Batavia sits on the Fox River in Kane County, the third of the Fox Valley Tri-Cities with Geneva and St. Charles. It has a distinct history as the "City of Energy" for its 19th-century windmill manufacturing, and that history shows up in a riverfront downtown and the restored buildings along the water. The housing runs from older character homes near the center to newer subdivisions on the edges, similar to its Tri-Cities neighbors but usually at a slightly more approachable price.
For buyers, Batavia offers the Fox River-town character at a bit less than Geneva or St. Charles tend to command. The riverwalk, the downtown, and the trail system are real draws. One thing to plan around: Batavia doesn't have its own Metra station, so a downtown-Chicago commuter typically drives to Geneva or down to Aurora to catch a train. For local and western commutes, or for buyers drawn to the river-town feel, that's a smaller factor.