Illinois Community Makes Top 100 Best Places To Live List: New Report

ILLINOIS — A North Shore community in Lake County is listed among the top 100 best places to live in America, according to rankings released Monday by Niche.

Bannockburn ranked 24th overall among Niche’s Best Places to Live in America and received high marks for its public schools, family feel, outdoor activities and for its crime rate, according to the study.

The list, the ninth consecutive, ranked 228 cities and 17,932 towns and neighborhoods. To compile it, Niche used federal data from the Census Bureau, FBI, Labor Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as reviews from residents.

Among others, factors considered are affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, the quality of public schools and walkability.

Bannockburn, which ranked No. 98 in the 2022 Niche study, received the following grades this year:

• Public schools: A+
• Housing: B-
• Good for families: A+
• Jobs: A-
• Cost of living: C
• Outdoor activities: A
• Crime and safety: A
• Nightlife: A
• Diversity: D
• Weather: C+
• Health and fitness: A+
• Commute: A-

Village officials did not immediately return a message to Patch on Tuesday seeking comment on the designation by Niche.

The top public schools for K-12 children who live in Bannockburn are:

• Bannockburn School, which ranked No. 13 in the best elementary schools in Illinois.
• Walden Elementary, which ranked No. 99 in the best elementary schools in Illinois.
• Half Day School, which ranked No. 42 in the best public elementary schools in Illinois.
• Daniel Wright Junior High School, which ranked No. 14 in public middle schools in Illinois.
• Adlai Stevenson High School, which ranked No. 6 in the best public high schools in Illinois
• Lake Forest High School, which ranked No. 16 in the best public high schools in Illinois.
• Deerfield High School, which ranked No. 23 in the best public high schools in Illinois

Bannockburn is located just outside of Deerfield has a population of 1,315 residents and offers residents “a dense suburban feel” where most residents own their home. The cost of living ranked as average, according to Niche, with the median home price coming in at $987,587 and the median rent coming in at just under $1,100 per month.

According to Niche, the Top 25 places in Illinois are as follows:

1. Bannockburn
2. Long Grove
3. Clarendon Hills
4. Naperville
5. Inverness
6. Hinsdale
7. Buffalo Grove
8. Western Springs
9. Kildeer
10. Evanston
11. Lincolnshire
12. Lisle
13. Vernon Hills
14. Wilmette
15. Kenilworth
16. Northbrook
17. Printer’s Row, Chicago
18. Deerfield
19. Oak Park
20. La Grange Park
21. Riverwoods
22. Highland Park
23. Libertyville
24. Glenview
25. Tower Lakes

The overall Best Place to Live in America is Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania, which has claimed the title now for four consecutive years. Rounding out the top five are Colonial Village, Virginia; Ardmore, Pennsylvania; Hyde Park-Spanishtown Creek, Florida; and Penn Wynne, Pennsylvania.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the Best City to Live in America for the first time ever, Niche said. Rounding out the top five are Arlington, Virginia; The Woodlands, Texas; Naperville and Columbia, Maryland.

The Best Places to Live rankings are a tool to help people find a place to live based on the qualities that matter most to them, Niche said in a news release.

People who want to dig deeper into a specific area can compare cities, suburbs and neighborhoods with specific states, metro areas and counties. Among others, Niche has specialized lists for the best places for families, young professionals, homebuyers ad retirees.