Like other Chicago suburbs, the village of Beach Park was designed to offer country living to city workers. The village dates back to when the railroad line between Chicago and Milwaukee required a transfer at the Beach Depot station. Conductors repeatedly misidentified the station as Beach Park because of the acres of natural land surrounding it, and the name stuck. Residents continue to commute to larger cities for manufacturing, healthcare and retail jobs but return home to quiet streets and lush forests. "A lot of outdoorsy people move to Beach Park because there's so much to do outside, and the houses are more affordable than other towns in Illinois near the lake," says Alyssa Pimentel, a village native and broker at Compass Real Estate. Lake Michigan is just 7 miles away, separated from the community by only a large state park.
Marshes, forests and beaches along Lake Michigan
Nature preserves, parks and golf courses surround Beach Park. Thunderhawk Golf Club has a certified Signature Sanctuary Course, protecting local flora and fauna on the greens. Founders Park has traditional playground equipment, sports fields and walking trails, while Greg Petry SportsPark has rows of soccer fields and four baseball diamonds.
Outside the village, the 4,100-acre Illinois Beach State Park stretches along 7 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. The park has more than 650 species of plants protected inside its wet prairies, marshes, sandy ridges and black oak forests. Visitors enjoy miles of multi-use trails, campgrounds and lake access. Designated docks accommodate anglers and boaters, while beaches and resorts invite summertime swimmers.
Beach Park offers people access to Lake Michigan and beaches.
Let your kids play at the huge playground at Founders Park in Beach Park.
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Municipal services but no real estate taxes
The village has a blend of densely packed and spacious suburban neighborhoods encircling the Waukegan National Airport. Most communities offer bi-level homes, ranch-style houses, bungalows and duplexes. Some subdivisions feature uniform-looking New Traditional homes, and several manufactured homes are beside the railway running parallel to Illinois Beach State Park. The median home price is around $262,000, less than the national median. While most of Beach Park has municipal water and sewer services, residents are not subject to municipal real estate taxes.
Most of the houses in the Beach Park neighborhood are below $250,000.
Homes in Beach Park sit on full lots and have well manicured lawns.
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Building up businesses near home
The village is almost entirely residential, so Gurnee and Waukegan are the go-to spots for shopping and dining. However, Beach Park has developed three Tax Increment Finance districts to encourage retail and business development. Two are along Green Bay and Sheridan roads.
It's All Good Coffee & Espresso near Beach Park is known for the great atmosphere.
Aldi is one of the many options Beach Park residents have when it comes to grocery shopping.
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Taking the highway or Metra into Chicago and Milwaukee
Green Bay and Sheridan roads are the primary thoroughfares in the community. Beach Park is connected to other lakeshore communities by a Pace bus line, which stops along Sheridan Road. Waukegan National Airport does not offer commercial flights, so people travel to Chicago O'Hare International Airport or Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. Both are roughly 40 miles away via Interstate 94. The nearest Metra train station is 9 miles away, where the Green Line leads into Chicago's city center. The closest medical center is Vista Medical Center East, 5 miles away in Waukegan.
Three school districts serve Beach Park
Depending on where they live, local students attend Beach Park School District 3, Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 and Warren Township High School District 121. The districts have C, C-minus and A Niche ratings, respectively.
Howe Elementary School provides education in the neighborhood of Beach Park.
Students of Beach Park are zoned for Beach Park Middle School.
Zion-Benton Township High School near Beach Park offers a large parking lot for students.
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Beach Park Fest and nearby amusement parks
The village has a few annual events, from holiday celebrations to community-focused gatherings. Neighborhoods work together to host National Night Out, and Beach Park Fest features a car show, food vendors, bounce houses and face painting.
Beach Park is roughly 8 miles from Great Wolf Lodge Resort and Six Flags Great America. Six Flags has over 100 outdoor roller coasters and carnival-style attractions, while Great Wolf Lodge is an expansive indoor water park open year-round.
Snow day training and sheriff department contracts
Illinois weather can be volatile, with sunny skies one minute and thunderstorms the next. Winters bring heavy snowfall, but the village's public works department undergoes regular training to improve its snow removal operations.Beach Park does not have a police department. Instead, the village contracts the Lake County Sheriff's Department to respond to calls for service. At any time during the day, at least two sheriff patrol cars monitor the village. Crime data specific to Beach Park is currently unavailable.
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