---
title: Des Plaines, Illinois
description: 'First settled by French explorers in the 1600s, Des Plaines’ biggest claim to fame may be a pop culture one: The town’s Maine North High…'
authors:
  - name: michaelcorvo
    url: https://money.com/author/michaelcorvo/
    at_money_since: 2017
    former_staff: true
published: '2017-09-14T21:30:02.000Z'
modified: '2019-02-12T17:00:02.000Z'
tags:
  - Best Places to Live
  - bestplacestolive2017articles
  - bestplacestolive2017tracking
canonical: https://money.com/collection-post/des-plaines-illinois/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
---

> **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/).

![170918_BPL_DESPLAINES_35](https://img.money.com/2017/09/170918_bpl_desplaines_35.jpg)

First settled by French explorers in the 1600s, Des Plaines’ biggest claim to fame may be a pop culture one: The town’s Maine North High School, which closed in 1981, was used as the primary filming site for the hit 1985 film *The Breakfast Club.*

Today the Chicago suburb is a transit hub located just north of O’Hare International Airport, with affordable housing and low unemployment. The city’s largest employers include UOP, Oakton Community College, and AmericanEagle.com.

Families can take advantage of the [Mystic Waters Family Aquatic Center](https://www.dpparks.org/parks-facilities/mystic-waters/), the 18-hole golf course at [Lake Opeka](https://www.dpparks.org/parks-facilities/lake-park/), and the trails and green spaces lining the banks of the Des Plaines River, which runs along the town’s east side. And culture buffs will enjoy the art guild and Big Noise Theatre, as well as the community concert series, public library events, and a historical museum. *—Sergei Klebnikov*

<!-- omitted unsupported block: interactive -->

[**Find homes in Des Plaines, Illinois on**](https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Des-Plaines_IL/?cid=dsp_moneyBPL17_cons_Time_Money_rankings_textlink_srp)

![](https://img.money.com/2017/08/realtorlogofinal.png?w=300)

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebSite",
      "@id": "https://money.com/#website",
      "url": "https://money.com",
      "name": "Money",
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/#organization"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/des-plaines-illinois/#webpage",
      "url": "https://money.com/collection-post/des-plaines-illinois/",
      "name": "Des Plaines, Illinois",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/#website"
      },
      "datePublished": "2017-09-14T21:30:02.000Z",
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/des-plaines-illinois/"
      },
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "dateModified": "2019-02-12T17:00:02.000Z"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "Des Plaines, Illinois",
      "articleSection": "",
      "image": [
        {
          "@type": "ImageObject",
          "url": "https://img.money.com/2017/09/170918_bpl_desplaines_35.jpg",
          "width": 2722,
          "height": 1867,
          "caption": "170918_BPL_DESPLAINES_35"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ImageObject",
          "url": "https://img.money.com/2017/08/realtorlogofinal.png?w=300",
          "width": 90,
          "height": ""
        }
      ],
      "author": [
        {
          "@type": "Person",
          "name": "michaelcorvo",
          "url": "https://money.com/author/michaelcorvo/",
          "@id": "https://money.com/author/michaelcorvo/#author"
        }
      ],
      "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization",
      "datePublished": "2017-09-14T21:30:02.000Z",
      "description": "First settled by French explorers in the 1600s, Des Plaines’ biggest claim to fame may be a pop culture one: The town’s Maine North High&hellip;",
      "abstract": "First settled by French explorers in the 1600s, Des Plaines’ biggest claim to fame may be a pop culture one: The town’s Maine North High&hellip;",
      "@id": "https://money.com/collection-post/des-plaines-illinois/",
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "dateModified": "2019-02-12T17:00:02.000Z",
      "keywords": [
        "Best Places to Live",
        "bestplacestolive2017articles",
        "bestplacestolive2017tracking"
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```