An affluent suburb in Cook County that's known for its lavish homes, plentiful recreational activities and for one of the finest high schools in the country (New Trier High School), Winnetka was also the site of the house that was made famous by the movie, "Home Alone." The North Shore suburb is located 18 miles north of Chicago's...
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An affluent suburb in Cook County that's known for its lavish homes, plentiful recreational activities and for one of the finest high schools in the country (New Trier High School), Winnetka was also the site of the house that was made famous by the movie, "Home Alone." The North Shore suburb is located 18 miles north of Chicago's Loop, and has a population of 12,386 (2003). Movie stars Bruce Dern, Chris O'Donnell, Rock Hudson, and Virginia Madsen all spent part of their childhoods in Winnetka. Winnetka's prime location affords the community waterfront views of Lake Michigan to the west and scenic views of the forest preserves to the east. Most properties are owner-occupied and magnificent homes with expansive grounds are the norm. Two-story colonial homes, smaller waterfront bungalows and Cape Cod-style residences range in price from $400,000 to $800,000. Georgian-style estates and English Tudor homes start at around $600,000 and go as high as several million dollars or more. Larger French provincial mansions and traditional residences with spacious yards and a wide array of amenities are priced from $1 million to $5 million dollars or more. Land is also available for the construction of custom-built homes in many neighborhoods. A few condominiums and townhouses are available; entry-level townhouses range in price from $$250,000 to $700,000 and up. Residents can do their shopping in three distinctive shopping areas, which offer clothing stores, gift shops, financial institutions, antique shops and grocery stores. In their leisure time, they can spend some time at the area's four beaches (one of them dog-friendly), play hockey with one of the largest hockey club programs in the state, sign up for some golfing, ice skating, sailing and boating lessons sponsored by the Winnetka Park District, sign up for some classes offered by the Winnetka Community House, or play some tennis at the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center. There are three Metra stations in Winnetka; a trip into downtown Chicago takes around 42 minutes.
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