Downers Grove, IL real estate

Living in Downers Grove

About Downers Grove

Downers Grove is a DuPage County community with a population of 50,054. The area encompasses 30 neighborhoods that provide varied residential housing across the community. If you commute by car, driving to the Loop spans 23.5 miles and takes 65 minutes. A drive to Oak Brook covers 5.2 miles and takes 11 minutes. Trips to O'Hare International Airport take 42 minutes by car and cover a distance of 20.2 miles.

The housing stock across the 30 neighborhoods supports schedules requiring direct driving connections to regional destinations like Oak Brook. These driving times allow you to balance residential living with travel to Oak Brook and the Loop. To view local property values, active listings, and pricing trends across the community, continue to the market section below.

Is Downers Grove a good place to live?

Downers Grove is a DuPage County village of 50,054 residents on 14.7 square miles, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Whether it suits your plans comes down to cost, housing, and travel, and the Census figures address each one.

Start with cost. The median home value is $449,800 in the Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate. The median rent is $1,656 a month. Those figures let you weigh buying against renting before you start touring.

Next is the housing itself. The median home in Downers Grove was built in 1974. Many homes you see will be mid century or later, so inspections and updates deserve a close look in your budget.

Travel is the last fact. The average commute for Downers Grove workers is 28 minutes, per the same Census estimate. The village has 20,662 households across a compact area, so homes sit fairly close together. If that price range, housing age, and travel time match your needs, Downers Grove is worth a closer look.

Downers Grove at a glance

Downers Grove sits in DuPage County and covers 14.7 square miles. The table beside this text gives the U.S. Census Bureau figures for the village, including population, households, median home value, median rent, the median year homes were built, and the average commute. Keep it in view as you read the rest of this guide.

Homes and neighborhoods in Downers Grove

Housing stock in Downers Grove changes noticeably from one neighborhood to the next, and the comparison grid beside this text lays out the mix for each of the six profiled areas. Read it as a guide to the type of building and the era it was built, not as a verdict on any one street.

Downtown Downers Grove is the most multi-unit of the group, with 64% of buildings holding more than one home and 33% single-family detached. Older construction is part of the picture, with 26% built in 1939 or earlier, and the 2010s account for another 21%. Randall Park is close to an even split, at 48% single-family detached and 50% multi-unit, spread across the 1950s, 1970s, and 2010s. Denburn Woods is 55% single-family detached, 36% multi-unit, and 9% single-family attached.

Three areas lean heavily toward detached houses. Prince Pond is 83% single-family detached, with 24% built in 1939 or earlier and 18% in the 2000s. Orchard Brook is 82% detached, and its stock is mostly postwar, with the 1970s at 33% and the 1960s at 31%. Belmont is 85% detached, with the 1950s at 33% and the 1960s at 21%.

Across the whole town, the largest share of homes, 44.0%, dates from 1970 to 1999. Another 31.7% were built from 1940 to 1969, and only 8.8% are from before 1940.

Several smaller named communities also appear in listings, including Beverly Glen, Boundary Hill, Hidden Pines, Inverness Woods, and McInerney Woods. Condominium communities such as Arbor Park Condominiums, Birch Point Condominiums, and Fairway Grove Condominiums are named as well.

The Downers Grove housing market

Downers Grove prices rose sharply over the 12 months in the Redfin series. The median sale price was $455,000 eleven months before the latest month and $553,237 in the latest month. That is a rise of 21.6%, so expect to spend more for the same home than at the start of the series.

Homes still sell above asking. Buyers paid 101.7% of list price in the latest month, up from 100.9% at the start. Median days on market rose from 44 to 48, so listings take a few more days to go under contract than before.

Supply grew slightly while sales dipped. New listings rose from 60 to 65, and homes sold fell from 57 to 48. That combination gives you a bit more to choose from, though prices remain firm. For the month by month figures, read the full Downers Grove market report on this site.

Housing stock

Single-family detached homes represent 62.0% of the residential options you will find in Downers Grove. Multi-unit properties make up 29.7% of the housing stock, while single-family attached residences account for 7.6%. The remaining 0.7% of the market consists of manufactured and other miscellaneous housing structures.

A substantial portion of the local inventory dates to the mid-to-late twentieth century. Homes built between 1970 and 1999 form the largest single segment at 44.0% of all properties. Structures constructed between 1940 and 1969 represent an additional 31.7% of the housing landscape. Earlier homes built before 1940 account for 8.8% of the town. Recent construction remains steady, with 8.7% of homes built between 2000 and 2009, and 6.7% built in 2010 and later.

Schools serving Downers Grove

Multiple public school districts serve the Downers Grove area for elementary and secondary education. Downers Grove Grade School District 58, Center Cass School District 66, Darien School District 61, Glen Ellyn Community Consolidated School District 89, and Lombard School District 44 serve prekindergarten through eighth grade. High school students attend Community High School District 99 or Glenbard Township High School District 87, which both cover grades 9 through 12. Lisle Community Unit School District 202 provides education across prekindergarten through twelfth grade. For higher education, you will find Midwestern University in the area.

Getting around

Downers Grove features three transit stations: Downers Grove Main Street, Belmont, and Fairview Ave. Taking transit to The Loop covers 22 miles and takes 47 minutes. Transit trips to Oak Brook take 76 minutes across 10.9 miles. A transit ride to O'Hare International Airport covers 40.2 miles and requires 96 minutes.

If you commute by car, driving to Oak Brook takes 11 minutes across 5.2 miles. Driving to O'Hare International Airport spans 20.2 miles and takes 42 minutes. A drive to The Loop takes 65 minutes to complete the 23.5-mile trip.

Things to do in Downers Grove

You can spend time outdoors at several public parks and open spaces throughout the village. McCollum Park, Fishel Park, and Patriots Park provide green spaces where you can exercise, walk, and spend time outside. Lyman Woods & William F. Sherman, Jr. Interpretive Center features nature trails and environmental education exhibits. In addition, Belmont Prairie preserves native prairie habitats and provides trail connections for outdoor walks.

Shopping and community services are situated within easy reach of local neighborhoods. Meadowbrook Shopping Center provides a convenient destination for retail shopping, errands, and everyday commercial needs. If you need reading materials or research tools, Downers Grove Public Library offers physical books, digital media, and quiet work areas. These retail and civic hubs give you convenient access to essential supplies and educational services close to home.

Indoor recreation and entertainment venues give you activities to enjoy during any season. You can play rounds of virtual golf or practice your swing at X-Golf Downers Grove. Classic Cinemas Tivoli Theatre serves as an entertainment venue that hosts film screenings and live stage events. These destinations give you reliable options when you want to plan social outings or cultural activities.

Working in Downers Grove

Local employment in Downers Grove includes opportunities anchored in the healthcare sector. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital serves as a major employer located directly within the community. As part of an established health system, this hospital maintains substantial operations in town. You can find professional healthcare positions without traveling far from residential neighborhoods. The presence of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital provides major health system career paths right in Downers Grove.

Pros and cons of living in Downers Grove

Pros. Oak Brook is an 11 minute drive over 5.2 miles. O'Hare International Airport is 42 minutes away by car. The average commute is 28 minutes. The median rent is $1,656, and new listings rose from 60 to 65 between 11 months before the latest month and the latest month, so inventory is growing. Homes take a median of 48 days to sell, which gives you time to compare options.

Cons. Prices are rising quickly. The median sale price went from $455,000 to $553,237 in the Redfin series, a 21.6% increase. Buyers paid 101.7% of list price in the latest month, so offers often go above asking. The median home was built in 1974, so older systems may need updates. The Loop is a 65 minute drive over 23.5 miles. Homes sold fell from 57 to 48, and the village covers only 14.7 square miles of DuPage County.

Sources: Redfin; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER.