Lincoln Park
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It's an area where cozy coffee houses rub elbows with four star restaurants and stylish boutiques are tucked among antique shops and bookstores. Residents enjoy a wonderful variety of cultural and entertainment opportunities ranging from The Chicago Historical Society to some of the city's best off Loop theatre companies, the famous Second City and numerous music and jazz spots. The area's great natural asset is the park itself, 1,200 acres of playing fields, bike and jogging paths, picnic areas, public golf course and the renowned Lincoln Park Zoo. Bordering Lake Michigan, the park also offers lagoons, boat harbors and beaches. Lincoln Park is also one the city's oldest neighborhoods tracing its history back to the 1820's. Originally a small farming community, its population grew steadily especially after the area was connected to downtown in 1855 thanks to the city's first horse car line. The neighborhood and the adjoining parklands were officially named Lincoln Park after the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865. Recently, Lincoln Park benefited from a series of urban renewal projects in the late 1950's. Many buildings dating from the Great Fire of 1871 were demolished making way for newer residential construction. At the same time homebuyers began to seek out Lincoln Park's existing single family homes and multi unit properties as ideal rehab buys. Many individual neighborhoods began to emerge within Lincoln Park including the Old Town Triangle designated a Chicago landmark district in 1977. The area surrounding DePaul University has not only students, but also young renters and families. Today Lincoln Park is bounded by North Avenue, Diversey Parkway, the Kennedy Expressway and Lake Michigan. Lincoln Park residents take a keen interest in their community. Seven neighborhood groups are represented in Lincoln Park Conservation Association which works to maintain and enhance the character of each unique neighborhood. Lincoln Park offers a wonderful mix of historical homes, Victorian three flats, traditional brownstones and contemporary condominium developments including hi-rises overlooking the lake. New construction projects sit next to charmingly renovated vintage homes on tree-lines streets. Lincoln Park also offers some of the finest public schools in the city system. A number of private schools are also available for elementary through high school students. All downtown facilities, shops and Loop business centers are accessible by public transportation. CTA bus routes run on most major Lincoln Park streets. The area is also served by the Ravenswood and Howard Dan Ryan rapid transit elevated lines. Lake Shore Drive is a few minutes’ drive east and the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) exits are west on North Avenue and Fullerton. O'Hare Airport can be reached in approximately 40 minutes and Midway in about 30 minutes. Just minutes from downtown it's easy to see why Lincoln Park is one of the city’s most sought after and charming locations. |
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