A village about 30 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop, built on old estates and dairy land, with a 113-acre arboretum park and Metra service on the North Central line.
01 — At a Glance
Vernon Hills is a village about 30 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop. The 2020 census counted 26,850 residents. Gazetteer files put the total area at 7.95 square miles, with 7.74 square miles of land. The ZIP code is 60061. The village incorporated on July 16, 1958, and Village Hall is at 290 Evergreen Drive. Metra’s North Central Service stops at a station on Route 45.
02 — History
Vernon Hills went from family farms and gentleman estates to one of the area’s busiest suburbs in about 50 years. Along the way it hosted one of Chicagoland’s biggest dairies, and it got its name from a township and a mound on a golf course.
Mid-1800s
The village covers land once farmed by Theodore Mills and W.D. Coon, who worked large tracts around Butterfield Road and Route 83. The Mills farmhouse first stood at Butterfield and Route 45, where The Park Condominiums are today.
1914
Architect Benjamin Marshall designed a mansion along Milwaukee Avenue for Samuel Insull, who’d first come to the U.S. to work as Thomas Edison’s clerk. Jens Jensen designed the grounds with native plants and natural lines.
1924
The Hawthorn District 73 school on Milwaukee Avenue was built in 1924 and considered the gold standard for school buildings. It stayed in use for nearly 80 years.
1937–1970
John Cuneo, founder of the Cuneo Press, bought the Insull estate in 1937 for a reported $752,000. His Hawthorn Mellody Farms became one of Chicagoland’s largest milk suppliers, and kids came to visit Hawthorn Gulch Frontier Town. The dairy and park closed in 1970.
1958
Developer Barnie Loeb’s first choice was Forest Hills, but too many nearby towns already used “forest.” So it became Vernon, for the township, and Hills, for a mound he and his partner built on the 7th hole of the Tally Ho Golf Course. The village was born July 16, 1958, with Matt Teolis as its first president.
Source: Village of Vernon Hills: 50th Anniversary History · Village of Vernon Hills: History
1973
Cuneo annexed part of his land to Vernon Hills to build the Hawthorn Mall shopping center, which opened in 1973. More parcels came in during the late 1980s and became the Gregg’s Landing neighborhoods.
The land under Vernon Hills was farmed in the mid-1800s by families like those of Theodore Mills and W.D. Coon, who worked large tracts around Butterfield Road and Route 83. Later, wealthy Chicagoans built country estates in the area. In 1914 architect Benjamin Marshall designed a mansion along Milwaukee Avenue for utilities magnate Samuel Insull, with grounds by Jens Jensen. The Hawthorn District 73 school went up on Milwaukee Avenue in 1924 and served for nearly 80 years.
In 1937 printer John Cuneo bought the Insull estate for a reported $752,000. Hawthorn Mellody Farms grew into one of Chicagoland’s largest milk suppliers and a popular attraction, where children learned about dairying or visited Hawthorn Gulch Frontier Town. The dairy and park were sold and closed in 1970. Cuneo annexed part of his holdings to Vernon Hills for the Hawthorn Mall shopping center, which opened in 1973, and later annexations in the late 1980s led to the Gregg’s Landing neighborhoods.
Barnie Loeb, one of the developers of the first subdivision, later recalled that the first choice for a name was Forest Hills, after the subdivision’s Forest Court, Forest Way and Oak Forest Lane. Asked to pick something less common, they chose Vernon for the township and Hills for the mound Loeb and his partner built on the 7th hole of the Tally Ho Golf Course. Vernon Hills was born on July 16, 1958, with Matt Teolis as the first village president.
In the early 1970s New Century Town brought new neighborhoods, some with solar roof panels, around what became Century Park.
In 1980 the village bought the Tally Ho clubhouse, golf course, tennis courts and pool for $450,000, and the clubhouse became Village Hall. On August 25, 2002, the village dedicated its current Village Hall at Route 45 and Evergreen Drive, with materials chosen to recall the farm buildings that once dotted the land.
Vernon Hills High School opened in fall 1999 to its first class of freshmen, choosing the Cougar as its mascot and blue and silver as its colors. In 2000 the village acquired land that had served as a Nike missile base, a naval training center and Curtiss Candy Company property, now the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex. In 2017 Century Park became the first park district park in Illinois to earn arboretum accreditation.
Source: Village of Vernon Hills: 50th Anniversary History · Village of Vernon Hills: History · Wikipedia: Vernon Hills, Illinois · Vernon Hills Park District: Century Park Arboretum
03 — Shopping & Dining
Most of the village’s shopping and dining sits along Milwaukee Avenue, anchored by Hawthorn, the mall that opened in 1973, and Mellody Farm, an open-air center with about 270,000 square feet of shops and restaurants.
Scratch kitchen & wine shop
A scratch kitchen and wine bar focused on small-production wines from family wineries around the world, with a wine shop and wine club.
700 Hawthorn Row, Unit 100, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteGlobal fusion & wine
A wine bar and eatery with a global fusion menu, several lounges and a patio.
700 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 130, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteHibachi & sushi
Hibachi-style Japanese cooking, with chefs working the grill at your table.
561 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteThai kitchen
Thai cooking for dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering, from pineapple fried rice with seafood to roasted duck curry.
701 N. Milwaukee Ave., #284, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteCraft beer & kitchen
Locally brewed craft beer and a wide menu of chef-crafted dishes at Mellody Farm.
899 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteRestaurant & bar
Handcrafted food and craft beer at Mellody Farm, with weekend brunch and happy hour.
1115 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteShopping center
The village’s mall since 1973, with Macy’s, JCPenney, Anthropologie, Barbara’s Bookstore and an AMC theater with IMAX.
122 Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteShopping & dining center
An open-air center on Milwaukee Avenue with REI, West Elm, Barnes & Noble, Nordstrom Rack, Sephora, Athleta and Whole Foods.
851–1101 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteNatural & organic grocer
A full Whole Foods Market at Mellody Farm, with prepared foods and specialty items.
851 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteModern furniture & décor
Modern furniture and home décor at Mellody Farm, with in-store pickup.
901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 300, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteBookseller & author events
A Chicago bookseller since the early 1960s, with a store at Hawthorn that hosts author signings.
Hawthorn, 122 Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit WebsiteOff-price fashion
Designer clothing, shoes and accessories at off-price, in one of Mellody Farm’s largest spaces.
Mellody Farm, N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Visit Website04 — Education
Most of the village attends Hawthorn District 73 for elementary and middle school and Vernon Hills High School in District 128. Some southern subdivisions go to Lincolnshire-Prairie View District 103 and Stevenson High School, and the southwest corner attends Kildeer Countryside District 96.
Boundaries follow the address. Confirm school assignment for each address with the district before you buy.
Search HomesPublic · PreK–8
The village’s own elementary district, with neighborhood schools, a dual-language school and two middle schools.
Public · Grades 9–12
Vernon Hills High School opened in fall 1999 to its first class of freshmen. The Cougars wear blue and silver.
Public · Grades 9–12
Stevenson’s district includes portions of Vernon Hills, and Hawthorn’s Aspen, Elementary South and Middle School South are among its sender schools.
Public · Southern subdivisions
Some subdivisions in southern Vernon Hills attend Lincolnshire schools, then Stevenson.
Public · Southwest corner
Students in the southwest corner of the village attend Country Meadows and Woodlawn, then Stevenson.
Independent · Nearby
Carmel Catholic is a Catholic high school in neighboring Mundelein. Lake Forest Academy is a college-preparatory boarding school in Lake Forest.
05 — Lifestyle
Weekends here tend to start at Century Park or on a ball field and end with dinner on Milwaukee Avenue. Here’s where people spend their time, from lakes and lazy rivers to free summer concerts and the trains into Chicago.
The park district’s largest park: 113 acres around Big and Little Bear lakes, with 2.7 miles of paths, a sled hill, fishing and a boat launch. In 2017 it became the first park district park in Illinois with arboretum accreditation.
Park DetailsThe village-owned athletic fields at 300 Nike Parkway, on land that was once a Nike missile base, a naval training center and Curtiss Candy Company property.
Complex DetailsThree slides, two pools, a lazy river and a 10,000-square-foot sprayground, open from late May into September.
Waterpark DetailsThe village’s biggest event of the year, every July.
Event InfoA morning parade through the Deerpath neighborhood, music at Century Park in the evening and fireworks after dark, with the closest view from the park.
Event DetailsOn the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the village lights its tree, menorah and kinara at Century Park in a free, family outdoor event.
Event DetailsFounded in 2009, with a recreational league, academy training, skills clinics and a travel program.
Club WebsiteLocal baseball and softball, from the youngest divisions up through travel teams and spring tournaments.
VHCBS WebsiteThe Cougars program for flag and tackle football, basketball, lacrosse and wrestling.
Sports Club WebsiteFree, family-friendly outdoor concerts on select summer Thursday evenings at the Memorial Arbortheater, 50 N. Fairway Drive, just north of the athletic complex.
Concert SeriesCook Memorial’s Aspen Drive Library serves part of the village, with programs for kids, teens and adults.
Library WebsiteThe library district for the rest of the village, with a full calendar of events.
Library WebsiteNorth Central Service trains to Chicago Union Station from 75 E. Route 45, with 646 parking spaces and Pace route 593.
Station DetailsAlso on the North Central Service, at 2701 Main Street in nearby Prairie View, with 340 parking spaces.
Station DetailsMilwaukee Avenue (Route 21), Townline Road (Route 60), Route 45 and Route 83 are the main local routes, and I-94 is about two miles from Mellody Farm.
Village OverviewPrivate Client Representation