Living in Libertyville, Illinois
A Lake County village about 40 miles north of the Chicago Loop, with a brick downtown and Metra service on the Milwaukee District North Line.
01 — The 60-Second Overview
Libertyville 60048, in sixty seconds.
Four chapters, about fifteen seconds each, on how Libertyville began, what the village is today, where ZIP 60048 sits, and what to confirm on a specific home.
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Origin
Libertyville incorporated in 1882. An 1895 fire in the downtown was followed by rebuilding in brick. Milwaukee Avenue, Illinois Route 21, runs through the village, and the Des Plaines River forms much of the eastern boundary.
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Today
The village is in Lake County, about 40 miles north of the Chicago Loop and about 5 miles west of Lake Michigan. Butler Lake, Liberty Lake, and Lake Minear are in the village. Metra’s Milwaukee District North Line reaches Union Station, and Prairie Crossing is on the North Central Service.
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Market
ZIP 60048 is the village code in Lake County, in the Chicago area about 40 miles north of the Loop. I-94 and the two Metra lines connect the village with downtown Chicago.
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What to Check
District 70 is named for the village, and Hawthorn District 73 covers the area south of Golf Road. Community High School District 128 includes Libertyville High School. A Blue Fence Libertyville Private Client agent confirms the items for a specific home.
Libertyville at a Glance
A Lake County village with a brick downtown.
Libertyville is a village in Libertyville Township, Lake County, Illinois, about 40 miles north of the Chicago Loop and about 5 miles west of Lake Michigan. The 2020 census counted 20,579 residents. Gazetteer files put the total area at 9.16 square miles, with 8.81 square miles of land. The ZIP code is 60048. The village incorporated in 1882.
Downtown
A fire in 1895 destroyed much of the downtown, and the village board required brick for the rebuilding, which left a center unified by period and material. Milwaukee Avenue, Illinois Route 21, is the main street. A National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street note, quoted in the village history, describes a Saturday-night downtown and a Thursday farmers’ market on Church Street across from Cook Park from June through October.
Getting around
Metra’s Milwaukee District North Line stops at the northern edge of downtown, with service between Fox Lake and Chicago Union Station. Prairie Crossing, near the Libertyville and Grayslake boundary, also serves that line and Metra’s North Central Service between Union Station and Antioch. Interstate 94, the Tri-State Tollway and the Edens Expressway, is the main automobile route toward Chicago.
Water and parks
The Des Plaines River forms much of the eastern boundary. Other bodies of water include Butler Lake, Liberty Lake, and Lake Minear. Parks named for the village include Cook Park, Adler, Sunrise Rotary, Riverside, and Independence Grove.
Schools
Libertyville District 70 operates Adler Park, Butterfield, Copeland Manor, and Rockland elementary schools and Highland Middle School inside the village. Libertyville High School is part of Community High School District 128 and serves Libertyville and other communities in Libertyville Township. Students south of Golf Road attend Hawthorn District 73 schools in Vernon Hills. Buyers verify current attendance boundaries with the district.
A civic landmark
The Cook Mansion, built in 1879 for Ansel Brainerd Cook, later became the town library and is now a museum operated by the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society. The Cook Park library of the Cook Memorial Public Library District stands on Cook and Brainerd streets.