Lake in the Hills, IL

Woods Creek Lake predates Lake in the Hills as a municipality and still structures recreation in the village's older eastern section. Federal Judge Walter J. La Buy acquired 472 acres around the lake by 1926, built summer houses for his children along Indian Trail, and enlarged the water body by damming and excavation. Summer residences gradually became year-round homes, and a property owners' group formed in 1950 to handle roads and snow before the village incorporated in 1952. Development expanded sharply westward in the 1990s, transforming a small lakeside settlement into a much larger Chicago-area suburb. Lake in the Hills had 28,982 residents in the 2020 census and an estimated 28,590 in July 2025.

For 2020 through 2024, 84 percent of homes were owner-occupied, the median owner-occupied value was $321,900, monthly costs for owners with a mortgage were $2,097, median gross rent was $1,689, and workers' mean travel time was 32 minutes. The lake remains part of residents' routines rather than only a historical feature. Indian Trail and Butch Hagele beaches operate from Memorial Day through Labor Day for village residents and their guests, with unguarded swimming when attendants and conditions permit. Woods Creek Lake also has public boat launches, while fishing access extends to Woods Creek, Goose Lake, Larsen Pond, Turtle Pond, and Fen Lake under village permit rules.

Beyond the water, the village maintains 34 parks and more than six miles of asphalt bike paths. The 125-acre Sunset Park Sports Complex is the largest park, and the Fen Nature Preserve at Barbara Key Park protects an ecologically distinctive landscape with hundreds of native plant species and more than 60 bird species. Municipal programming includes recreation classes and seasonal events; the village scheduled its three-day Summer Sunset Festival for September 2026. Lake access, a broad park network, the Fen, paths, and recurring programs give the community's 1920s lakeside origins a continuing practical role even after decades of suburban growth.