Bounded by North Avenue, Diversey Parkway, Ashland Avenue and Lake Michigan, the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park is one of the city’s most popular areas, and one of its most well-known. The neighborhood is like a miniature city in itself, boasting almost every conceivable type of shop, restaurant, or entertainment form one can imagine. The last few years have seen a boom of development on its southern side, with gigantic upscale shopping centers opening along North Ave. between Halsted and Ashland.
Once associated with hip young up-and-coming singles, Lincoln Park is now gaining a reputation as the ideal Chicago neighborhood to raise a family. Within just a few blocks of each other one can spend a day at the Lincoln Park Zoo, romp with the kids at Oz Park, visit the Lincoln Park Branch of the Chicago Public Library or any one of the many public offerings and activities Depaul University has to offer.
Lincoln Park also contains Lincoln Park, the largest public park in Chicago and the neighborhood’s namesake. Lincoln Park, the park, contains lakeside beaches, a bird sanctuary, botanical gardens, playgrounds, golf courses, tennis courts, boating facilities, open areas for football, baseball, soccer, horseback riding, and much more.
Lincoln Park is not just for families, however. It has a thriving nightlife and entertainment abounds. For one thing, Lincoln Park is home to the world-famous Second City Theatre, birthplace of comedy legends too numerous to list here. If comedy’s not your cup of tea, how about the equally world-famous Steppenwolf Theater, home to some of the most respected actors on stage or screen. Then there’s any one of the three arthouse/historic movie theaters in the area, the most famous of which being Chicago’s notorious Biograph Theater, where John Dillinger was gunned down by the FBI (or was he?). Add to this the bars, clubs, restaurants, boutiques, curios shops, bookstores… the list is endless!
Depaul’s presence in the community assures a constant and interesting blend of young students into the population, as well as a higher-than-average ratio of diverse business opportunities that cater to students and locals alike.
Many homes in Lincoln Park are brownstones and graystones, a significant number of which have been turned into condominiums. Many single family homes that were converted into multiple-housing buildings for students and young professionals years ago are now being converted back to their original states. The streets of Lincoln Park are among the greenest in the city, with an abundance of trees to give this neighborhood a suburban feel. Real estate prices range from near-Gold-Coast level to surprisingly affordable, depending on the type of property and specific area of the community.
CTA buses run on Fullerton, Halsted, Ashland, Diversey Parkway, Clark and Lincoln Avenue, and the Red, Brown and Purple El Lines stop at North Ave., Sedgewick, Armitage, Fullerton & Diversey.
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