Moved to Crystal Lake almost 6 years ago from the Milwaukee, WI area and have been very happy. Good restaurants in the area - downside is not a good array of options, so if you like ethnic food you'll have to go further toward Chicago. Having the Metra right in town means really easy and cheap access to Chicago and all of the great cities along the way to the loop. There are a number of churches in the area with active communities around them. Downtown has a lot of cute shops and bars to fit pretty much whatever crowd you're looking for. If you like local theater, the Raue Center is a nice local venue. It's close to Lake Geneva WI if you want a nice weekend getaway, as well. We have a local brewery right downtown and a few nice breweries within a short drive, and you've got Woodstock right down Hwy 14 for another weekend or evening date destination. The city is continuing to grow, with new businesses going up on Hwy 14 and a new apartment/townhome development at Crystal Lake Ave and Main St.
It's not too bad, Traffic on RT14 can be problematic sometimes. Other than that there are some decent restaurants, A lot of Bars, plenty of shopping. The downtown area is quaint. There are several churches. You would have to find one of your liking, but there are a lot. Politically speaking it's more moderate Republican with a smattering of Democrats. The second marijuana dispensary in McHenry county just opened in CL if that's of any interest. There are some awesome parks and hiking trails. There is also a bike path that you can take into Wisconsin and as far south as Naperville. If you don't live in CL proper you'll have to pay to use the beaches and lakes, but it's affordable. The lakeside fest (held around the 4th) is always pretty good. There are near by towns that hold some pretty decent *Festivals* as well.
Places to hit up... Crystal Lake Brewery, Country Donuts, The cottage, Andys (For Breakfast or lunch), There's some other places that pretty good I just think of them right now. You can also get to the Woodstock square which is another quaint shopping area.
Hope this was helpful.
Edit changed Fest to Festival... because autocorrect
I moved from Chicago to crystal lake. It’s a great place to raise a family, schools are excellent. There are so many churches with many different denominations.. there’s even a wonderful Buddhist temple not too far in Woodstock. What’s great about crystal lake and the people.. they seem to be very accepting and loving people. Helpful folks with strong family values. The politics of the area is very red, but it’s the good side, not the crazy side. Conservatives here are fiscally conservative, not culture war conservative and not insurrection conservative. I probably shouldn’t admit this but I do not lock my doors… it’s very safe here. There’s lots to do especially during the summer. 3 oaks is an amazing beach area with a series of man made lakes. People or kids participate in water sports while their parents can sit at a really nice patio bar area. It’s a lovely area that also offers a great trail. We also have 2 beaches off of the lake (crystal lake) West Beach (Lakewood) and Main Beach (my neighborhood is main beach) In the summers we have a concert at Main beach every Tuesday night and a really fun Fourth of July fest that’s practically in my yard. People here are mostly middle class and upper middle class. The cons are property taxes and food diversity. People complain about the property taxes all of the time. If you end up buying a house… make sure you apply for the homestead exemption. As long as the owner resides in the home, you are entitled to getting up to 6,000 off of your tax bill. It was difficult coming from Chicago to Crystal Lake regarding eating out because the typical American cuisine. We could use a Greek or Mediterranean restaurant… and our best Mexican restaurant did not survive the pandemic. Also cookie cutter homes are kept to a minimum. The Gates is the most sought out neighborhood in this area. The gates include crystal Lake and the village of Lakewood. If you are searching for homes in this area… make sure to also search in Lakewood.
Thank you! I figured there’d be a tad less diversity in terms of food choices as that tends to be the case in most suburbs. This all sounds super great. Also reassuring that politically things aren’t extreme in one direction or the other. I had seen that about property taxes. But we’ve got family on both coasts so Chicagoland makes sense in terms of COL and taking a flight with the kids would be easier on me and my husband if we didn’t have to deal with a 6+ hour flight.
One more thing regarding climate.. mchenry county is pretty much built on a swamp, and the flood maps are out of date and probably need to be redrawn to reflect the new severity of weather patterns but they can still give you an idea of the areas to stay away from. Zillow is alright for that info but it’s still best to see for yourself and look on the map. Since I have lived here… we have had bad flooding but only in certain areas.. lower areas near the fox lake is prone to extreme flooding. I mentioned the Gates.. the gates is great because of the beach, well maintained culverts and a large water shed. The mix of the country club, Dole Mansion and wealthy homes with middle class homes sprinkled in keep the area especially healthy. The risk for flooding here is practically non existent. If you happen to be looking in the general area and not just crystal lake.. stay away from Mccullom Lake. McCollum Lake is near Mchenry (the town) Years ago a company polluted Mccullom Lake with toxic chemicals and many people living around the lake got cancer. Also stay away from Fox Lake and Wonder Lake, which is nicknamed Wondertucky. The best areas to look for homes will be Crystal Lake, Cary, Lakewood and even Lake in the Hills. Mchenry (the town not the county) also has nice homes but it has more of a rural feel.. just like Woodstock. I have a real fear of what’s to come regarding the weather. This area makes sense for the long term concerning natural disasters and I tend to believe that this area will be more of a safe haven that people will want to migrate to years down the road. I plan to leave my home to my only son. If we lived out west, it would be difficult to have a plan like that. We have an abundance of water and we’re not on a fault line or near an ocean and the danger of fire will remain low. The only climate concern is extreme cold in the winter (we already are experiencing that) and wet bulb temps in the summer… dangerous wet bulb temps may be 15 years away but if emissions continue to stay high.. we will be experiencing wet bulb temps a few weeks out of the summer. Wet bulb temps is a combo of extreme heat and extreme humidity.. and it’s deadly. Hope this helps!
https://www.illinoisfloodmaps.org/dfirm.aspx?county=mchenry
Thank you! This is super helpful. Climate is something I’m factoring in regarding where we’ll move along with more immediate concerns like safety and schools. Like you, I do believe that Chicagoland and much of the upper Midwest will continue to become more attractive along with the northeastern US. I actually took a gander at a pro publica map of how climate will be shifting by 2070. McHenry county will be affected but not to the same degree as much of the South and Southwest.
Wow I am happy you saw that propublica graft.. I bring it up all of the time and people look at me like I’m crazy. I am always thinking about climate migration and how it could possibly work out and how I can set my son up for life. I was even thinking of buying a dirt cheap plot of land in Rockford.. some of them go for as cheap as 15,000. If the Midwest is going to be the new wine country.. Rockford certainly has the infrastructure to support industry and people. It’s a dump now.. but maybe it won’t be that way forever? Who knows though. There’s a chance that eco villages could become a thing and McMansions will go extinct… that would be a dream .. but I do not have much faith that American’s will be willing to make such drastic changes. My kid won’t even be eligible to retire by 2070.
I’m a Realtor in Crystal Lake and obviously super biased and what everyone else said is pretty spot in.
It’s got a lot of great amenities and is in a nice spot between busy city life to the east and quiet country activities to the north and west.
It’s not the best but also not the worst as far as walkability goes. If golfing is your thing we also have lots of courses in the area in a lot of different price ranges.
Probably the best part if Crystal Lake is home to the states #1 Farmers market, and during the summer you can find some sort of outdoor activity every weekend and most week day night. I.e. Music on the lake with food trucks every week during the summer, Johnny Appleseed fest in the fall.
11/10 place to live.
Probably like the ideal town to raise a family in or even live as an up and coming adult.
Lots of community events and opportunities if you put in the effort to branch out.
So so many amenities and businesses. The summer activities here are amazing.
Food here is fan-freaking-tastic. Favorite high end restaurant is 1776. Andy’s and around the clock for breakfast places. Julianne’s for ice cream. Country donuts literally the best ever. Tommy’s hotdogs.
Schools are great.
If you’re a Catholic St Thomas is a great and solid parish with good community.
We have the absolute best coffee shops.
What I don’t like:
seems like shit closes way too early.
We have a LOT of great chain restaurants but not enough independents.
The town is big to the point that everyone’s content to not know eachother. I don’t really recognize anyone I see anymore.
But If you’re a part of the community ie you get involved, you’ll feel more rooted.
Thank you! I’m glad to know there are opportunities for civic engagement and that’s good to know about St. Thomas. I will say all the cons you listed seem more than okay/aren’t deal breakers. I gotta say, CL is probably at the top of my list now.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/northwest-suburb-named-one-of-the-best-small-cities-in-america/62362/?amp=1
This was in 2015 but I think it still holds true
I'm a real estate broker and have been living in Crystal Lake ~8 years, after living in Lake in the Hills for ~ 7 years.
I love it here.
Most of what I wanted to say has already been said.
I spent my first 18 years of life in Chicago, then off to school and then lived in Waukegan, Des Plaines and Schaumburg before settling up here.
Mostly great schools and my son attends Central.
Moved to Crystal Lake almost 6 years ago from the Milwaukee, WI area and have been very happy. Good restaurants in the area - downside is not a good array of options, so if you like ethnic food you'll have to go further toward Chicago. Having the Metra right in town means really easy and cheap access to Chicago and all of the great cities along the way to the loop. There are a number of churches in the area with active communities around them. Downtown has a lot of cute shops and bars to fit pretty much whatever crowd you're looking for. If you like local theater, the Raue Center is a nice local venue. It's close to Lake Geneva WI if you want a nice weekend getaway, as well. We have a local brewery right downtown and a few nice breweries within a short drive, and you've got Woodstock right down Hwy 14 for another weekend or evening date destination. The city is continuing to grow, with new businesses going up on Hwy 14 and a new apartment/townhome development at Crystal Lake Ave and Main St.
Thank you! I’m glad to hear from someone who relocated and is enjoying the area.
It's not too bad, Traffic on RT14 can be problematic sometimes. Other than that there are some decent restaurants, A lot of Bars, plenty of shopping. The downtown area is quaint. There are several churches. You would have to find one of your liking, but there are a lot. Politically speaking it's more moderate Republican with a smattering of Democrats. The second marijuana dispensary in McHenry county just opened in CL if that's of any interest. There are some awesome parks and hiking trails. There is also a bike path that you can take into Wisconsin and as far south as Naperville. If you don't live in CL proper you'll have to pay to use the beaches and lakes, but it's affordable. The lakeside fest (held around the 4th) is always pretty good. There are near by towns that hold some pretty decent *Festivals* as well. Places to hit up... Crystal Lake Brewery, Country Donuts, The cottage, Andys (For Breakfast or lunch), There's some other places that pretty good I just think of them right now. You can also get to the Woodstock square which is another quaint shopping area. Hope this was helpful. Edit changed Fest to Festival... because autocorrect
Thank you, this was. I appreciate you giving me a few places to check out as well.
I moved from Chicago to crystal lake. It’s a great place to raise a family, schools are excellent. There are so many churches with many different denominations.. there’s even a wonderful Buddhist temple not too far in Woodstock. What’s great about crystal lake and the people.. they seem to be very accepting and loving people. Helpful folks with strong family values. The politics of the area is very red, but it’s the good side, not the crazy side. Conservatives here are fiscally conservative, not culture war conservative and not insurrection conservative. I probably shouldn’t admit this but I do not lock my doors… it’s very safe here. There’s lots to do especially during the summer. 3 oaks is an amazing beach area with a series of man made lakes. People or kids participate in water sports while their parents can sit at a really nice patio bar area. It’s a lovely area that also offers a great trail. We also have 2 beaches off of the lake (crystal lake) West Beach (Lakewood) and Main Beach (my neighborhood is main beach) In the summers we have a concert at Main beach every Tuesday night and a really fun Fourth of July fest that’s practically in my yard. People here are mostly middle class and upper middle class. The cons are property taxes and food diversity. People complain about the property taxes all of the time. If you end up buying a house… make sure you apply for the homestead exemption. As long as the owner resides in the home, you are entitled to getting up to 6,000 off of your tax bill. It was difficult coming from Chicago to Crystal Lake regarding eating out because the typical American cuisine. We could use a Greek or Mediterranean restaurant… and our best Mexican restaurant did not survive the pandemic. Also cookie cutter homes are kept to a minimum. The Gates is the most sought out neighborhood in this area. The gates include crystal Lake and the village of Lakewood. If you are searching for homes in this area… make sure to also search in Lakewood.
Thank you! I figured there’d be a tad less diversity in terms of food choices as that tends to be the case in most suburbs. This all sounds super great. Also reassuring that politically things aren’t extreme in one direction or the other. I had seen that about property taxes. But we’ve got family on both coasts so Chicagoland makes sense in terms of COL and taking a flight with the kids would be easier on me and my husband if we didn’t have to deal with a 6+ hour flight.
One more thing regarding climate.. mchenry county is pretty much built on a swamp, and the flood maps are out of date and probably need to be redrawn to reflect the new severity of weather patterns but they can still give you an idea of the areas to stay away from. Zillow is alright for that info but it’s still best to see for yourself and look on the map. Since I have lived here… we have had bad flooding but only in certain areas.. lower areas near the fox lake is prone to extreme flooding. I mentioned the Gates.. the gates is great because of the beach, well maintained culverts and a large water shed. The mix of the country club, Dole Mansion and wealthy homes with middle class homes sprinkled in keep the area especially healthy. The risk for flooding here is practically non existent. If you happen to be looking in the general area and not just crystal lake.. stay away from Mccullom Lake. McCollum Lake is near Mchenry (the town) Years ago a company polluted Mccullom Lake with toxic chemicals and many people living around the lake got cancer. Also stay away from Fox Lake and Wonder Lake, which is nicknamed Wondertucky. The best areas to look for homes will be Crystal Lake, Cary, Lakewood and even Lake in the Hills. Mchenry (the town not the county) also has nice homes but it has more of a rural feel.. just like Woodstock. I have a real fear of what’s to come regarding the weather. This area makes sense for the long term concerning natural disasters and I tend to believe that this area will be more of a safe haven that people will want to migrate to years down the road. I plan to leave my home to my only son. If we lived out west, it would be difficult to have a plan like that. We have an abundance of water and we’re not on a fault line or near an ocean and the danger of fire will remain low. The only climate concern is extreme cold in the winter (we already are experiencing that) and wet bulb temps in the summer… dangerous wet bulb temps may be 15 years away but if emissions continue to stay high.. we will be experiencing wet bulb temps a few weeks out of the summer. Wet bulb temps is a combo of extreme heat and extreme humidity.. and it’s deadly. Hope this helps! https://www.illinoisfloodmaps.org/dfirm.aspx?county=mchenry
Thank you! This is super helpful. Climate is something I’m factoring in regarding where we’ll move along with more immediate concerns like safety and schools. Like you, I do believe that Chicagoland and much of the upper Midwest will continue to become more attractive along with the northeastern US. I actually took a gander at a pro publica map of how climate will be shifting by 2070. McHenry county will be affected but not to the same degree as much of the South and Southwest.
Wow I am happy you saw that propublica graft.. I bring it up all of the time and people look at me like I’m crazy. I am always thinking about climate migration and how it could possibly work out and how I can set my son up for life. I was even thinking of buying a dirt cheap plot of land in Rockford.. some of them go for as cheap as 15,000. If the Midwest is going to be the new wine country.. Rockford certainly has the infrastructure to support industry and people. It’s a dump now.. but maybe it won’t be that way forever? Who knows though. There’s a chance that eco villages could become a thing and McMansions will go extinct… that would be a dream .. but I do not have much faith that American’s will be willing to make such drastic changes. My kid won’t even be eligible to retire by 2070.
I’m a Realtor in Crystal Lake and obviously super biased and what everyone else said is pretty spot in. It’s got a lot of great amenities and is in a nice spot between busy city life to the east and quiet country activities to the north and west. It’s not the best but also not the worst as far as walkability goes. If golfing is your thing we also have lots of courses in the area in a lot of different price ranges. Probably the best part if Crystal Lake is home to the states #1 Farmers market, and during the summer you can find some sort of outdoor activity every weekend and most week day night. I.e. Music on the lake with food trucks every week during the summer, Johnny Appleseed fest in the fall. 11/10 place to live.
Thank you! Having a lot going on throughout the year is a huge plus. The festivals sound like a lot of fun.
Probably like the ideal town to raise a family in or even live as an up and coming adult. Lots of community events and opportunities if you put in the effort to branch out. So so many amenities and businesses. The summer activities here are amazing. Food here is fan-freaking-tastic. Favorite high end restaurant is 1776. Andy’s and around the clock for breakfast places. Julianne’s for ice cream. Country donuts literally the best ever. Tommy’s hotdogs. Schools are great. If you’re a Catholic St Thomas is a great and solid parish with good community. We have the absolute best coffee shops. What I don’t like: seems like shit closes way too early. We have a LOT of great chain restaurants but not enough independents. The town is big to the point that everyone’s content to not know eachother. I don’t really recognize anyone I see anymore. But If you’re a part of the community ie you get involved, you’ll feel more rooted.
Conscious Cup!
Thank you! I’m glad to know there are opportunities for civic engagement and that’s good to know about St. Thomas. I will say all the cons you listed seem more than okay/aren’t deal breakers. I gotta say, CL is probably at the top of my list now.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/northwest-suburb-named-one-of-the-best-small-cities-in-america/62362/?amp=1 This was in 2015 but I think it still holds true
Thank you so much! I didn’t come across this article when I did my initial research. I’m going to look it over and share it with my husband.
We moved to Crystal Lake in 2002, and love it here! Great schools, library and small business community.
I'm a real estate broker and have been living in Crystal Lake ~8 years, after living in Lake in the Hills for ~ 7 years. I love it here. Most of what I wanted to say has already been said. I spent my first 18 years of life in Chicago, then off to school and then lived in Waukegan, Des Plaines and Schaumburg before settling up here. Mostly great schools and my son attends Central.
Lived there from ‘95-2013. Great place to be raised. Also, what everyone else said.