The Great US Small Town Revival

On the quiet migration reshaping Illinois' most storied towns

I can well remember the renaissance of Chicago in the 1990s as I was certainly doing my bit to contribute to the energy on the Northside. Everyone wanted to be in one of Chicago's buzzing and gentrifying neighborhoods. Well, things go in cycles and we are definitely seeing a big revival in commutable small towns as places to live, and sadly Chicago is under pressure on all fronts. Even 'Da Bears' seem to be decamping to Indiana. I am sorry but no amount of fine beverage will make me root for the Hammond Bears.

The nationwide phenomenon of economic revival of smaller rural towns is definitely a demographic 'thing'. It has been observed all over the country. Here in Illinois, examples like Galena and Woodstock spring to mind. Both are towns that had a heyday in the 1900s and a good stock of elegant mansions. Woodstock was home to dairy fortunes and supplied most of the world's typewriters! While Galena had a minerals industry and supplied the country with lead until steel took its crown. Both have culturally and economically revived downtowns and have seen a lot of extra growth since 2020 as remote work made the move more feasible and the sheer cost advantage versus downtown or even the North Shore was, and is, a big draw.

There are simply trade-offs to be made in all of these decisions. Healthcare and education are clearly one of them. Once you are enjoying the bucolic rural pastures and slower pace of more rural communities you are also often not going to get world-class healthcare and schools.

Glenview itself could get a shout-out here as it is a much revived small town even if not exactly a place for real-estate bargains. The state of its downtown for years always elicited an eye-roll while it now has a plethora of 'down-town' quality restaurants like Zinzi Den, Jackmans & Co, Ema, Oviva Italian Taverna, and soon to opened: Foxtail at Glenview House. You could say it is almost a destination for fine dining even if it has a way to go to catch Highwood. Of course you are not going to get a rural vibe unless you want to park outside Wagner farm and watch the cows grazing. Nonetheless there is still an undeniable smaller town feel in all of the Northshore towns.

Buyers can have their living spaces that are unattainable in the city such as a home gym and home office. And boy did the Covid pandemic make city-dwellers appreciate these things that could not be taken away and are within their walls. We have a real estate term for this:

"The One Minute City"

Affordability is still going to push people further into Lake and even McHenry Counties. I cannot see this changing as new homebuyers will just have to make the compromise as tight inventory in the North Shore will keep supply restricted for years to come and hybrid work schedules will tempt city workers to take the plunge into more far-flung rural communities where Walmart still reigns supreme.

For those that can afford it, the North Shore has a lifestyle that is hard to match. The sheer competition and lack of housing supply here means the pace of revival will not let-up in places like Rockton, Galena and Woodstock, among many others.