I recently viewed from the road possibly the largest house in DuPage County, Illinois. Depending on which real estate site you look at, it is either 24,500 square feet, 36,000 square feet or 56,000 square feet. It took years to build and was up for auction at one point. Here is a 2007 description of the property in Chicago:

The biggest of these latter-day Xanadus, a colossal 41,000-square-footer, is about midway through construction in a far less plum location in the southwest suburbs: an out-of-the-way cul-de-sac outside Burr Ridge. Its only neighbor is a modest ranch house; a pizzeria, a gas station, and the entrance ramp to Illinois Highway 83 are just around a bend in the road…

What’s more, that whopper of a house will be home to only three people. Nick Memeti, the 30-year-old owner of Freedom Mortgage Team, is building it for himself and his parents-and the hundreds of guests he plans to have at the frequent parties he expects to throw in the cavernous basement. Down there, he will have an indoor pool (he is also planning an outdoor pool), slot machines, a dance floor, a 30-seat movie theatre, and a full gym. “It’s really built for entertaining,” Memeti says. “I have about 200 employees, and this will be the place for them to come and break bread with the boss and hang out.”

From the outside, this looks like a large home but even with the pictures online, it is hard to imagine that much space in a single home. This is not just a mansion; this is a supermansion that few homes can match. This is not the only large house in Burr Ridge. A 2016 story describes a different 30,000 square foot home. Chicago in 2023 named the suburb as great for “space chasers” seeking bigger homes:

This is another burg that’s not cheap, but you get “a lot more for your money in terms of space inside and out,” notes Jack Brennan of Second City Agents. A six-bed, five-bath home that was listed for $860,000 this spring, for instance, boasts 4,553 square feet, a four-car garage, and a full acre lot. The $189-per-square-foot price is good value compared with the $213 you’d pay for a comparable listing five miles north in Hinsdale. Burr Ridge offers the kind of quiet living you’d expect 19 miles southwest of the Loop. Yet the days when residents had to drive to Hinsdale or La Grange for dinner are gone: The Burr Ridge Village Center, built in 2007, features familiar names from the city, like the restaurant and bar Hampton Social and the breakfast joint Yolk.

Here is a description of the community on the Burr Ridge website:

Nestled 19 miles west of the Chicago loop, Burr Ridge is home to distinguished houses on large lots in quiet neighborhoods, fine dining, upscale shopping, quality hotels, excellent recreational opportunities, highly rated schools, open land for new business and a progressive business environment. The thriving business community ensures that Burr Ridge, year after year, maintains one of the lowest tax rates in DuPage County.

Worth magazine named the community one of the top 250 wealthiest communities in the country. In 2011, The Business Journals exclusive ‘On Numbers’ report ranked the quality of life in Burr Ridge second out of 955 Midwestern communities.

Straddling the border of DuPage and Cook Counties, Burr Ridge is conveniently located at the intersection of I-294 and I-55, just minutes from I-355 and 290. These expressways provide direct access to O’Hare and Midway airports. Three train stations in neighboring communities, hotel shuttles, and a Pace Bus facility in downtown Burr Ridge provide easy access to regional transportation and downtown Chicago without all the congestion.

Home to over 500 large and small local and national businesses, occupying more than 6 million square feet of floor area and employing over 10,000 people, Burr Ridge has a carefully planned mix of office and industrial parks and two well-designed retail areas in a natural setting. The two retail centers, County Line Square and Burr Ridge Village Center, are conveniently located at the southeast corner of County Line Road and host exciting community events each year. From an annual 5k race and Car Show to a weekly outdoor summer concert series, thousands of residents and visitors come from the region to enjoy the amenities in Burr Ridge.

The biggest houses tend to be located in certain communities with resources (Burr Ridge has a median household income over $174,000), desirable locations, and zoning that allows large homes.