2025 Compare Cities Overview:
Highland Park, IL vs Lake Forest, CA

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Highlights
Are people in Lake Forest older or younger than people in Highland Park?
- The Median Age in Lake Forest is 8.3 years younger than in Highland Park.

Are housing costs cheaper in Lake Forest or Highland Park?
- Lake Forest housing costs are 52.9% more expensive than Highland Park housing costs.

Which city has a longer commute, Lake Forest or Highland Park?
- The average commute for residents of Lake Forest is 5.0 minutes shorter than it is for residents of Highland Park.

Things to do in Highland Park?
Highland Park, IL is situated north of Chicago on Lake Michigan’s shores while surrounded by lush green woods full of wildlife that visitors can observe thanks to numerous dedicated nature preserves along cutting across the surrounding area.

Things to do in Lake Forest?
Lake Forest, California markets itself as the ultimate Southern California lifestyle with numerous parks, shopping centers, and miles of trails giving visitors plenty of options for an active lifestyle.

 Highland Park, ILLake Forest, CAUnited States
 Population  Unlock85,516329,725,481
 Median Income$153,226  Unlock$69,021
 Median Age  Unlock40.138.4
 Avg. Home Price$613,300  Unlock$338,100
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.6%6.0%
 Avg. Commute Time31  Unlock26.38
Reviews for Highland Park    3 Reviews

You can sail on Lake Michigan, and your culture differences are welcomed. look up "North Shore Yacht Club" for sailing and kayaking  More

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Highland Park (and the village of Highwood, which it surrounds) is a great place to live, offering a unique combination of benefits. First, it is on the shore of Lake  More

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Over 19 years ago

A wonderful place to rasie a family, but quite expensive. Great schools, but the "wealth culture" of this tony Chicago suburb causes a lot of anxiety among the kids.   More

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Reviews for Lake Forest    16 Reviews

I've lived in Lake Forest for over a decade, before that elsewhere in OC and also up in LA. Lake Forest isn't perfect but it's really improved over the past decade,  More

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As a retired senior who has lived in Lake Forest (formerly El Toro) since 1977 I think LF is a great place if you can afford it. When we moved here in June '77 homes  More

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I’ve lived here for 2 years. Ok, it’s more like a 4 but there are so many idiots downplaying what it’s like here and giving Lake Forest ones and twos. There are a lot of  More

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