Once a summertime retreat for wealthy Chicago businessmen and their families, Flossmoor is a beautiful, woodsy, community with upscale and historically varied housing, an award-winning parks department, and a diverse population.
With just 9,500 residents, Flossmoor is known for its community spirit and neighborliness—a quality that is no doubt responsible for the township’s exceptionally low crime rate of 73% less than the national average.
Downtown Flossmoor was built in the nineteen-twenties, and has considerable charm and sophistication, as benefits this upscale community. Residential property also reflects the community’s affluence, as elegant mansions from the turn of the twentieth century snuggle up to architect designed homes from the turn of the twenty-first. Parks are plentiful and public landscaping superb, with lovely old trees and well kept flower beds in ample evidence. The Flossmoor Sculpture Walk is a popular place to relax and the excellent Homewood-Flossmoor Park District provides a wide range of recreational facilities and activities.
Location
Flossmoor is in Cook County, Illinois, just south of Homewood in the southernmost part of Chicago.
Downtown Chicago is about 20 miles north of Flossmoor and Gary, Indiana is 18 miles east. Aurora is 40 miles west.
Geography
Flossmoor covers 3.8 square miles is fairly flat, with an abundance of trees and parks. Lake Michigan is about 12 miles northeast.
Jobs
Flossmoor is an affluent suburb of Chicago with a highly educated local population. Many are business professionals who commute to the Loop to work, but others find employment closer to home.
A commercial and retail center in its own right, Flossmoor has 3 banks and about 200 stores and offices. Good shopping and elegant restaurants flourish in this upscale neighborhood. Nearby colleges and hospitals hire the greatest number of locals but professional services and hi-tech companies are also thriving.
Flossmoor’s Tax Increment Financing district in its southwest corner supports the ongoing development of high quality office space there.
Housing
Ranked one of the top eight "future hot spots" for homebuyers by the Chicago Sun-Times, Flossmoor is an upscale Southland community with an interesting mix of historical and contemporary properties and a current development boom.
Here you may find Vintage Georgian homes standing next to modernist marvels, and (in the next neighborhood,) Tudors and Colonials. Flossmoor also has its share of expansive brick ranches, luxury town homes, and upscale condominiums. Locals love the fact they live in a community made of genuine neighborhoods and not bland, cookie cutter, subdivisions.
Flossmoor is a historic community with plenty of old trees, well established public landscaping and shady parks. The majority of neighborhoods are quiet and well back from the main traffic routes.
Local government recently approved plans for a new subdivision in Flossmoor and the 197 elegant custom built homes it contains are drawing a lot of interest.
The current average home price (for a single family home) in is about $444,200, but it is not uncommon for a house to sell for much higher.
Recreation
Beautiful Flossmoor has many lovely parks and green spaces, an award-winning park and recreation department, and a long golfing history.
Thanks to its early origins as a popular holiday spot for wealthy Chicagoans, Flossmoor has long been known for its superb golf courses, many of which were built in the early twentieth century. The Flossmoor Country Club is one of these; it has a championship course, an elegant clubhouse, and good swimming and tennis facilities. The private Idlewild Golf Club has an 18-hole course and has hosted numerous national tournaments. Coyote Run is administered by the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District and is an 18-hole par 71 course with tee boxes on each hole and ample water hazards. The Olympia Fields Country Club, host of the 2003 U.S. Open, is just a short distance away in neighboring Olympia Fields.
The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District has been ranked the best health and fitness faculty in the Chicago Southland for the past five years and has received prestigious national and state awards for excellence. Local residents benefit from a wealth of well run recreational facilities and programs, including the Iron Oaks Environmental Learning Center, 33 beautiful acres of wilderness that are ideal for hiking in summer and cross country skiing in winter. The Homewood-Flossmoor Racquet and Fitness Club is a superb facility that includes a running track and the Ingalls Wellness Center, operated with the local hospital. The Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena in neighboring Homewood is another excellent facility and home to an annual ice show.
Flossmoor residents of all ages can take a wide range of well priced recreational classes, from yoga to rock climbing, swing dancing to senior softball.
Lake Michigan is a short drive north of Flossmoor and local residents enjoy boating and kayaking in summer.
Special Attractions/Events
Elegant Flossmoor has superb real estate and some of the best schools in Illinois; add to this an award-winning recreation and parks department and an active local arts scene and it is no surprise that this upscale community is currently experiencing a boom in popularity.
The Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School is a three-time United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award winner, alongside only two other high schools in Illinois, and it has been top ranked by SchoolMatch for eleven consecutive years. 98% of students graduate and 92% attend college. 3% of the University of Chicago faculty members live in Flossmoor, which is more than in any other Chicago suburb.
Flossmoor has a beautifully landscaped Sculpture Walk and an active community arts scene. Many locals showcase their work at the annual Fine Art Fair in neighboring Homewood. The local music scene is diverse and entertaining and Thursday night jazz at local restaurant Flavour was voted the “Best Place for Live Music” by the Star Newspaper.
Local residents enjoy each others company at a wide range of community events. Holiday festivals like the annual Forth of July Children’s Parade are a lot of fun, and the yearly Flossmoor Fest in fall makes the most of the golden season. The annual Ice Show in the Homewood Flossmoor Ice Arena is a fantastic event, with local skaters enacting classic fairy tales to music.
Click Here for Even More Community Information and Flossmoor Events!
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
Originally a winter hunting site for the Fox Indians, Flossmoor was first settled in the nineteenth century by German immigrants who farmed here. With the coming of the Illinois Central Railroad in 1903, Flossmoor became a proper village and by the early nineteen-twenties it was a highly sought after place to live or spend the holidays. Well-to-do businessmen from Chicago increasingly relocated or holidayed here with their families and many of their elegant homes still stand. These men liked to play golf, and Flossmoor had many country clubs, many of which are still open today. Early street names like Caddy, Bunker, and Brassie pay homage to this still popular pastime.
Interestingly, given the community’s Native American and German heritage, “Flossmoor” is a Scottish term, meaning “dew scattered moor”. Locals still appreciate the delights of the year’s four distinct seasons.
It's my job to know EVERYTHING about Chicago South Suburbs, Homewood and Flossmoor! Ask me any question, and I'll get back to you quickly.
Please know that I and staff are deeply committed to your online privacy. Rest assured that any information you choose to provide will be held in the strictest confidence, and we will never lend, rent or sell your information to a third party.