Pleasant Hills Neighborhood Home Guide

Pleasant Hills is the established neighborhood in the middle of east Normal, roughly between Grandview Drive and Towanda Avenue, with College Avenue to the north and Vernon Avenue running through it. It sits between Uptown Normal and Veterans Parkway, which means you are five minutes from campus one direction and five minutes from Target, Kroger and the rest of the Veterans Parkway strip the other. For a lot of my buyers who want to be in Normal, in Unit 5, and in a real neighborhood with trees, this is the first place I show.

The neighborhood was built out from the early 1960s through the 1980s, and it shows in the best way. These are ranches, split-levels and two-stories on lots that are wider than anything being built today, with mature trees that meet over the street in places. The north section, which the MLS lists separately as Pleasant Hills N., runs up toward College Avenue with homes from the late 1970s into the early 1990s on streets like Hanson, Chadwick and Godfrey. There are also a few condo and townhome pockets along Orr Drive, Towanda Avenue and Keller Road that give you a way into the neighborhood under $200,000.

I am not aware of a mandatory homeowners association on the single-family streets, and I verify that on every contract; the condo pockets each have their own association. What you get here instead of amenities is location. Anderson Park, with the Normal Parks and Recreation aquatic center, playgrounds and ball field, is right on the edge of the neighborhood, and Fairview Park is a short bike ride away. The Constitution Trail crosses East Vernon Avenue, so you can get on the trail from the neighborhood and ride to Uptown or all the way to Bloomington without dealing with traffic. Colene Hoose Elementary and Chiddix Junior High are both close enough to walk.

Schools. Pleasant Hills is in McLean County Unit 5. The elementary is Colene Hoose, near Vernon and Grandview, and the junior high is Chiddix, next to Anderson Park. High school has been Normal Community. Unit 5 is working through a 2026 enrollment-planning process that proposes some boundary changes in Normal, so I will confirm the exact assignment with the district for any address before you write an offer.

Homes. This is a steady, high-volume resale neighborhood. Over the last two years roughly 90 homes in Pleasant Hills and Pleasant Hills N. have closed, listed from a little over $100,000 for the smallest condos up to about $400,000 for the largest updated two-stories. Most single-family homes here list between $230,000 and $320,000, three or four bedrooms, around 2,000 to 2,800 square feet counting a finished basement. As I write this in late October 2026 there are just two homes on the market, which is typical; houses in Pleasant Hills sell quickly, often with multiple offers in the spring, so set up an alert on this page.

What I check in Pleasant Hills: these houses are 40 to 60 years old, so I look at the roof, windows, furnace and water heater ages, and the electrical panel, and I pay attention to whether the kitchen and baths have been updated, because that is what separates a $240,000 house from a $300,000 one on the same street. Basements here are mostly dry, but I still check for a sump pump and past water staining. Cast-iron or clay sewer lines are common in homes of this age, and I recommend a sewer scope on any one of them.

If Pleasant Hills sounds like you, call or text me, Bryan Dillow, at 309-531-8309. I grew up a few blocks from here, I have sold homes on these streets, and I will give you a straight answer on whether a house is priced right. You can also browse the other neighborhood and town guides, read the Uptown Normal guide, or see the Unit 5 school district guide.