Step inside this one-bedroom, one-bath apartment in Winnetka and the first thing you notice is the light. Wide double-hung windows dressed with white wood blinds pull sun across the living room and bedroom all day, while wide-plank flooring in a soft driftwood gray runs underfoot through every room, tying the layout together. The living room opens through a wide cased doorway into the bedroom, so the space reads open and easy to furnish, and deep crown molding and freshly painted trim throughout give the unit a crisp, finished look. The bedroom includes a bifold double closet plus a second reach-in closet, giving you real storage without eating into floor space, and a ceiling fan keeps the air moving through the warmer months. A classic cast iron radiator handles the heat in every room, a nod to the building's prewar character.
The kitchen has been fully updated with white shaker cabinets, a quartz-style countertop, and a subway tile backsplash that runs the full length of the workspace. Stainless steel appliances include a full-size refrigerator, a gas range with a four-burner cooktop, and a built-in dishwasher, plus a deep stainless sink with a pull-down faucet for easy cleanup. Cabinet space wraps the room on both the upper and lower runs, so pots, dishes, and pantry goods all have a home. The bathroom carries the same updated feel, with a dark wood vanity, a wall-mounted sink, and a tiled tub and shower combination accented by a glass block window that fills the room with soft, private light. A pedestal-style toilet and a decorative tile stripe along the tub surround round out the finishes, and the building's on-site laundry room means you are never far from a working machine.
The Winnetka Metra station on the Union Pacific North Line sits right on Elm Street, about a 3-minute walk from the building. From there it is a direct ride into the city: trains reach the Ogilvie Transportation Center in the Loop in about 37 to 41 minutes, with frequent weekday service during rush hour and regular off-peak departures throughout the day. For anyone driving, Green Bay Road and Sheridan Road both run through downtown Winnetka a couple of blocks away, giving quick access north and south along the North Shore and to the Edens Expressway a short drive west.
What’s Nearby
Everyday errands are covered within a few minutes on foot. Lakeside Foods, a full-service neighborhood grocery store, is about a 4-minute walk on Elm Street, and Hometown Coffee & Juice is essentially next door for a morning coffee or smoothie. The short downtown Winnetka retail stretch along Elm and Chestnut Streets mixes boutiques, service shops, and a handful of restaurants, including 501 Local, a neighborhood bistro with a patio, about a 5-minute walk away.
For recreation, the Winnetka Community House on Lincoln Avenue is about a 5-minute walk and houses a full fitness center along with performing arts, dance, and youth program space. The Winnetka Library on Oak Street is a similar distance, with extended weekday hours for residents who want a quiet place to read or work. In summer, the Village's Lake Michigan beaches add a seasonal lakefront option a short drive or bike ride away.
Currently Not Available
Winnetka
Winnetka takes its name from a Native American word for "beautiful land," and it earned that description early: German settler Michael Schmidt arrived in 1826, and by 1854 the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad, championed by village co-founders Charles Peck and Walter Gurnee, had laid track through town, cementing Winnetka's future as one of the North Shore's first true railroad suburbs. Growth stayed deliberately slow and careful, from a population of 584 in 1880 to under 2,000 by 1900, before more than tripling to nearly 6,700 by 1920 as the North Shore's commuter appeal took hold. That same unhurried, planned approach shaped the village that exists today: wide lawns, historic homes spanning more than a century of North Shore architecture, and a compact, walkable Elm Street downtown of independent shops and cafes rather than chains. The Winnetka Historical Society still actively documents the lesser-known people and places behind that 200-year history, a sign of how seriously the village guards its small-town character even as it sits just 16 miles from downtown Chicago. Add in excellent schools, several Lake Michigan beaches, and the nearby Chicago Botanic Garden, and Winnetka reads less like a suburb and more like its own well-tended small town on the lake.
Parks & Recreation
Skokie Lagoons
The Skokie Lagoons are an 894 acre forest preserve of seven interconnected lagoons, dug by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1933 and 1942 and now one of the North Shore's biggest outdoor destinations. Access from Winnetka runs off Tower Road just east of I-94, where a trailered boat launch and a seasonal canoe and kayak rental concession open onto more than 11 miles of shoreline; bluegill, sunfish, and largemouth bass draw anglers along the banks nearly year round. A roughly 4.4 mile paved loop circles the water for walking, running, and biking, and the preserve's mix of open lagoon and wooded shoreline makes it a reliable spot for birdwatching in every season.
Elder Lane Beach is Winnetka's classic Lake Michigan swimming beach, a stretch of sand at the foot of a restored bluff where lifeguards staff the water through the summer season. After a multi year cleanup and restoration effort, the beach reopened for full swimming access for the 2026 season, with native plantings along the bluff above improving both the lake views and the shoreline's long term stability. A seasonal pass covers Elder Lane along with Winnetka's other beaches, or admission can be paid daily at the gate, and the beach house has restrooms and a spot to rinse off after a swim. It is a genuine small town beach day, close enough to treat as a regular part of summer rather than an occasional outing.
The Green Bay Trail is an 8.9 mile paved path built on the old Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad right of way, running from Wilmette north through Winnetka, Hubbard Woods, Glencoe, and on to Highland Park. Wide, flat, and wheelchair accessible, it is used year round for walking, running, biking, and in winter for cross country skiing, with benches, picnic spots, and parking access scattered along its length in each town it passes through. Because it threads right along the Union Pacific tracks, it doubles as the most pleasant possible walking or biking route between downtown Winnetka and Hubbard Woods, a shaded, car free corridor that locals use as much for the commute as for the exercise.
Winnetka Golf Club is a public 18 hole course run by the Winnetka Park District on land that golf architect William Langford first laid out in 1914, turning 30 acres of flood plain marsh into the club's original nine holes before the park district doubled it to a full eighteen in 1922. A 2022 renovation by architect Rick Jacobson addressed decades of recurring flooding while keeping the course's tree lined, William Langford era character intact, and today it plays 6,517 yards from the back tees with a 72.6 rating across four sets of tees for every skill level. Beyond the championship course, the club runs a nine hole par 3 layout, a 28 stall lighted driving range, three practice greens, and a full instructional program, making it as approachable for a quick evening round as it is for a serious game.
