Carroll County sits in northwestern Illinois along the Mississippi River, with rolling hills, lush countryside and small towns. Founded in 1839 and named after Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The county seat is Mount Carroll; other notable towns include Savanna, Shannon, Milledgeville and Lanark. The terrain and older settlement patterns lend themselves to homes that are small-town single family houses, historic homes in the towns, and farmsteads and acreage properties in the countryside. The housing market tends to be quite affordable compared to metro areas; given the rural nature, homes in the county might be in the $100,000-$200,000 range for older town homes, and higher for larger houses or acreage parcels (perhaps up into the low $300,000s). For new build opportunities, thanks to abundant land, one might expect total cost (land + build) starting in the $250,000-$350,000 range for modest homes, subject to infrastructure. The county is relatively remote from a major large-city hub—closest being perhaps the Rock Island/Quad Cities or the outer reaches of the Chicago corridor—but retains strong rural-small-town appeal. The environment is mainly rural with small urban pockets.