Jacksonville's grandest historic residential neighborhood — Victorian-era estates, Italianate brick rowhouses, and the city's most architecturally significant blocks. We've represented buyers and sellers on these streets since 2014.
Active Apex listings in Jacksonville. Neighborhood-specific filters aren't an MLS field — tell us “Hill District only” in a conversation and we'll pull just those streets.
Click any photo — opens that active Jacksonville listing.
The Hill District sits on the elevated ground east of downtown Jacksonville — bounded roughly by State Street to the south, College Avenue to the west, Mound Road to the east, and the Illinois College campus to the north. It's where Jacksonville's 19th-century professional class built their family homes: bank presidents, college professors, Memorial Hospital surgeons, and the families whose names still appear on Jacksonville's parks and library wings.
The neighborhood was platted in the 1850s and built out almost entirely between 1860 and 1910 — which means today it offers one of Central Illinois's densest concentrations of intact Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Greek Revival architecture. Many homes are on Jacksonville's local historic register, and a portion of the district is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
Apex is headquartered ten blocks west of the Hill District, at 1515 W. Walnut. We've sold homes on East State, North Webster, North Mauvaisterre, North Diamond, and the residential blocks around Illinois College for the last decade. We know which homes have lath-and-plaster walls (most), which have working coal-conversion chimneys (some), which still have original transom windows (worth more than you'd think), and which need a $40K furnace conversion before move-in (also more than you'd think).
Meet the Apex teamLive data from the RMLS Alliance MLS — every active residential listing in Jacksonville from every brokerage. The MLS doesn't store neighborhood polygons, so the map shows the city; we filter to Hill District streets in conversation.
The Hill District is small — about twelve blocks square — but every street has its own character.
The southern spine of the district. Larger lots, deeper setbacks, the grandest homes including several Italianate mansions from the 1870s-1880s. Higher price band — expect $250K–$450K+ for well-preserved properties.
A north-south residential spine. Mix of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival on smaller-but-still-generous lots. The most consistent Hill District streetscape — mature canopy of oaks and maples.
Named for the Mauvaisterre Creek nearby. Slightly more modest lots, more Italianate brick rowhouse stock from the 1880s. The price-to-character sweet spot for buyers wanting historic architecture without estate-scale upkeep.
Eastern edge of the district. More Greek Revival and Federal-style cottages alongside the bigger homes; some 20th-century infill from the 1920s-1940s. Buyers who want historic feel without exclusively Victorian footprint look here.
The northwest edge, against the Illinois College campus. Quieter, slightly later builds (1890s-1910s), Colonial Revivals predominate. Faculty have lived here for 130 years; the resale market follows IC's hiring cycles.
Eastern boundary, slightly more rural feel. Larger lots, some farmette-style properties on the outer blocks, original carriage houses converted to garages. Good fit for buyers who want Hill District identity with a quarter-acre.
Most Hill District homes fall into one of four families. Knowing which one you're touring matters — floor plans, ceiling heights, structural systems, and renovation costs all vary widely. We walk every buyer through what they're actually looking at.
Tall, narrow proportions, low-pitched roofs with wide eaves, decorative brackets, tall windows often with rounded tops. Two-story brick is common. Original lath-and-plaster walls almost universal. Beautiful but the renovation budgets are real.
Asymmetrical massing, turrets, wraparound porches, multiple gables, mixed siding. The Hill District has some of the best-preserved Queen Anne examples in west-central Illinois. Plumbing and electrical updates often the longest line item.
Symmetrical facades, columned porticos, dormers, more restrained ornament. Easier to update, more livable floor plans than Victorian-era homes. Strong demand from buyers wanting historic feel without preservationist trade-offs.
Older, smaller, simpler — the original Hill District building stock before the Victorian-era boom. A handful survive on Diamond and Mound. Best for buyers who want to be the steward of something genuinely rare.
The Hill District is in Jacksonville School District 117 — the city's primary public K-12 district. Most Hill District addresses feed Eisenhower Elementary or Murrayville-Woodson Elementary, then Turner Junior High, then Jacksonville High School. Specific boundaries shift periodically; we'll pull the current map for any address you're considering.
Private and parochial options are unusually deep for a city this size: Routt Catholic High School (downtown, walkable from the Hill District), Our Saviour Lutheran (on East Lafayette, ~10 minutes by car), and Trinity Lutheran preschool. Illinois College is two blocks from the western edge of the neighborhood — many Hill District families have a faculty or staff connection.
The Hill District is one of Jacksonville's most consistent micro-markets. Historic-architecture buyers, returning Illinois College alumni, and Memorial Hospital senior staff make up the predictable buyer pool — meaning days-on-market for a well-presented home is typically tighter than the broader Jacksonville average.
Modest 2,000-sq-ft updated Colonial Revivals start around $180K. Mid-tier Queen Annes and Italianate homes on Webster, Mauvaisterre, and Diamond cluster $220K–$320K. Estate-grade State Street properties run $350K–$450K+ depending on lot size, outbuildings, and the condition of original woodwork. Outliers in either direction happen.
The trickiest line item is mechanical updates. Most Hill District homes had original boilers, gravity furnaces, and knob-and-tube electrical at some point in their lives. Most have been updated — but the quality and date of updates varies wildly. Before you write an offer on a Hill District home, we walk through the systems with you so the appraiser, inspector, and lender all see the same realities you do.
Hill District homes often change hands without listing publicly — through Illinois College's network, between Memorial Hospital staff, or via estate attorneys. If you're a serious buyer with a specific street or era in mind, tell us what you're looking for. We hear about properties weeks before they hit the MLS.
For current sale comparables, days-on-market data, or a private valuation on a specific Hill District address, reach out. We'll pull the report and walk through it with you, no obligation.
The Hill District sits east of downtown Jacksonville on the elevated ground around Illinois College. It's bounded roughly by East State Street to the south, College Avenue to the west, Mound Road to the east, and the Illinois College campus to the north — about twelve blocks square. Boundaries are conversational, not legal; locals will sometimes include adjacent blocks like the Lafayette Avenue corridor.
Most Hill District homes trade in the $180K–$450K range. Smaller updated Colonial Revivals start around $180K. Mid-tier Queen Annes and Italianate properties cluster $220K–$320K. Estate-grade homes on East State Street run $350K–$450K+ depending on lot, outbuildings, and preservation quality. Properties needing significant systems work can list lower; well-preserved landmark homes can exceed the top of the band.
A portion of the Hill District is on the National Register of Historic Places, and approximately 30 individual properties are individually listed on either the National Register or Jacksonville's local historic register. National Register listing doesn't restrict private exterior changes; local historic-register designation can carry guidelines for visible alterations. We confirm the specific status of any address before you write an offer.
The Hill District is in Jacksonville School District 117. Most addresses feed Eisenhower Elementary, then Turner Junior High, then Jacksonville High School. Routt Catholic High School and Our Saviour Lutheran offer private and parochial alternatives. Illinois College is two blocks west of the neighborhood, and several Hill District families have a faculty or staff connection.
It depends heavily on the home's update history. Hill District homes have a wide range of mechanical conditions — some have been carefully renovated with modern HVAC, electrical, and plumbing; others retain original boilers, knob-and-tube wiring, or cast-iron drain lines. Plan to budget separately for any of: boiler-to-forced-air conversion ($25K–$45K), full electrical update ($15K–$35K), exterior paint on a Victorian ($12K–$25K), and roof slate or metal replacement ($30K–$80K). Many homes already have modern systems; we walk through specifics on every showing.
Rental inventory is limited — the Hill District is predominantly owner-occupied, with a handful of historic homes subdivided into upper-floor apartments or carriage-house units, often associated with Illinois College or Memorial Hospital. Single-family rentals in the neighborhood are rare and tend to be quietly word-of-mouth rather than publicly listed.
Yes — tell us the streets you're interested in and we'll set up saved searches limited to those blocks, plus alert you to off-market activity in the same area. Our team has worked these streets for over a decade and we hear about Hill District properties weeks before they typically reach the public MLS.
Whether you're scouting a specific street, planning a 12-month relocation, or curious what your Hill District home is worth right now — an Apex agent will walk you through the realities of this neighborhood honestly. No pressure, no obligation.
