Chicagoland Region, IL Land for Sale

The Chicagoland region of Illinois is located in the northeastern corner of the state, and includes the five counties of the Chicago metropolitan area, the third largest metropolitan area in the country. The eastern part of the region borders Lake Michigan and Indiana, and it includes the counties of Cook, Will, Lake, Kane and DuPage. In addition to Chicago, large suburbs of the city include Aurora, Elgin, Joliet and Naperville, and there are more than 15 additional cities with populations of over 50,000 in the Chicago metropolitan area, including some in Indiana.

The city of Chicago lies in the Chicago Plain, which is flat and broad with a few low hills and sand ridges. There are steep bluffs and ravines along Lake Michigan, and sand dunes run along the southern shore. There are dunes as tall as 200 feet in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The south and west suburb areas are higher and hillier, and a continental divide runs through the Chicago area, separating the Mississippi watershed from the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River. There are a few state parks and national historic sites in the region, which include Chain O'Lakes State Park, which borders three natural lakes, Grass, Marie and Nippersink, and offers recreational opportunities for boaters, anglers and skiers, Channahon Parkway State Park, Chicago Portage National Historic Park, Elks National Memorial Building, Illinois Beach State Park, Kankakee River State Park and Volo Bog State Natural Area, in the northeast corner of Illinois and the Chicagoland region. Chicago features a large number of professional sports, including American football, arena football, baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer and hockey. Chicagoland Speedway has hosted NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar Series races. The Chicago Marathon is one of the World Marathon Majors, and there are two PGA Tour tournaments that play at golf courses near Chicago. Some notable attractions in Chicago also include Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, 360 Chicago, formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory, the Field Museum, with 300,000 square feet of biological and anthropological collections, Garfield Park Conservatory, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Lincoln Park Zoo, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Riverwalk, Adler Planetarium, the National Museum of Mexican Art, Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

The economy of Chicagoland is very diversified, with 400 major corporations headquartered there, with nearly 60 in the Fortune 1000. Historically, a piece of key infrastructure from 1865-1971 included the Union Stock Yards, where millions of cattle and hogs were butchered for beef and pork. More recently, the economy has moved toward high- value-added services, such as financial trading, higher education, logistics and healthcare. There are around 100 colleges and universities in the Chicagoland region, most notable are Chicago State University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology and Loyola University Chicago.

Cook County is located in the eastern part of the Chicagoland region of Illinois and borders Lake Michigan and Indiana to the east. It is the second most populated county in the country, only next to Los Angeles County in California. It is the sixth largest county in Illinois by land area. It was named in honor of Daniel Cook, one of the earliest and youngest statesmen in Illinois history. Chicago is the county seat, and is the largest city in Illinois and the third most populated in the U.S. More than 40% of the population of Illinois live in this county. There are 135 incorporated municipalities partly or completely in Cook County, and 29 townships, including the cities of Chicago and Evanston. Other large cities aside from Chicago include Des Plaines, Elgin (partly in Kane County) and Evanston and the town of Cicero. Land-use is mainly urban and densely populated. Chicago Portage National Historic Site Pullman National Monument and Elks National Memorial Building are in Cook County. Cook County Forest Preserves encompasses approximately 68,000 acres of open space within the urban surroundings of Chicago, and contain forest, prairie, wetland, streams and lakes, as well as a zoo and botanic garden. There are 13 trail systems within the preserve district. There are several state universities in Cook County, including Chicago State University, University of Chicago, Eastern Illinois University and University of Illinois at Chicago, and more than 60 other colleges and universities, primarily located in Chicago, Evanston and Elgin.

Will County is located in the southern part of the Chicagoland region, bordering Indiana to the east, and is just south and west of Cook County. It is the fourth most populated county in the state. It is named for Dr. Conrad Will, a businessman involved in salt production in Southern Illinois and a politician. Joliet is the largest city and the county seat, with other cities being Aurora (part), Lockport and Naperville (part), Braidwood, Crest Hill and Wilmington. There are around 90 other villages, townships and census-designated places. The Kankakee River, Du Page River and Des Plaines River run through the county and join on the western border. The Illinois and Michigan Canal and Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal also run through the county. There are 36 locations in Will County on the National Register of Historic Places. The Forest Preserve District of Will County covers more than 20,000 acres, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie covers around 17,000 acres, with other parks being Channahon State Park and Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area. There are several colleges and universities in Will County, which include Governors State College, Lewis University, University of St. Francis and Joliet Junior College, the first two-year education institution in the country. The county is a major U.S. hub in the natural gas line grid, where pipelines from Canada and the Gulf of Mexico meet and spread out to serve the Midwest. There is a large oil refinery in Joliet, along the Des Plaines River, which employs around 600 people.

Lake County is in the northeastern corner of Illinois and the Chicagoland region, bordering Lake Michigan to the east, Wisconsin to the north, and Cook County to the south. It is the third most populated county in the state. Waukegan is the largest city and the county seat, the ninth largest city in Illinois. Other cities include Highland Park, Highwood, Lake Forest, North Chicago, Park City and Zion, and there are more than 90 other villages, townships and unincorporated communities. Lake County is one of the richest counties per capita, with affluent North Shore communities of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Highland Park. Naval Station Great Lakes is located in North Chicago, the United States Navy's Headquarters Command for training and the Navy's only recruit training center. There are several state parks in Lake County, which include Illinois Beach State Park, North Point Marina, Volo Bog State Natural Area and Chain O'Lakes State Park. Other natural areas are the Lake County Forest Preserves, including Ryerson Conservation Area, golf courses and historic homes, such as the Adlai Stevenson historic home. The Des Plaines River Trail covers many areas of the county, and is popular for walking, running and biking. There are nearly 100 other lakes in the county, not including Lake Michigan. Other attractions in Lake County include Volo Auto Museum, Lake County Discovery Museum, Warbird Heritage Foundation, Waukegan History Museum and Shiloh House. The University Center of Lake County is a unique program comprised of 10 public and 11 private institutions providing bachelor completion, graduate and advanced professional development programs at multiple sites for those who work or reside in or near Lake County. Some universities located in the county include Robert Morris University, Columbia College, College of Lake County, Lake Forest College and Rosalind Franklin University.