Elwood, Illinois

About Elwood

Elwood, IL is a small town located in northeastern Illinois, home to 2,248 residents as of the latest Census estimates.

Elwood holds the status of an incorporated village, one of the most intimate forms of local government in America. The community covers 13.65 square miles, giving it wide-open spaces and a spread-out, rural feel at roughly 165 residents per square mile.

📰 Elwood News Today

• Semi-trailer truck catches fire at freight yard in Elwood, Illinois CBS News · Jul 21
• Elwood, IL crash, today: Chopper 7 over accident involving motorcycle on at Route 53 and Manhattan Tuesday ABC7 Chicago · Aug 4
• Lillian DeBartolo Obituary (2026) - Elwood, IL - Ahlgrim Funeral Home - Elmhurst Legacy obituary · Aug 14
• Elwood Air Quality Index (AQI) and USA Air Pollution IQAir · Jun 26
• Casimir J. Guzy Obituary May 14, 2026 Kurtz Memorial Chapel · May 14

Live headlines via Google News — updates through the day.

What Makes Elwood Unique

• One of 7 places in the US named Elwood — but the Illinois one has a character all its own.
• Positioned in northeastern Illinois, convenient to the region's corridors and crossings.
• Part of the fabric of Illinois — one of 1,461 recognized communities statewide.

Why People Love It Here

• A tight community feel that bigger cities can't replicate.
• Cost of living typically runs below the big-metro average.
• Easy reach of Joliet (7 mi) — commute to the city, live where it's calm.

🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Elwood

• Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Erickson Park reviews ★
• Tyler Park reviews ★

Parks mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · "reviews" opens each park's live Google reviews.

🏫 Schools in Elwood

• Elwood C C School
• SOWIC-Comm & Adaptv Bhrv-Elwood
• SOWIC-Early Childhood Channahon

Public schools, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES) 2023–24 directory.

⚡ Quick Facts

🗺️ Map of Elwood

🏘️ Nearby Communities