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Chicago's Northwest Suburbs

Area 847

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Cook County · UP-NW · District 211

Palatine

A rebuilt downtown on the UP-NW, between Arlington Heights and Barrington.

Palatine
Palatine on the Area 847 map — neighbors sit quieter. Municipal limits from U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files (2019, 1:500,000). Not a legal plat. All towns.
Smith Street looking from Wood Street in downtown Palatine
Smith Street looking from Wood Street in downtown Palatine. Mysterymanblue, 30 May 2021. CC0 1.0. Source · License

Overview

Palatine sits in the middle of the 847 corridor: Cook County, a reconstructed downtown against the Metra, older streets near Wood Street, and newer subdivisions toward the edges. The 2020 Census counted 67,908 people; the July 1, 2025 estimate is 65,842. Arlington Heights is one stop inbound on the UP-NW; Barrington is the next town out. Harper College is on the south side of town and shapes a lot of the weekday traffic.

Quick facts

Population (est.)
65,842 (Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2025, V2025)
2020 Census
67,908
County
Cook
ZIPs
60067, 60074
Area codes
847 / 224
Median home value
$355,600 (ACS 2020–2024)
Median household income
$97,819 (ACS 2020–2024)
Mean commute
27.7 minutes (ACS 2020–2024)
Owner-occupied
67.4% (ACS 2020–2024)
Bachelor's or higher
51.1%
Poverty rate
8.2%

Housing, income, and commute figures are U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 estimates unless noted. Population is Census QuickFacts July 1, 2025 (V2025) unless noted.

Taxes

The Cook County Clerk’s 2024 average composite rate for Palatine parcels was 10.294 per $100 of equalized assessed value (2024 Tax Rate Report). BlockShopper’s FY 2024 median bill for Palatine was about $7,940 on a $315,000 home, near 2.5 percent effective (South Cook News). School District 15 and Palatine Township High School District 211 are the heavy levies. Confirm the PIN on the Cook County Treasurer site.

Commute

Mean travel time is 27.7 minutes (ACS 2020–2024). About 21 percent of Palatine workers worked from home in the 2020–2024 ACS (CMAP municipal snapshot). Metra UP-NW stops at Palatine, 137 W. Wood Street. Drivers use Northwest Highway, Rand Road, IL-53, and the I-90 ramps. Inbound trains go to Ogilvie; check the current UP-NW timetable.

Schools

Community Consolidated School District 15 covers Palatine and parts of neighboring towns. High schools are in Township High School District 211, which lists Palatine among the communities it serves. Boundary maps beat assumptions. Ratings live on ISBE report cards.

Housing

ACS 2020–2024 puts the median owner-occupied value at $355,600, with 67.4 percent of occupied units owner-occupied and a median household income of $97,819. Postwar ranches and split-levels still dominate; downtown has added townhomes and apartments around the station.

Why people move here

You get a real downtown, a train, and District 211 high schools. The village is large enough that a far-side address can make every errand a drive. Winter Metra parking fills. Cook County tax bills are not a rumor.

On the ground

Palatine Public Library exterior
Palatine Public Library exterior. SimLibrarian, 2 November 2025. CC0 1.0. Source · License
Volunteer Plaza and clock tower in Palatine
Volunteer Plaza and clock tower in Palatine. Mysterymanblue, 30 May 2021. CC0 1.0. Source · License
Palatine Metra station from Wood Street
Palatine Metra station from Wood Street. Mysterymanblue, 30 May 2021. CC0 1.0. Source · License
Palatine Metra station tower at Smith Street
Palatine Metra station tower at Smith Street. Mysterymanblue, 30 May 2021. CC0 1.0. Source · License

Village numbers

Call 911 for police, fire, or medical emergencies. The numbers below are the published civic lines.

Open Palatine in Home SOS · Malls, churches, and theaters · Other attractions · Facilities · Pickleball courts

Pickleball courts

Public / park-district sites only. Full directory: Pickleball courts.

Facilities

Other attractions

  • Park District rec

    Falcon Park Recreation Center

    2195 N. Hicks Road, Palatine, IL 60074

    Falcon Park is the Park District’s big indoor rec building on the east side of Palatine — easy from Route 53, tucked near Hicks and Rand. Gym, turf, track, and rooms for birthday parties when the brochure has them. Not a festival lot. Not a mall.

  • Live music · Paid when ticketed

    Durty Nellie’s

    180 N. Smith Street, Palatine, IL 60067

    The Smith Street music room people mean when they say they’re going to Nellie’s. Pull the live calendar from their site.

Hours and tickets on Other attractions

Upcoming in Palatine

Dining and shops

Editorial roundup from OpenTable, TripAdvisor, and downtown association lists, September 2026.

  • Agio Italian Bistro

    Italian · Downtown

    OpenTable’s Palatine leader in September 2026 — pastas and a quieter adult room near downtown.

  • The Cork @ CCF

    Wine bar · Downtown

    Small plates and a serious wine list in downtown Palatine. OpenTable diners have it near the top of local bookings.

  • Brandt's of Palatine

    American

    A Palatine dining-room fixture. Public Palatine lists still surface it among the locals.

  • Chicago Culinary Kitchen

    Barbecue

    Suburban barbecue with a rock-and-roll dining room. A regular on public Palatine restaurant lists.

  • Quentin Tap

    American

    Newer Palatine taproom. Public diner lists in 2026 have ranked it at the top of Palatine proper.

  • Madcats

    American / live music

    Beer, plates, and live music. Another name that keeps showing up on Palatine public lists.

  • Original Taco

    Mexican · 1856 N. Rand Road

    Long-running Rand Road taco counter — breakfast through late, the kind of room people mean when they say Palatine Mexican.

  • El Angel

    Mexican · 279 W. Dundee Road

    Modest Dundee-and-Smith taqueria. Tacos, burritos, and salsa in a strip-center dining room.

  • Taco Shop

    Mexican · Quentin Corners · 809 N. Quentin Road

    From-scratch tacos on Quentin. Al pastor off the spit; they also list vegetarian and vegan builds.

  • Tacos El Norte

    Mexican · 1324 N. Rand Road

    Family-owned taqueria and bar on Rand — homemade tortillas, a Palatine fixture for decades.

  • Salsa Street

    Mexican · 1540 N. Rand Road

    Rand Road Mexican cantina — street-food plates and a full bar, not a downtown white-tablecloth room.

  • One Taco Dos Tequilas

    Mexican · Downtown · 375 W. Northwest Highway

    Sit-down tacos and tequila on Northwest Highway — more of a night-out room than a counter.

Sources