The 10 Best Cities For Hippies In Illinois For 2024


The hippiest cities in Illinois are Northfield and Lincolnwood for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

You might think that the whole hippie movement has faded away, but the truth is, there are plenty of hippies out there in Illinois.

While they aren’t necessarily in your face all the time with war protests, and the next Woodstock isn’t being planned any time soon, we thought it would be fun to look at which cities in the Prairie State where the most hippies would live.

And, after crunching the data, you know what? It was spot on.

How do you decide where the most hippies live? By the number of yoga studios, organic markets, and most importantly, where the liberals live in droves.

Using those criteria, it’s not hard to scrape the internet, run some scientific data on where hippies might live in Illinois, and then put out a list.

So, put on your tie-dye shirt and sandals as you go through this list with us.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Cities In Illinois With The Largest Hispanic Population For 2024

  1. Northfield
  2. Lincolnwood
  3. Broadview
  4. North Riverside
  5. Berkeley
  6. Hillside
  7. Countryside
  8. Riverside
  9. Stickney
  10. Harwood Heights

Best Places For Hippies In Illinois Map

What’s the hippiest city in Illinois? The hippiest city in Illinois is Northfield.

Read on below to see where your town ranked, Young Flower Child.

Northfield, IL

Source: Wikipedia User 123dieinafire of English Wikipedia | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,332
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Northfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 12,653
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Lincolnwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 7,956
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Broadview: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

North Riverside, IL

Source: Wikipedia User MrHarman | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 6,940
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on North Riverside: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,219
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Berkeley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Hillside, IL

Source: Wikipedia User 6th Happiness | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,192
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Hillside: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,974
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Countryside: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Riverside, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Nmaviano | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 8,915
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Riverside: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Stickney, IL

Source: Wikipedia User MrHarman | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 6,810
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Stickney: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Harwood Heights, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Zagalejo | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 8,656
% Liberal: 74.0%
More on Harwood Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How we determined the most beatnik city in Illinois

In order to rank the best cities for hippies in Illinois, we used Saturday Night Science to determine what criteria defines a hippie.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the Google Places API, the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, and Voter Registration data, this is the criteria we used:

  • Number of yoga studios per capita
  • Number of organic markets per capita
  • Number of pet adoption centers per capita
  • Number of vegan restaurants per capita
  • Number of thrift stores per capita
  • Each city’s liberal voting population

For the sake of getting reliable numbers on places, we counted any place within a ~4.5 mile radius of a city’s center. The average city in the United States is about 18 square miles.

All of these results are listed in a per capita basis, meaning number of stores per person in a city. Additionally, we limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 5,000 people.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 339 in each category, where 1 was the most hippie.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a hippie index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the highest hippie index the “Best City for Hippies In Illinois.” We’re looking at you, Northfield.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in hippie central. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from hippiest to most square.

Summary: The Hippies Of Illinois

If you’re measuring the locations in Illinois where there are lots of liberals, and there are many options for vegan food, yoga and thrift stores, this is an accurate list.

The most hippie cities in Illinois are Northfield, Lincolnwood, Broadview, North Riverside, Berkeley, Hillside, Countryside, Riverside, Stickney, and Harwood Heights.

If you’re curious, here are the most square places in Illinois:

  1. Sumner
  2. West Frankfort
  3. Decatur

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Hippie Cities In Illinois

Rank City Population % Liberal
1 Northfield 5,332 74.0%
2 Lincolnwood 12,653 74.0%
3 Broadview 7,956 74.0%
4 North Riverside 6,940 74.0%
5 Berkeley 5,219 74.0%
6 Hillside 8,192 74.0%
7 Countryside 5,974 74.0%
8 Riverside 8,915 74.0%
9 Stickney 6,810 74.0%
10 Harwood Heights 8,656 74.0%
11 Orland Hills 7,252 74.0%
12 La Grange Park 13,624 74.0%
13 Olympia Fields 5,022 74.0%
14 Glencoe 8,824 74.0%
15 Lyons 10,667 74.0%
16 Inverness 7,516 74.0%
17 Oak Brook 7,967 49.7%
18 Western Springs 13,066 74.0%
19 Highwood 5,400 53.5%
20 Willowbrook 8,607 52.0%
21 Willow Springs 5,692 74.0%
22 Lincolnshire 7,270 53.5%
23 Lynwood 9,260 74.0%
24 River Grove 10,268 74.0%
25 Peoria Heights 6,056 51.3%
26 Winnetka 12,366 74.0%
27 Clarendon Hills 8,548 49.7%
28 Norridge 14,713 74.0%
29 Long Grove 8,017 53.5%
30 Summit 11,367 74.0%
31 Brookfield 19,022 74.0%
32 Robbins 5,221 74.0%
33 River Forest 11,211 74.0%
34 Westchester 16,786 74.0%
35 Spring Valley 5,441 48.9%
36 Forest Park 14,202 74.0%
37 Schiller Park 11,842 74.0%
38 Calumet Park 8,189 74.0%
39 Flossmoor 9,339 74.0%
40 La Grange 15,675 74.0%
41 Milan 5,122 60.2%
42 Prospect Heights 16,344 74.0%
43 Northlake 12,368 74.0%
44 Bellwood 19,149 74.0%
45 Palos Heights 12,572 74.0%
46 Glenwood 9,040 74.0%
47 Winfield 9,368 49.7%
48 Wilmette 27,345 74.0%
49 Barrington 10,830 74.0%
50 West Dundee 7,367 49.7%
51 Posen 5,934 74.0%
52 Round Lake Park 7,758 53.5%
53 Gilberts 7,256 49.7%
54 Hinsdale 16,898 49.7%
55 Warrenville 13,361 49.7%
56 Morton Grove 23,424 74.0%
57 Swansea 13,870 56.3%
58 Itasca 8,579 49.7%
59 Rolling Meadows 23,646 74.0%
60 Justice 13,001 74.0%
61 Maywood 24,148 74.0%
62 Melrose Park 25,514 74.0%
63 East Alton 6,231 48.1%
64 Savoy 7,835 52.1%
65 Johnsburg 6,322 44.7%
66 Niles 29,939 74.0%
67 Deerfield 18,476 53.5%
68 University Park 6,852 52.0%
69 Shiloh 12,706 56.3%
70 Matteson 19,097 74.0%
71 Silvis 7,525 60.2%
72 Franklin Park 18,389 74.0%
73 Crestwood 11,006 74.0%
74 Elmwood Park 24,960 74.0%
75 Lisle 22,626 49.7%
76 Maryville 7,727 48.1%
77 Hazel Crest 14,102 74.0%
78 Lake Bluff 5,867 53.5%
79 Burr Ridge 10,678 49.7%
80 Skokie 65,056 74.0%
81 Westmont 25,236 49.7%
82 Cahokia 14,905 56.3%
83 Shorewood 16,186 52.0%
84 Hickory Hills 14,117 74.0%
85 Libertyville 20,398 53.5%
86 Villa Park 22,073 49.7%
87 Country Club Hills 16,752 74.0%
88 Markham 12,625 74.0%
89 Northbrook 33,396 74.0%
90 Bridgeview 16,550 74.0%
91 Midlothian 14,901 74.0%
92 Glen Ellyn 27,394 49.7%
93 Centreville 5,208 56.3%
94 Lakemoor 6,576 44.7%
95 Steger 9,569 52.0%
96 Bensenville 18,457 49.7%
97 Willowbrook 8,607 52.0%
98 Alsip 19,385 74.0%
99 Worth 10,827 74.0%
100 Richton Park 13,718 74.0%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.