Moving to Highland Park: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Highland Park means moving to a genuinely affluent North Shore lakefront community anchored by Ravinia Festival's nationally significant cultural draw -- and this record asks every prospective mover to understand its real, honestly disclosed 2022 tragedy alongside its strengths.
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Learn moreA genuinely affluent North Shore lakefront identity
Highland Park was founded in 1869 on Chicago's North Shore, bordering Lake Michigan. Its economy centers on a genuinely affluent, walkable downtown and professional-services base, with a real median household income of $168,094 (2024) -- among the highest in this project's Illinois buildout.
Ravinia Festival: a real, nationally significant draw
Ravinia Festival, the longest-running outdoor music festival in North America and the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, draws roughly 400,000 guests a year across more than 100 events -- a real cultural and economic anchor that shapes Highland Park's identity distinctly from every other Illinois Tier B market in this buildout.
A real, honest disclosure: the July 4, 2022 parade shooting
On July 4, 2022, a mass shooting during Highland Park's Independence Day parade killed 7 people and wounded 48. This record states that plainly rather than letting a prospective mover discover it only after relocating -- alongside the real, documented community recovery: the parade returned by 2024, and the Highland Park Community Foundation's July 4 Fund distributed its full $5,225,102 to victims and families plus $580,025 to community mental-health response.
A real, elevated cost of entry
Highland Park's average home value reached $809,080 as of June 2026, and its median effective property tax rate (2.53%) runs above even Illinois's own already-high statewide median -- both real costs to budget against before moving.
Key takeaways
- Highland Park's economy and identity center on a genuinely affluent downtown and Ravinia Festival's roughly 400,000 annual guests.
- This record discloses the real July 4, 2022 parade shooting directly, alongside the real, documented community recovery in the years since.
- Average home value ($809,080, June 2026) and property tax rate (2.53% effective) both run genuinely high -- budget accordingly.
- Median household income ($168,094) and a strong Niche A+ school grade reflect Highland Park's genuine affluence.
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