Ranked for Outdoor Lovers
Best Places to Live in Illinois for Outdoor Lovers
Public land, clean air, small towns, sunny and mild Ranked by how well each place fits the Outdoor Lovers profile across cost, schools, climate, and safety — see how we score.
Top 25 places
- #1DecaturPopulation 70,975 · mixed overall livability85% match
- #2Lake in the HillsPopulation 28,958 · mixed overall livability82% match
- #3PekinPopulation 32,075 · mixed overall livability74% match
- #4West ChicagoPopulation 25,632 · mixed overall livability74% match
- #5AlgonquinPopulation 29,888 · mixed overall livability72% match
- #6LansingPopulation 28,713 · mixed overall livability72% match
- #7HuntleyPopulation 27,652 · mixed overall livability72% match
- #8McHenryPopulation 27,493 · mixed overall livability72% match
- #9Chicago HeightsPopulation 27,366 · mixed overall livability72% match
- #10New LenoxPopulation 27,242 · mixed overall livability72% match
- #11WoodstockPopulation 26,084 · mixed overall livability72% match
- #12BloomingtonPopulation 78,788 · mixed overall livability67% match
- #13StreamwoodPopulation 39,556 · mixed overall livability67% match
- #14QuincyPopulation 39,441 · solid overall livability67% match
- #15Round Lake BeachPopulation 27,229 · mixed overall livability64% match
- #16GalesburgPopulation 29,923 · solid overall livability62% match
- #17DanvillePopulation 29,100 · mixed overall livability62% match
- #18WaukeganPopulation 89,435 · mixed overall livability59% match
- #19GurneePopulation 30,629 · mixed overall livability59% match
- #20ElginPopulation 114,190 · mixed overall livability56% match
- #21PeoriaPopulation 113,054 · mixed overall livability56% match
- #22WheatonPopulation 53,673 · solid overall livability56% match
- #23NormalPopulation 52,920 · mixed overall livability56% match
- #24Hoffman EstatesPopulation 51,744 · mixed overall livability56% match
- #25BartlettPopulation 40,829 · mixed overall livability56% match
Match % is a range-based fit: the share of this profile's weighted factors whose value for a place lands inside the profile's preferred band. It is not an absolute quality score, and very small communities are excluded from this list.
Tune these weights yourself on the interactive map →
Disagree with the ranking? Drag the sliders for outdoor lovers and watch the map re-score every place in Illinois live.