Albany Park, East Irving Park, and Rogers Park

Just like so many neighborhoods in Chicago, the residents of Albany Park and East Irving Park are hard to pigeon-hole or confidently classify. Throughout the years, the neighborhood has been home to immigrants from a variety of different cultures and backgrounds. This development was incepted nearly a century ago when the Ravenswood “El” began bringing heightened commerce into the neighborhood.

Centering upon the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Kimball Street, these two neighborhoods now boast residents fluent in more than 25 different languages. This provides a level of cultural diversity and opportunity for differing viewpoints rarely matched, even in a city the size of Chicago.

Examples include the portion of Lawrence Avenue sometimes referred to as Seoul Drive, where Korean-owned shops and restaurants line the street; in fact, to this day, almost a full 40 percent of the neighborhood’s businesses are Korean-owned. However, Korean culture by no means dominates, with Italian, Japanese, Jewish, Palestinian and other cultures finding plenty of representation in the many neighborhood shops, eateries, and other businesses.

Another, sometimes overlooked, aspect of Albany Park and East Irving Park are their locations on the border of the Chicago River. This provides the opportunity for finding scenic spots and public parks for living, dining, and recreation. The neighborhoods’ locations are also perfectly located near the Ravenswood Brown Line El stop, almost exactly midway between the Loop and O’Hare Airport.

Another set of North Side Chicago neighborhoods are East and West Rogers Park. While technically two distinct neighborhoods, they are often collectively referred to as Rogers Park (and also referred to as the northern doorway to Chicago). While allowing abundant access to beaches due to its proximity to Lake Michigan, Rogers Park also offers surprisingly affordable housing. However, it may be worth noting that home costs and demand in the neighborhood are on the rise.

The increased interest in the neighborhood stems in part from the large amount of apartment rehabbing presently going in the area, leading to increased real estate activity and other forms of commerce. With almost 100 new units of affordable housing becoming available each year for the past 15 or so years, the community’s response to the increased interest has been phenomenal. Combine this with increased business activity and shopping districts, and the neighborhood grows more attractive with each passing day.

While the two neighborhoods are often lumped together, they have their distinct charms. East Rogers Park is home to Loyola University’s Lake Shore Campus, as well as, a charming second-run movie theater and additional ‘70s style attractions. West Rogers Park, on the other hand, though dominated by single-family homes, still features plenty of great restaurants and shops. Both neighborhoods are quite diverse ethnically, featuring a population that is almost equal parts black, white and Hispanic.

Also quite accessible to public transportation, Rogers Park includes the CTA’s Red Line with stops at Howard, Jarvis, Morse and Loyola, as well as, the Metra train with a station at Ravenswood Avenue.