Yorkville

Yorkville is often described as a small town within the city on the precipice of suburban convenience and the rural Midwest. No where in this southwest Chicago suburb is this more apparent than Bristol Township, the vast swaths to the north of the Fox River in Kendall County. New subdivisions form enclaves around community pools and parks here, joining longstanding homes often situated on acres of land. The Township shares Yorkville’s safety—with a low CAP Overall Crime Score of 2 out of 10 compared to the national average of 4—and despite the sense of isolation from surrounding farmland, residents are a short drive from downtown restaurants, shops and community. The oldest homes in Bristol Township are ranch-style homes and split-levels, some on acres of land. They’re joined by subdivisions of New Traditional homes, some built as late as 2024, and lots ready for building and available for pre-purchase, as well as townhouses with attached garages. Most homes sit on single and double lots and come equipped with elongated driveways and multiple-car garages. Even within these enclaves, farmland is usually in view. “I can see corn out my window,” laughs Gina Johansen, Realtor with Keller Williams Infinity and Yorkville resident. “And all the newer production builders are working amid cornfields.” Regardless of the age or size of the home, most go between $330,000 and $490,000. The Bristol Township community is home to Steven G. Bridge Park, where residents can relax on a blanket in the wide-open fields or use the outdoor dining area for birthday parties and other celebrations. This park also includes basketball and volleyball sports courts. The Bristol Bay Clubhouse is an additional recreational area with circus-themed play structures for children ages 2 through 12. The clubhouse has an outdoor public pool which packs a full house during the summer. Blackberry Oaks Golf Course provides an 18-hole championship game that encompasses nearly 6,400 yards. The facility is host to the Chad Johansen Golf Academy, which attracts players from across the region. Families can head to the Fox River shoreline at Bicentennial Riverfront Park to play on the playground or hit the water. Summer means trips to Raging Waves Waterpark, the largest waterpark in Illinois which sits within Bristol Township. Players at Blackberry Oaks enjoy a full menu at Oaks Grille, the clubhouse restaurant. Other than this membership perk, restaurants are sparse in Bristol Township and the area remains primarily residential. Bristol Tap holds down the fort, with it unassuming exterior and dive-y interior creating the setting to enjoy thick burgers and self-serve popcorn. The farther south folks travel on Illinois Route 47, the more restaurants and shopping options they encounter as they approach Yorkville’s center. Cars filter into large parking lots of limited big-box stores like Jewel-Osco and Menards at the intersection of Route 47 and Veteran’s Parkway, as well as medical offices and chain eateries like Panera Bread. Yorkville’s walkable downtown reinvented its historic buildings, like The Vault, a bank-turned-classy bar. Kendall Marketplace is an open-air shopping center with anchor stores such as Kohl's, Target and Marshall's. Additional shopping can be found near downtown Oswego, where local boutiques sell unique and pre-loved items. Bus transportation traverses Bristol, picking up students zoned within Yorkville Community Unit School District No. 115. Bristol Bay Elementary School and Autumn Creek Elementary School are this area’s most popular choices, each scoring a B-plus from Niche and serving prekindergarten through sixth grade. From there, kids funnel together to Yorkville Middle School for seventh and eighth grades before capping out at Yorkville High School, both of which score A-minuses. “All the schools are the ‘Foxes,’ from Pre-K through 12th grade, which adds a lot of pride and community,” says Johansen. Kids may also attend private, tuition-based options like Parkview Christian Academy, which splits its pre-K through 12th grade classes between a Lower and Upper Campus and scores a C-plus from Niche. Illinois Route 47 runs north to Interstate 88 and south through Bristol to downtown Yorkville U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 34 run east to west through the township towards Oswego. Most Bristol residents live about 4 miles from downtown Yorkville and the Fox River. Though there is no Metra station in Yorkville, commuters can park during the day at the Aurora station for the 52 mile journey to downtown Chicago. The township is also about 55 miles to Chicago Midway International Airport and 49 miles to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. As for medical care, RUSH Copley Healthcare Center serves the Yorkville region with many healthcare services about 4 miles away, and the nearest full-service hospital is RUSH Copley Medical Center, 11 miles away in Aurora.