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Chicago vs Forest View

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (2,309.4× in Chicago) and street grid (4.7× in Chicago).

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Chicago, ILA history townIllinois · 2,711,226 people
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Forest View, ILA regional job hubIllinois · 1,174 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Illinois ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Chicago$2,160/mo
Typical home $334K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.48% · or rent about $1,440/mo · Housing →
Forest View$2,220/mo
Typical home $306K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.42% · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Forest View and Chicago.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Chicago and Forest View share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

ChicagoForest ViewChicagoForest View
Chicago ↔ Forest View4.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
143 Forest View residents work in Chicago (37.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Forest View →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
ChicagoForest View
Snow a year39″39″
January low20°F20°F
July high85°F85°F
Growing season (days)203d203d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th73rd
Outdoors & history
ChicagoForest View
Conserved land8%0.6%
Settled18371924
National Register places415—
Archive photos18—
Famous people born here37—
Community
ChicagoForest View
Library hours a week72 hrs—
Colleges in town41—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

ChicagoForest View
People
Population 2,711,226Highest 1,174Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.9%Lowest +13.5%Highest
Median age 35.8±0.1Highest 8% below IL 33.6±8.6Lowest 14% below IL
Chicago and Forest View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.4%±0.2Lowest IL: 21.8% 33.6%±7.5Highest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 13.8%±0.2Lowest IL: 17% 16.6%±1.7Highest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 44.3%Highest IL: 37.8% 16%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.4%±0.2Highest IL: 6.3% 6%±2.2Lowest IL: 6.3%
Chicago and Forest View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $77,902±$907Lowest 7% below IL $89,702±$31kHighest 8% above IL
Forest View and Chicago are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $334,100±$2kHighest 27% above IL $260,500±$19kLowest about the IL average
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,440±$10 13% above IL —
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,943Lowest 7% below IL $6,307Highest 19% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48.3%±0.8Highest IL: 47.9% 0%±100Lowest IL: 47.9%
Chicago and Forest View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.8%Highest IL: 11.8% 0.9%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 46%Lowest IL: 67.1% 98.5%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953Lowest 18 yrs older than IL 1955Highest 16 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 19% above IL 25 minLowest 9% below IL
Work from home 21%±0.4Highest IL: 15.9% 11.9%±6.5Lowest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 64.2%Highest 2.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.3 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.22Lowest 4.48Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Evanston (1%)Chicago (37%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Forest View37% work in Chicago
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 8%Highest 0.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 239.4 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 520Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 114Highest 24.1Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #275 of 384 in IL—
School district IDJJ Sch Dist 428 · Betty Shabazz Internl Chrtr Sch—
High school in town Lane Technical High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 16.6 —
Illinois average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Chicago neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Chicago’s Town Square.

Forest View neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Forest View’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Chicago and Forest View

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Chicago

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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