Riverside

Riverside is a National Historic Landmark — the entire village. Designed in 1869 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the creators of Central Park, it was America's first planned suburban community, and their plan survives intact: curving streets that follow the landscape instead of a grid, deep green parkways, gas-style streetlamps, and the Des Plaines River winding along its edge. Driving into Riverside feels like entering a different century, in the best way.

The architecture lives up to the plan. Frank Lloyd Wright's Avery Coonley House — one of his most celebrated Prairie works — is here, along with homes by other significant architects scattered among Victorians, four-squares, and mid-century houses. The landmark water tower marks the village center, where a compact downtown of shops and restaurants surrounds the Metra depot.

That depot is the practical heart of the village: the BNSF line reaches Union Station in roughly 25 minutes, making Riverside one of the easier landmark communities to commute from. Daily life otherwise runs on a car, as it does in most suburbs, though the village's small scale keeps everything close.

Green space is everywhere by design — Olmsted's parkways, Swan Pond Park along the river, and the Cook County forest preserves that border the village, with miles of trails along the Des Plaines.

Riverside offers something genuinely singular: a complete, preserved work of landscape design you can live inside, with landmark homes, a walkable village center, and a fast train downtown.

Riverside FAQ

Do you need a car in Riverside?

For the commute, no — the Metra BNSF line reaches Union Station in about 25 minutes from the village center. For daily life, most households keep a car, though the compact downtown keeps errands close.

What is Riverside known for?

Being America's first planned suburban community — designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1869 and now a National Historic Landmark — plus Frank Lloyd Wright's Avery Coonley House and its preserved curving streets and parkways.

What types of homes are in Riverside?

Victorians, Prairie School homes including significant architect-designed houses, four-squares, and mid-century homes, set on Olmsted's curvilinear street plan.

Riverside vs. La Grange: what's the difference?

Both are BNSF Metra towns southwest of the city. La Grange has the larger downtown and more housing inventory; Riverside is smaller and quieter, defined by its Olmsted plan and landmark status.