Wilmette, IL, is one of the most desirable suburbs on Chicago’s North Shore, loved for its stunning lakefront, historic homes, and top-rated schools. Families are drawn to Wilmette for its beautiful parks, award-winning Wilmette Park District, and welcoming neighborhoods. Downtown Wilmette offers boutique shopping, dining, and a charming small-town feel, while the lakefront provides access to Gillson Beach, sailing, and endless outdoor recreation. Wilmette real estate ranges from historic brick homes and bungalows to luxury lakefront estates and new construction properties. With excellent schools, a strong sense of community, and easy commuter access to Chicago, it’s no surprise so many families move to Wilmette and never want to leave.
Work with Sarah Jividen, your trusted Wilmette and North Shore real estate expert, to buy or sell with confidence today.
Wilmette is one village, but it lives like a collection of neighborhoods. Most of the names locals use, like the CAGE, McKenzie Square and Kenilworth Gardens, aren't official. They come from old subdivision plats, school names and the first letters of street names.
I walk Wilmette street by street to learn each neighborhood and its history. This page is where all of it comes together: which neighborhoods are where, which schools they typically feed, and what the homes and streets are like.
Wilmette neighborhoods at a glance
Where: East of the Metra tracks toward Lake Michigan, around Sheridan Road and Lake Avenue
Elementary school: Central
Known for: Historic homes, Gillson Park, the lakefront
Read the guideWhere: Chestnut, Ashland, Greenwood and Elmwood avenues, north of Lake Avenue and east of Green Bay Road
Elementary school: Central
Known for: Pre-war colonials, Tudors, Victorians
Read the guideWhere: Around the Village Center and the Metra station
Elementary school: Central or McKenzie, by address
Known for: Walking to town, the train and the library
Read the guideWhere: Near the Evanston border, around Linden Avenue
Elementary school: Central
Known for: The Baháʼí House of Worship, the Purple Line, Evanston’s Central Street nearby
Read the guideWhere: Between Green Bay Road, Ridge Road, Lake Avenue and Wilmette Avenue
Elementary school: McKenzie
Known for: Walking to school, the Metra and downtown
Read the guideWhere: West of Ridge Road and north of Lake Avenue, up to the Indian Hill Club
Elementary school: Harper
Known for: Thornwood Park and Harper Elementary
Read the guideWhere: Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Colgate, Dartmouth and Princeton, west of Ridge Road around Lake Avenue
Elementary school: Harper
Known for: Streets named for colleges, Thornwood Park
Read the guideWhere: North of Lake Avenue around Illinois Road
Elementary school: Harper (District 39) or Avoca, by address
Known for: A 1926 planned neighborhood with homes by George Fred Keck
Read the guideWhere: West of Hunter Road: the Romona area, Northwest and Southwest Wilmette
Elementary school: Mostly Romona, some Avoca
Known for: Postwar homes, generally lower prices than near the lake
Read the guideSchool assignments follow District 39 and Avoca District 37 attendance maps, not neighborhood names. Always confirm a specific address with the district. See my Wilmette school pages for each school.
More Wilmette neighborhood names you'll hear
How to choose a Wilmette neighborhood
Most of the families I work with are upsizing into a 4 to 5 bedroom home, and the choice usually comes down to three things:
My Growing Roots Method guide walks through how I help families time a buy and sell around a school change.
Wilmette neighborhoods FAQ
The names you'll hear most are East Wilmette, the CAGE, Central Wilmette, Southeast Wilmette (the Linden/Bahá'í area), McKenzie Square, Kenilworth Gardens, the College Streets, Indian Hill Estates and West Wilmette, which includes the Romona area, Northwest Wilmette and Southwest Wilmette. Smaller names include Mallinckrodt in the Park, Georgetown Square and Fairway Oaks.
Mostly no. Kenilworth Gardens and Indian Hill Estates began as platted subdivisions in the 1920s. Names like the CAGE and McKenzie Square are informal, and their boundaries vary depending on who you ask.
Chestnut, Ashland, Greenwood and Elmwood, the four avenues at its core.
Most of Wilmette is in Wilmette Public Schools District 39. Some homes in the northwest part of the village are in Avoca School District 37. Both typically feed New Trier High School. Confirm any address with the district.
East Wilmette and the CAGE, along with the condo buildings on Sheridan Road.
Central Wilmette and McKenzie Square sit closest to the Village Center and the Metra station.
Thinking about Wilmette?
If you could walk to one thing every day, would it be school, the train or the lake? Let's connect.
27,369 people live in Wilmette, where the median age is 45.7 and the average individual income is $109,419. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Median Age
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Average individual Income
There's plenty to do around Wilmette, including shopping, dining, nightlife, parks, and more. Data provided by Walk Score and Yelp.
Explore popular things to do in the area, including Wilmette Bowling Center, Kafien, and Wilmette Quick Mart.
| Name | Category | Distance | Reviews |
Ratings by
Yelp
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 0.15 miles | 65 reviews | 3.2/5 stars | |
| Dining | 1.47 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Dining | 1.53 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Shopping | 0.61 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Shopping | 1.14 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Shopping | 1.48 miles | 2 reviews | 3/5 stars | |
| Active | 0.47 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Active | 0.75 miles | 10 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 0.78 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Active | 0.9 miles | 1 review | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 0.93 miles | 4 reviews | 4.3/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.16 miles | 45 reviews | 3.3/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.61 miles | 8 reviews | 4.4/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.78 miles | 68 reviews | 3.6/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 1.1 miles | 4 reviews | 3.8/5 stars | |
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Wilmette has 10,223 households, with an average household size of 2.67. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here’s what the people living in Wilmette do for work — and how long it takes them to get there. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. 27,369 people call Wilmette home. The population density is 5,123 and the largest age group is Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Median Age
Men vs Women
Population by Age Group
0-9 Years
10-17 Years
18-24 Years
25-64 Years
65-74 Years
75+ Years
Education Level
Total Households
Average Household Size
Average individual Income
Households with Children
With Children:
Without Children:
Marital Status
Blue vs White Collar Workers
Blue Collar:
White Collar:
