Elmhurst

Elmhurst is one of the western suburbs that gets the downtown right: City Centre's blocks of restaurants, shops, and the classic York Theatre marquee sit directly beside the Metra station, so the town's commercial heart and its commute share the same sidewalk. The Union Pacific West line reaches Ogilvie in roughly 30 minutes.

The cultural amenities punch above the town's size. The Elmhurst Art Museum incorporates the McCormick House — one of only a handful of single-family homes Mies van der Rohe ever built — into its campus, Wilder Park surrounds the museum and the town's conservatory with formal gardens, and Elmhurst University's tree-filled campus adds lectures, music, and one of the area's notable arboretums. The Illinois Prairie Path, the pioneering rail-trail, runs straight through town for cyclists and runners.

Housing spans the suburb's full history: Victorians and four-squares near downtown, mid-century ranches and splits across the broader grid, and a significant amount of new construction, as older homes on generous lots continue to be replaced and expanded. Townhomes and condos cluster near the downtown core.

Daily life runs on a car, as in most suburbs, but the downtown and the neighborhoods around it are genuinely walkable, and the Metra-anchored layout means commuters can live close to the train.

Elmhurst combines a working downtown, real cultural institutions, and housing from Victorian to brand-new — with one of the more straightforward Metra commutes in the western suburbs.

Elmhurst FAQ

Do you need a car in Elmhurst?

For commuting, no — the Metra UP-West line reaches Ogilvie in about 30 minutes from the downtown station. For daily life, most households keep a car, though downtown and nearby blocks are walkable.

What types of homes are in Elmhurst?

Victorians and four-squares near downtown, mid-century ranches and splits, substantial new construction, and townhomes and condos around the core.

What is Elmhurst known for?

Its walkable City Centre downtown, the Elmhurst Art Museum and Mies van der Rohe's McCormick House, Wilder Park and the conservatory, and the Illinois Prairie Path.

Naperville vs. Elmhurst: what's the difference?

Both are western suburbs with strong downtowns and Metra service. Elmhurst is smaller, closer to the city, and more compact; Naperville is much larger, with a bigger downtown and more housing inventory.