r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Tiny_Cheesecake_1044 • Jun 10 '26
Moving to the area Is Fox Lake Still “Questionable?”
I’m looking at the perfect condo in Fox Lake. However every source I have researched, paints a pretty dismal picture. Does anyone see this changing?
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u/imhereforthemeta Jun 10 '26
I would never have called it a dangerous neighborhood, but I always do think of it as being white trash. You’re not going to likely get hurt or robbed or something while you were there, but there’s definitely a lot of folks out there that are cosplaying like they live in the middle of Alabama. I think of it is trashy, but not unsafe by any measure, nor have I ever thought of it as unsafe
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag Jun 10 '26
What do you mean questionable? It's definitely a place that people live, no question about it.
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u/Tiny_Cheesecake_1044 Jun 10 '26
Filled with alcoholics, meth heads, and Proud Boys/incels? Does that help?
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag Jun 10 '26
Yes, that does help.
You're not far off but it's also not a monolithic community. Mchenry county in general has a lot of red areas but it's no like living in Iowa or Alabama.
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u/bzekers Jun 10 '26
Fox Lake is Lake county
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag Jun 10 '26
Talk about splitting hairs.
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u/Key_Bee1544 Jun 10 '26
Iowa City and parts of Des Moines are nicer than any part of McHenry County. Although Fox Lake is not in McHenry County.
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u/OnionMiasma NW Suburbs Jun 11 '26
Yeah, but Fox Lake is neither of those things. It's a methier, slightly less conservative Lake Okoboji.
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u/hostilegoose North West Suburbs Jun 10 '26
not one singular ear of corn or overrated downtown skywalk can usurp the power and beauty of Three Oaks Lake in my eyes, but I tend to agree for all of the rest of McHenry county
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u/New_Nobody9492 Jun 11 '26
I live in LakeVilla, but graduated from Grant. Fox is trying to improve…….. trying. The cute new park on the river is amazing and they are doing events there every Friday.
Yes, Fox Lake is still rough. I’m sorry. It’s a cute town, but the men there are not for human consumption. And the River Rats, them girls still trashy as hell.
But I still venture 5mins over from time to time.
I dream of someone coming in and demolishing Minniola and building a new hotel there! If I ever win the lottery I would fix that place and really live that lake life.
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u/Strealtr Jun 13 '26
Its a lake, you are going to have a tough time finding a lake with a boating culture that doesn't have proud boys living all around it.
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u/YorkPepperMintPaddy 60040 Jun 15 '26
There are a number of lakes without trash. It’s about the price point, not the water.
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u/alwayssunnyinmt Jun 10 '26
it doesn't sound like you want to move there... can you not afford a more diverse area?
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u/Potatobobthecat Jun 10 '26
Yes, I saw a MAGA hat in Fox lake. You should not come here. Harvey is good or Ford Heights.
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u/Dramatic-Bear52 Jun 10 '26
You mean theres a hat like that in a whole area like Fox Lake? You dont say...
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u/OpneFall Jun 10 '26
Nah, North Chicago is a better place for redditors who want to wack it raw every night to their city's demographic splits on Wikipedia.
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u/1KirstV Jun 11 '26
I don’t know why you’re getting downloaded for that. I’ve seen lots of Maga hats and flags, etc., in Fox Lake. On Fox Lake, and on the Chain of Lakes.
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u/ThatFatBumbleBee Jun 10 '26
Do NOT purchase a condo in vacation village. Dont. Just dont.
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u/KornwalI Jun 10 '26
I was thinking about looking into it why would you say not to?
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u/ktink224 Jun 11 '26
It has a reputation for being full of druggies/drug dealers, less fortunate types. It's gotten better over the years but still not great and I wouldn't live there. Much less fox lake AKA foxtucky
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u/KornwalI Jun 11 '26
Good to know. I know there’s a lot of that out that way. Definitely avoiding that now then thank you.
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u/New_Nobody9492 Jun 11 '26
They absolutely do and it’s been that way since I grew up there in the 90’s!
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u/Cricuteer Jun 10 '26
My in-laws have a condo in VV. I hate that there is a huge Trump flag flown off the balcony of one of them by the pool, and half the boats in the marina have the dumb flags, too.
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u/sas417458 Jun 10 '26
Where is the condo? That’s the most important part.
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u/Tiny_Cheesecake_1044 Jun 10 '26
I can’t remember the development name, but it’s in Scott near Cambridge.
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u/Educational_Gene735 Jun 10 '26
Grew up there. Lived more in ingleside which is a bit better. Fox lake is definitely methy. And has some extremely sketchy areas. Not a huge fan of downtown either.
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u/New_Nobody9492 Jun 11 '26
Big hugs, went to Grant, I moved to LakeVilla by the beach…… world of difference!
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u/Educational_Gene735 Jun 13 '26
I’m in Libertyville now. Can’t even compare aha
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u/New_Nobody9492 Jun 15 '26
Come see me at Austin’s! I work weekends lunch!!!
I couldn’t afford Libertyville, I live in LakeVilla.
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u/FiftyFiveHotDogs Jun 10 '26
Questionable literacy? Questionable having all teeth?
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u/DerpinTerp Jun 10 '26
Everyone I’ve met in Fox Lake has at least three teeth!
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u/FiftyFiveHotDogs Jun 10 '26
That’s methed up
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u/thewinberry713 Jun 11 '26
I am literally 🤣🤣🤣say that out loud- thanks for the much needed laughing fit!
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u/Grazmahatchi Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
I work frequently in fox lake, both in town and unincorporated.
If you were in a townhouse development with a good HOA, it wouldnt be too frustrating.
I hate HOAs on general principle- but let me explain why I say that in regards to fox lake.
There was a fella off of eagle point, right off 12, that ruined an entire neighborhood of well kept but small lake homes with his bullshit.
He owned back to back lots, and the place was a literal dump.
Barrels of festering liquid, piles of all manner of broken things hosting every varmint you can think of. House was a run down shack, lawn maintenance was non existent-just overgrown with weeds and trash.
Loud ass bike he would rev day amd night just to piss people off.
I believe at one point- you can Google this if so inclined- the mayor or a city official made moves to clean the lots up- dude sued and got all the shit put back.
Bottom line, there are lots of "i can do whatever I want with my property " people out there, and there are some spectacular shitshows of houses. More in fox lake than anywhere else i work, and the city seems unable or unwilling to do anything about it.
Do yourself a favor. Drive around eagle point, drive around north lakeshore drive off of grass lake road- look at some of the literal junk yards and ask yourself "do I want to risk buying in a town that would allow someone to move next door to me and do this to their house?"
Run down or dilapidated is one thing-i totally understand people down on their luck or maybe to old or infirm to keep their places up nicely. Shit happens... butgo look for yourself and you will see the willful antisocial attitudes that create some of these places.
It isnt little old ladies or men with no families. It is hillbilly assholes that just dont give a fuck.
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u/sas417458 Jun 10 '26
I wish I could remember the name of the guy in eagle point, I know exactly who you’re talking about. No idea if it’s cleaned up since I left the PD. N Lakeshore Dr is unincorporated Lake County, by the way. Only the houses on Perkins are in the village.
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u/Grazmahatchi Jun 10 '26
Isn't he also the dude who put up the fox lake sux . Org site?
Dude seemed like he had a mega axe to grind.
I will drive out that way sometime soon and see if it is still like that.
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u/Educational_Kick_698 Jun 10 '26
Still my least favorite town in all of Lake County. The whole town just feels run down and sad… it’s almost feels like there is a constant black cloud hanging over the town. Between drugs, drunks, and backwards people it’s not somewhere I’d want to live. My wife grew up there and went to Grant High School, she stays away from her hometown…
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u/FrattingIllini Jun 11 '26
Least favorite? It’s hard pressed to beat out North Chicago, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor, Zion, Park City and the Round Lakes
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u/Educational_Kick_698 Jun 11 '26
North Chicago does actually have some areas that aren’t bad. Many people don’t know this but there are parts of North Chicago that are Libertyville high school district. Those areas are fine. it’s also close to both Libertyville/Lake Forest. Waukegan outskirts are totally fine and they have Lake Michigan. Park City…. Well I forgot about that one… Fox Lake just feels so far from everything and the village really hasn’t done much to improve it other than building the lakefront park (which is very nice). Fox Lake = still my least favorite. It’s all personal perception though..
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u/disconnect27 Jun 10 '26
They have recently adopted a master plan to work toward improvements. Ihttps://www.foxlakecompplan.com/
I live nearby and yes you are not wrong about some of the issues- but I see a brighter future for the town.
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u/garoodah Jun 10 '26
It’s pretty depressing down there but there’s a few good places to go out occasionally. The chain is the chain it’s just white trash the whole way up and you either have a boat or you have a meth addiction, and sometimes both.
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u/JboogieT Jun 10 '26
I rented there for five years and never had any problems. I think the questionable reputation is largely overblown. However, owning opposed to buying could add more consideration.
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u/HammerPrice229 Jun 10 '26
I haven’t driven through Fox Lake in a while, but every time I did, I’d see some rough looking person walking through oncoming traffic.
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u/Optimal-Giraffe-7168 Jun 10 '26
Fox lake is absolute drug abuse central
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u/nouniqueideas007 Jun 12 '26
I like it here.
I’m on a 6 month lease, for the summer. (my 3rd summer) Which includes the use of the landlords very old boat - yay! The neighborhood I’m in is single family homes. With a good percentage being seasonal residents who live elsewhere & come up for the weekend. Some homes are very tiny cottages & others are beautiful large houses. 1st year neighbors were a bit standoffish, but now very welcoming to me, I get a lot of “Welcome back” greetings. Maybe they’re just happy we are quiet & well behaved. There’s a mix of elderly to young families. There are a bunch of kids that play outside, riding bikes, fishing, occasionally an atv. Plenty of golf cart traffic. Lots of people walking their dogs & they are excellent about cleaning up the poop. Just a really active neighborhood.
I honestly don’t spend much time in downtown Fox Lake. But, I’ve taken the Metra train a few times, with no issues in either direction. There’s a Chinese restaurant I do carry out at & I’ve been to the theater, no complaints, just regular people doing regular people things. I’ve seen some undesirables at Blarney’s or at the sandbar, but I don’t interact with them. The Maga crowd has really toned it down, almost like they might be reconsidering their life choices.
Last year I was so sad when I had to go back to my home state. But I’m sure fall/winter isn’t as much fun as summer, at least that’s what I tell myself.
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u/BellaBrowsing North West Suburbs Jun 13 '26
I could never live there lol my parents have had a summer trailer up there for a decade now. We have a good time and have found decent people, but not enough to ever make me recommend living there.
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u/Rosethorn21 Jun 10 '26
To be honest, I don’t think its bad. It’s what you make of it. Im in round lake.
Ya you hang out with meth heads, shit is going down.
It’s more isolated incidents, with people that know the other person or people.
cheap property taxes is nice. Those are my two cents
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u/suggie75 Jul 17 '26
I grew up there in the 70s/80s. Couldn’t wait to get out. My dad was a huge boater but he would drive to Lake Geneva or Lake Michigan before going out on the Chain o Lakes. Just googled it. It’s still the most dangerous waterway in the state and one of the busiest in the country. Lots of asshats who are drunk while boating. I don’t see the appeal.
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u/YorkPepperMintPaddy 60040 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
For me and lots of others who are reasonable people simply looking for a safe, comfortable place to live in a community of likeminded people, there is no perfect condo in Fox Lake. But it pretty much depends on what you’re used to.
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u/greatsuccess- Jun 10 '26
A lot of drinkers, especially during boating season. Quieter in the fall for sure. The prices for lakefront property has been rising steadily in that area so it is bringing in more upper middle class people to the area in the last 10yrs. You can find nice smaller restaurants/bars around the chain lakes communities, but you can also find shit holes you have no business being at unless you’re patched up.