Prairie Crossing Picked For Money's Best Places To Live List

GRAYSLAKE, IL — A "conservation community" located in a subdivision in Grayslake has been picked as one of the best places to live in the U.S., according to a newly-released list from Money Magazine.

In Money's 5o Best Places To Live In The U.S. list, Prairie Crossing in Grayslake is lauded for its efforts in defying the conventional cookie-cutter suburban subdivision. Located on 650 acres, the area is made up of restored open prairies, wetlands and a working organic farm, according to Money Magazine.

Prairie Crossing is made up of fewer than 5,000 residents, has an unemployment rate of 5.2 percent and the median house listing is priced at $587,000.

Residential lots are smaller than lots in a typical suburb, according to Money Magainze, and the home are also different. Each residence is built using "green" construction techniques that have been approved by the U.S. Department of Energy, and native plants and pollinator gardens make up the landscape.

Prairie Crossing also has its own charter school, a Prairie Crossing Metra station and several bike trails that weave through the "welcoming terrain," according to Money Magazine.

Prairie Crossing is the only Illinois community to make Money's Best Places to Live list. Other Midwest communities to make the list include LaCrosse, Wisconsin; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Ferndale, Michigan; and Yellow Springs, Ohio.

The full list can be viewed here.