An introduction to Winnetka

[Joe Zekas]

Most people, many of them reluctantly, would agree that Winnetka is the crown jewel of Chicago's North Shore suburbs.

With a 2005 median family income of $218,623, It's not the most affluent. That distinction belongs to Kenilworth. It doesn't have the absolute best schools, another prize arguably belonging to Kenilworth. Lake Forest has the better public beach and better golf.

The comparisons, large and small, well-meaning and invidious, between Winnetka and other North Shore communities could go on ad nauseam. When all the arguments have been made, however, it's hard to escape the weight of the Village of Winnetka's many assets. The notion that too many Winnetkans seem too quick to flaunt their community's high status is about the only negative you'll generally hear from people who can afford to live there.

Schools

District 36 elementary, middle and junior high public schools in Winnetka rank, along with New Trier High School, among the best in the state and nation.

The K-4 Crow Island elementary school is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Larry Perkins and Eero Saarinen, it opened in 1940 and has been acclaimed as one of the most architecturally significant schools in America.

Transportation

Downtown Chicago is 35 to 40 minutes away on the Metra / Union Pacific North Line train, which makes three stops in Winnetka.

No point in Winnetka is more than 3 miles from the Edens Expressway (I-94).

Housing stock

For current market informaiton, see the Winnetka Snapshot at Trulia.

Single-family homes account for nearly 90 percent of Winnetka's housing stock, over 90 percent of which is owner-occupied. There are several hundred condominium and townhome units in Winnetka, most in smaller in-fill complexes.

Over half of Winnetka's housing stock pre-dates World War II. In Eastern Winnetka, nearly all of the homes are of pre-war vintage.

South of Elm St in East Winnetka the streets follow a classic north – south / east – west grid. North of Elm the streets depart from the grid and follow the rolling contours of the land.

Much of East Winnetka's charm derives from the terrain, the size, variety and tastefulness of the architecture, and the nearly 3 miles of shoreline and private beaches along Lake Michigan. Many grand estates are hidden from view east of Sheridan Rd, on sizable (by North Shore standards) parcels that drift down toward the lake.

Winnetka has a large number and variety of homes priced upwards of $3 million, but also has a number of older homes priced well under $1 million. A 1 bedroom condo in an older building fetches a price in the mid-$100s, and 2 bedrooms can be found as low as the low $200s in converted buildings.

The teardown phenomenon is a major presence in Winnetka, with nearly ten percent of its homes having been demolished and replaced over a recent 10-year period, according to one academic study.

Photos and video

See hundreds of photos of how life's lived in Winnetka at Flickr, and a playlist of Winnetka videos at YouTube.

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