Northfield is the North Shore's quiet option. It is small, wooded, and low-key, and it delivers most of what draws people to its better-known neighbors without the scale or the attention.
A Quieter Corner of the North Shore
Northfield sits inland between Winnetka and Glenview, compact enough to cross in a few minutes and heavily enough wooded that much of it feels tucked away. There is no lakefront and no bustling commercial strip. What there is instead is a genuinely residential village where people tend to stay for decades.
The village center near Happ Road and Willow Road covers everyday needs without trying to be a destination. Northfield is also home to New Trier's freshman campus, which means many families in the district begin their high school years here regardless of which village they live in. The community feeds into New Trier for high school, a significant part of its appeal.
Because Northfield is small, housing turnover is limited. Properties come available less frequently than in larger towns, which means opportunities are worth evaluating carefully when they appear.
Homes and Lots
Northfield's housing is varied rather than uniform. Mid-century homes, traditional two-stories, ranches, and newer custom construction all appear, often on the same street. Lot sizes range considerably, and many properties are heavily treed.
That wooded setting is the strongest design cue. Homes that engage with the landscape, use natural materials well, and bring light in thoughtfully tend to feel most at home here. Beyond that, the village accommodates a broad range of directions, and there is no dominant style you need to design toward.
What to Watch For on a Northfield Lot
The main site consideration in Northfield is water. The village includes areas near the Skokie River and the Middle Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River, and it maintains a floodplain map and a stormwater management ordinance that governs new construction. Whether a given parcel is affected varies significantly across the village, so a flood determination and a topographic survey before purchase is money well spent.
Northfield also has a tree preservation ordinance that regulates removal of trees in setback areas, which is precisely where construction access and utility work tend to happen. Planning site logistics and tree preservation together, rather than sequentially, avoids the most common conflict.
Talk to Globex
We have built custom homes and completed high-end interior projects throughout Northfield and the North Shore since 2002. Given how rarely Northfield properties become available, we are glad to help you assess a parcel early, before you are committed.
Email a Friend»
back
