Lake Forest and Winnetka, which ranked thirteen and fourteen, respectively, were the only other Illinois communities recognized in the report,

Here’s a list of the other zip codes making up the top fifteen richest areas in the country:

#1 – Palm Beach, FL (33480)

#2 – Old Westbury, NY (11568)

#3 – Kenilworth, IL (60043)

#4 – Beverly Hills, CA (90210)

#5 – Portola Valley, CA (94028)

#6 – Los Angeles, CA (90077)

#7 – Gladwyne, PA (19035)

#8 – Purchase, NY (10577)

#9 – Los Altos, CA (94022)

#10 – Santa Monica, CA (90402)

#11 – Newport Coast, CA (92659)

#12 – Great Falls, VA (22066)

#13 – Lake Forest, IL (60045)

#14 – Winnetka, IL (60093)

#15 – Manhasset, NY (11030)

You can find out the rest of the top 50 zip codes here. Learn more about the communities of Kenilworth, Lake Forest and Winnetka.

Evanston

The community is invited to join local public safety members of Fire and Law Enforcement, elected officials and community partners to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Attacks of September 11, 2001.  Participants and guests are asked to gather for this event at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, September 11. Members of Fire and Police Clergy, along with public safety officials and the mayor, will give speeches and music will be provided. A special dedication will also take place for the actual artifact from the World Trade Center.

8:45 a.m. Gathering
9:00 a.m. Welcome – Video Presentation
9:11 a.m. Moment of Silence
9:15 a.m. Comments from Mayors, Fire Chief, Fire Clergy, Police Chief, Police Clergy, Police/Fire Honor Guard Presentation, Ringing of the Bell 3-4-3 to Honor the 343 Fallen Firefighters; National Anthem; Dedication of 9/11 Artifact – Fire Chief; and Closing Comments

Winnetka

The Winnetka Village Council and the Winnetka Park Board cordially invite all Winnetkans, friends, and neighbors to attend a Ten Year Remembrance Ceremony on Sunday, September 11, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. on the Village Green.  Scout troops from the Village, students from NTHS, our public safety chiefs, and representatives from local religious congregations will participate in a brief ceremony honoring those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks. In the event of rain, participants will gather in the Winnetka Club.

All are also invited to participate in the planting of the memorial flags on the Village Green, beginning at 2:00 PM on Saturday, September 10th.

Glenview

You are cordially invited to join the Glenview community at an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of that fateful day as we gather in gratitude to and recognition of all first responders who every day put their lives on the line for citizens. 7:00-8:00 pm in Gallery Park (Patriot and Chestnut).

The evening’s tribute will include:

• Bagpipes & Drums of the Emerald Society
• Glenbrook South High School vocal groups Nine and Solace
• Boy Scout/Girl Scout Flag Ceremony
• Police 3-Volley Salute
• Firefighters’ Last Alarm Bell Ceremony
• The playing of “Taps”

Deerfield

The village is holding a civic ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on the front lawn of village hall, 850 Waukegan Road.  The Deerfield High School Warriors marching band will play.  At 1:45 p.m., the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District and the Deerfield Police Department will be performing an honor guard ceremony.

Lake Forest

Since Sept. 11, 2011, the city has marked the occasion with a solemn ceremony in Market Square, said Deputy Fire Chief Chris Garrison. Because it’s the 10 year anniversary, the city will take a more formal approach with firefighters and police in full regalia, and it will be about 15 minutes longer, he said. The ceremony will be from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Market Square. For more information, call for more information call Garrison at 847-810-3866.

Northbrook

The Northbrook Fire Department remembrance will be held Sun., Sept. 11, 7:45am, at 740 Dundee Rd. The Fire Department will provide a Color Guard for the National Anthem at a very special concert by the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra and the New Tradition Chorus at 4pm, at GBN. Click on title above for details.

What I didn’t mention is that the Lake Forest home was, at one time, reputed to be haunted. With Halloween right around the corner, it seemed like the time to tell its spooky story. Here’s the background: The house was built in 1917 by John G. Shedd (president of Marshall Field and Company and founder of the Shedd Aquarium) as a wedding gift for his daughter, Laura, upon her marriage to Charles Schweppe. But Laura died in 1937, leaving a lonely and tormented Charles to roam the 33,000 sq. ft. mansion for the next four years. Charles ultimately killed himself with a bullet to the head, and the house stood empty for the next 47 years.

Although ghosts have never actually been sighted here, rumors of Charles’ ghost haunting the master bedroom spread throughout the area. and the abandoned mansion had all the makings of a haunted house, especially some its more bizarre features. One was a lone window overlooking the driveway, which never needed cleaning, even when the rest of the house was covered in dirt and grime. The other strange feature , discovered by Donna Desplenter when she bought the house in the 1980s, was the “doorway to hell”, an entryway in the basement that led only to narrow, black corridors turning into other dark, winding passageways, leading only to dead-ends and desolate rooms.

The house was finally purchased and completely renovated and restored. No paranormal activity has been reported for many years. The house is for sale now and can be yours for a mere $15,000,000.

Evanston

July 4
7:30 pm – Twilight Concert featuring the Palatine Concert Band
9:00 pm – The musical fireworks extravaganza will be launched from Clark Street Beach and can be viewed from any part of the lakefront area east of Downtown Evanston.

Wilmette

July 3
4:00 pm -  Games and rides for children, entertainment, roving performers, and a Tastefest at Gillson Park.
7:30 pm – A traditional concert of patriotic music by the Palatine Concert Band in the Wallace Bowl. It will be preceded by a sneak preview of this summer’s Starlight Theatre musical feature.
9:30 p.m – Fireworks begin. In case of rain, the fireworks will be rescheduled to a later date.

The easiest way to get to and from the Independence Day celebrations in Gillson Park is by using the special Pace shuttle bus service. Motorists may park at Edens Plaza or at the METRA commuter lot. To see a complete listing of events or for additional transportation information see the Wilmette Park District’s website.

Winnetka

July 4
1:00 pm – The celebration begins with Winnetka’s annual parade. (Note the change in time from past years). The parade sets off from the corner of Elm and Glendale Streets, and heads east to the Village Green.
2:00 pm – -A flag-raising ceremony, children’s flag parade, and family races follow the parade on the Green.
6:30 pm -  “Fourth Fest,” featuring food, children’s entertainment, and a pre-fireworks concert at Duke Child’s Field
9:15 pm – Fireworks begin

Northfield

July 4
9:45 am -  Bike parade kicks off from two locations — Somerset and Old Willow or the Ameritech Lot. Both routes end at Willow Park.
10:30 am -  Bike judging, music and amusement rides begin. Family activities include relays, wheelbarrow races, a hula-hoop contest and an egg toss. For more information, go to northfieldparkdistrict.org or call 847-446-4428.

Glencoe

July 4
8:00 am – Fun Run starts at the train station, 724 Green Bay Road
10:00 am – Games in Kalk Park, Park Aveune and Green Bay Road
2:00 pm – Parade
6:30 pm -  Barbecue on the beach with children’s entertainment and music
9:00 pm – Fireworks on the beach
847-835-3050

Glenview

July 5

11:00 am -  Bike Parade starting at the corner of Glenview rd. and Church St.
11:30 am -  Main parade starting from OLPH parking lot and ending at Johns Park.
7:30 pm – Twilight Show with patriotic concert by the North Shore Concert Band. The show’s finale will be fireworks synchronized to patriotic music.
847-724-5670

Highland Park

July 4
11:00 am – Parade in downtown Highland Park
12:00 pm – Fourth Fest at Sunset Woods Park
9:15 pm – Fireworks at Wolters Field on Park Avenue West
847-432-0800

Lake Forest

July 4
6:00 pm – Beer garden with kids activities and live music by Sixteen Candles at Deerpath Community Park
8:00 pm – KC and the Sunshine Band
9:30 pm -  Fireworks sponsored by the Lake Forest Symphony

Wilmette

Sponsored by the Village of Wilmette and  Huerter Post #46 o the American Legion, the parade will begin at 10:30 from the corner of Ridge Rd. and Lake Ave. It will proceed east to Park Ave.and south to Wilmette Ave. , finishing up at Village Hall. The ceremony will take place near the War Memorial.

Glenview

You can probably hit two parades if you start with this one, since it’s the earliest of the lot. The procession starts at 9:00 east of the railroad tracks on Pine St. and continues to Glenview Rd..The ceremony will be held at the Veteran’s Memorial at Glenview Rd. and the river.

Winnetka

Winnetka’s parade kicks-off at 10:00 from the corner of Glendale and Elm and heads east to the Village Green. There will be a brief ceremony on the Green following the parade.

Glencoe

The parade begins at central School at 10:30 and proceeds to Veteran’s Memorial Park adjacent to Glencoe Union Church.

Lake Forest

Sponsored by the lake Forest American Legion Post the parade will begin at 11:00 at Market Square. The Legion rifle squad and color guard will step off from the post at 10:30 A.M. and pick up both Boy and Girl Scout troops from the parking lots at Deerpath and McKinley. The color guard will march from Illinois Road and turn onto Western Avenue.

Source: MRED – Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Housing sales on Chicago’s North Shore increased 56% in the first quarter of 2010 vs. the same period last year. All towns had healthy increases except for Northfield which had one less sale this year than last. The big winner in percentage terms was Kenilworth, which had nine sales this year vs. one last year.

Average prices for sold properties on the North Shore was down 7%. Lake Forest showed the biggest drop (-30%), followed by Winnetka (-21%). Highland Park had only a 1% decrease in average price, while Evanston and Wilmette actually showed increases. Kenilworth’s large increase in average price was driven by the fact that the only sale in 2009 was for an unusually low-priced property for this village.

Days on market for properties sold was down 8% for the North Shore, but the numbers varied widely across individual towns. The largest decreases in market time were in Wilmette (-70%) and Lake Forest (-58%). The largest increases were in Kenilworth (+48%) and Northfield (+38%).

North Shore Market Update – 1st Qtr. 2010 vs. Year Ago*

*Single family detached homes. Source: MRED – Deemed reliable but not guaranteed

While prices were down 7% from this time last year, the rate of decline does seem to be slowing and the market may be nearing the bottom. Market times are up over last year but down versus previous months and there is less inventory on the market now.

North Shore Market Trends: Jan. – Feb. 2010 (vs. year ago)

Source: MRED LLC -Deemed reliable but not guaranteed

Lake Forest Home Sales

December sales showed a 29% jump from November and 100% from December of last year. Total year sales of 187 are 4.5% ahead of 2008. Consistent with other markets, Lake Forest had a weak 1st quarter after which sales rebounded and have held relatively steady since May.

Home Prices

The average sales price was $857,166 in December down 6% vs. November and down 27% vs. December 2008. Pricing in Lake Forest has been consistently trending downward from its high of $1,800,000 in late 2007. While other markets appear to be stabilizing, it’s not clear that Lake Forest prices have hit bottom yet.

Inventory and Months Supply

The total inventory of homes for sale as of December was 347, down 11% from November and down 8% from December of last year. This is the lowest level of inventory in Lake Forest since March 2007. Months supply, a measure of how long it would take to sell all of the inventory at the current rate of sale, was 15.8 months in December, its lowest since August 2007. Lower inventory and months supply should ultimately help bolster prices.

Market Time

The average days on market, which shows how many days a home is on the market before it sells, was 113 days as of December, down 3% vs. November and down 29% vs. December 2008. The combination of low prices and reduced supply is causing buyers to get off the fence and buy.

Read my 2010 outlook for North Shore real estate here.

Vince Vaughn would tell you it’s the Armour House at Lake Forest Academy. At least that’s where the star of “Wedding Crashers” chose to tie the knot this past weekend. The Armour House was built between 1904 and 1908 at a cost of $10 million by J. Ogden Armour (heir to the Armour Meat Packing fortune). It was purchased by Lake Forest Academy in 1947 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
You can read more about Vaughn’s wedding here and here.

The Armour House in Lake Forest, Illinois