Lions Park in neighborhood profile

The popular Lions Park neighborhood in Mount Prospect began as part of the suburban movement that followed World War II in the 1950s. During that period, the village's population increased 370 percent to 18,906 residents. Randhurst Shopping Center was built in this period of growth when the village was attracting new industry and light manufacturing.

Most homes in Lions Park were built in the late 1950s and early '60s and featured brick construction, basements and one- or two-car garages.

Today, the well-tended neighborhood offers a prime location near downtown, award-winning schools and neighborhood parks.

The excellent schools were an attraction for Carol and Bill Schiavone, who moved from the area of Golf and Wolf roads in Des Plaines to Mount Prospect specifically to be in the Prospect High School district.

"My daughter said, 'Prospect prepares you for the rest of your life; they set you up for success,' " Bill Schiavone said. "We have four kids, and they all received a good education and did very well.

"We also moved here because we had a three-bedroom house and needed a little more space. We love our house. It's a split-level with four bedrooms, a beautiful family room and sub basement. We live on a cul-de-sac across from a park, and it's a nice neighborhood close to everything. And now they're opening a Mariano's (grocery store) almost in the backyard (at Golf and Mount Prospect roads)."

Lions Park, located around Main and Lincoln streets, offers a variety of home designs including small ranches, larger sprawling ranches, split- and tri-levels and Colonials. Many homes have been updated or enlarged, and there are some newer homes built on teardown lots.

"This is a very solid, stable neighborhood with little turnover. There's not much for sale in there," said Bill Farrell, real estate broker with RE/MAX Suburban in Mount Prospect.

"It's a great family neighborhood, and a lot of families with young kids are moving in again as some of the older folks leave."

With a wide price range, the neighborhood fits the budget of a variety of people - first-time buyers, move-up buyers, those who want to rehab a house, and buyers who want newer, custom homes built in established, older neighborhoods.

In 2014, Norwood Builders constructed some upscale townhouses in Lions Park that offer more than 2,000 square feet of space with three bedrooms and 3½ baths.

The neighborhood has Lions Park elementary school and Lions Memorial Park with baseball, football and soccer fields, tennis courts, ice skating, a playground and the village's Veterans Memorial and band shell, which features music in the summertime.

The Big Surf Wave Pool is also a popular spot, and Sunrise Park, with playground, baseball diamond and soccer field, also serves the neighborhood, Farrell said. "People don't need to cross a busy street to get to the parks or even to get to the train station. They can go to either the downtown or Cumberland (Metra) stations."

Neighborhood parks are a big plus for the neighborhood and residents give the Mount Prospect Park District rave reviews. The park district also operates the Cental Community Center with roller blade rink and fitness center, and the RecPlex, a recreation complex that offers a fitness center, swimming pool, basketball and racquetball courts and indoor track.

For more things to do, the village plans many community events to bring people together, such as the family bike ride, community garage sale, Irish Fest, downtown block party, Friday concerts and cruise nights car shows.

For shopping, dining and entertainment, Randhurst Village in Mount Prospect offers a beautiful, open-air center with a diverse mix of retail stores, many good restaurants and a 12-screen, state-of-the-art movie theater.

• Do you know a neighborhood that would be good to feature in this space? Send your name, phone number and a bit about the neighborhood to Isa Noe at inoe@dailyherald.com.

Listing sheet

<span class="fact box text bold">Price range:</span> $280,000 to $620,000

<span class="fact box text bold">Age of homes:</span> 63 years to recent

<span class="fact box text bold">Schools:</span> Lions Park Elementary and Lincoln Junior High schools in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 and Prospect High School in Northwest Suburban High School District 214.

<span class="fact box text bold">Parks:</span> Mount Prospect Park District