take Illinois Highway 8 or US Highway 24. Both roads provide access to Interstate 74, which carries commuters to Peoria, where the area's largest employers are located.
Anyone who wants to shop or dine here can count on finding themselves at one of two locations. Cherry Tree Shopping Center has a Monical's Pizza and a Kroger supermarket. Freedom Centre on Freedom Parkway has Mariachi Mexican Bar & Grill for standard Mexican food treats. Shoppers also can find Cato Fashions, plus Menards and Aldi nearby.
Hillcrest has two main parks that attract locals' attention during leisure time. Bowen Lake Park has a six-acre, manufactured lake with a boat ramp and fishing pier. They keep the lake stocked. Meanwhile, Meadow Valley Park & Dog Park has plenty of space for dogs to run and is thick with tree-shaded nature trails.
For the area's major event, Hillcrest residents head south to neighboring Morton, home to the Libby canning plant 9 miles away and the annual Morton Pumpkin Festival site. The festival is a four-day event held in mid-September since 1967. The festival attracts more than 75,000 attendees.
Property Mix - Square Feet
Washington Has More Owners
Demographics
Total Population
19,459
Median Age
41
Population under 18
25.6%
On par with the national average
23.8%
Population over 65
19.2%
On par with the national average
19.1%
Finances
Median Household Income
$87,279
Above the national average
$79,601
Average Household Income
$111,299
Education and Workforce
High School Graduates
97.6%
Above the national average
89%
College Graduates
39.3%
Above the national average
34.1%
Advanced Degrees
13.5%
% Population in Labor Force
66.7%
Weather
Annual Precipitation
37''
Average Winter Low Temperature
18°F
Average Summer High Temperature
86°F
Annual Snowfall
35''
Area Factors
Fairly friendly
Bike Score®®
50/ 100
Fairly friendly
Walk Score®®
40/ 100
Source: Local Logic
Sources: Local Logic
Local Logic measures the walkability, access to public transit and bikeability of any address. CAP Index provides objective, accurate, and consistent data to help measure, compare, and mitigate crime risks.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
