Your Guide to Buying a Home in Mokena, IL

Buying a Home in Mokena, Illinois

Mokena is located in Will County

OVERVIEW
Mokena is a quiet country town far away from the hectic pace and congestion of high-density, multi-family living and offering all the amenities of a quality family lifestyle, the Village of Mokena is a wonderful oasis in the south suburbs. Mokena continues to attract upwardly mobile, middle-class home buyers from suburbs all over the Chicago area. Mokena has evolved into a predominantly single-family community which offers quality employment, shopping and education for its residents. The attraction includes top rated schools, friendly service, and it’s pleasant, country like surroundings.

HOMES
An abundance of affordable new homes and townhomes have made Mokena the choice for hundreds of new residents. Home values continue to appreciate, thus ensuring both new and long-time residents a valuable return on property investments. Even with rising home values, Mokena continues to attract home buyers in all price ranges with plenty of moderate and executive housing available throughout Mokena’s handsome, well-maintained neighborhoods.

LOCATION
Located in fast growing Will County, Mokena has one of the lowest tax rates in the Chicagoland area. Easily accessible location for business along the I-80 corridor. There is an abundant labor force at all levels for business. Mokena is home to two Metra train stations, one at I-80 and LaGrange Rd. and one in the heart of the downtown business district. Residents who work in Chicago can take a 45-minute ride on Metra’s Rock Island Railroad line. Many commuters walk to the Metra station, located in the historic downtown area of the Village; or park and ride at the Hickory Creek Metra Station located at LaGrange Road and 191st Street.

ECONOMY
Commercial and light industrial development has kept pace with residential growth. Regional shopping areas on Francis, Wolf and LaGrange Roads have been developed during the last decade; and light industrial development has taken place on 195th Street and LaGrange Road. The widening of 191st Street, which runs parallel with I-80, will increase opportunities for additional growth of office/research parks and distribution centers.

SCHOOLS
The majority of Mokena children attend Mokena School District 159 which is made up of two schools, Mokena Elementary School and Mokena Junior High School. Mokena Elementary accommodates programs for pre-school at-risk children as well as kindergarten through fifth grade. The 1998-99 enrollment was 1,487 (excluding pre-kindergarten students). There are between eight and ten sections at each grade level with the average class size for kindergarten through grade two at 24.1 and 26.5 for grades three through five.

More than 717 students in grades six through eight attend Mokena Junior High. Special nine-week classes in technology, Illinois history, geography, writing, music, art, drama, French and Spanish are available as electives to allow students to explore their interests beyond the core curriculum. A high school-level Spanish language course is also offered to eighth graders. Students at Mokena Junior High continually rank in the upper 25% of the state’s academic tests.

District 159 takes pride in its dedicated, caring teaching and administrative staffs to provide students an outstanding learning environment. Teachers are eager to assist students with special concerns and questions. They encourage students to strive for their best, while encouraging parental involvement and inquiries. The single campus site enables staff from all grade levels and departments to share in regular staff development activities.

Mokena is also served by Frankfort School District 157C, New Lenox Elementary School District 122 and Summit Hill School District 161. Together these schools provide the highest quality education for residents. Lincoln-Way Community High School District was organized in 1951. Since Lincoln-Way opened its doors in 1954, enrollment has grown from 290 to 4,400 students today.

The high school consists of two facilities, the Central Campus in New Lenox enrolls the eleventh and twelfth graders from New Lenox, Manhattan, Frankfort, Mokena, and the Frankfort Square area. The East Campus, located in Frankfort, enrolls freshmen and sophomores from the entire district. The East Campus was expanded in 1994 to include an additional fifty classroom academic wing, field house, and auditorium.

Students at Lincoln-Way boast many achievements in academics, sports, and music. Lincoln-Way students have continually scored higher on the American College Test (ACT) than their counterparts nationwide. Students consistently have scored higher than their peers on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Athletes and student musicians have experienced similar achievements. Athletic teams have placed first in various invitational tournaments and won conference championships. The 1997-98 varsity football team won the 6A state championship and the 1998 girls soccer team placed fourth in statewide competition. Student musicians have been chosen to participate in the All-State Music Conference, and band members have been chosen to march in the Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix, the Orange Bowl Parade in Miami, and the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. They also competed in the Fiesta Bowl National Pageant of Bands.

District 210 serves approximately 60,000 residents in Mokena, Frankfort, Manhattan, and New Lenox as well as unincorporated areas.

TRANSPORTATION
Mokena's transportation links are one of its primary assets. The Village is situated just south of I-80, taking commuters and other travelers west to Joliet or east to I-57. Nearby LaGrange Road (Rt. 45) provides a convenient north/south artery which crosses Rt. 30 to the south. Mokena is located approximately 35 miles southwest of Chicag