River Forest is a somewhat small village located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 10,816 people and two constituent neighborhoods, River Forest is the 204th largest community in Illinois. River Forest has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic villages in the country.
River Forest home prices are not only among the most expensive in Illinois, but River Forest real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
River Forest is a decidedly white-collar village, with fully 94.70% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, River Forest is a village of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in River Forest who work in management occupations (17.11%), legal occupations (10.46%), and healthcare (9.28%).
Of important note, River Forest is also a village of artists. River Forest has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape River Forest’s character.
Also of interest is that River Forest has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 13.40% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
In addition, River Forest is a college town. There are a lot of students in River Forest attending college, and as a result River Forest provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared to the needs and activities of students.
Because of many things, River Forest is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, River Forest really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is River Forest perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.
One downside of living in River Forest is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In River Forest, the average commute to work is 33.98 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the village, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative. In addition, it is also a pedestrian-friendly village. Many of River Forest’s neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot.
Even though River Forest is a smaller village, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly the subway for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.
Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in River Forest. 80.44% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.
The per capita income in River Forest in 2018 was $83,466, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $333,864 for a family of four.
River Forest is a somewhat ethnically-diverse village. The people who call River Forest home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of River Forest residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in River Forest include Irish, German, Italian, English, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in River Forest is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.