Lincoln Park and Depaul

One of the most well-known and popular neighborhoods in Chicago, and, quite notably, the entire Midwest, Lincoln Park is the area bounded by North Avenue, Diversey Parkway, Ashland Avenue and Lake Michigan.

The Lincoln Park neighborhood, very large, can sometimes operate almost like a city unto its own, with almost every type of shop, restaurant, or other entertainment imaginable within its confines. Its southern side has recently experienced an upswing, with big upscale shopping centers featuring such Yuppified offerings as: Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Banana Republic, Border’s, CB2, Jamba Juice and Crunch Fitness springing up along North Avenue between Halsted and Clybourn.

Lincoln Park, with a multitude of different associations, is both a neighborhood identified with hip, upwardly mobile young professionals, as well as, an increasingly prime place to raise a family. Certainly contributing to the area’s allure are such enjoyable sites as: the Lincoln Park Zoo, the kid-friendly Oz Park named after Frank Oz, author of the classic “Wizard of Oz,” and many athletic and educational programs operated by neighboring Depaul University.

Nor should we neglect to mention the neighborhoods namesake park, the largest public park in all of Chicago, Lincoln Park which contains lakeside beaches, botanical gardens, playgrounds, a bird sanctuary, golf courses, and open areas available for sports such as football, baseball, soccer and more.

Before anyone gets the impression that Lincoln Park is solely for families, they should take a look at all the nightlife and entertainment opportunities the neighborhood presents. For those who like watching live performances, you can wrong, talent-wise, with seeing a production at the Steppenwolf Theater, famed for its innovative stagings, the theatre’s founding members include: Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf and Joan Allen.

On a historical note, the Biograph Theater, where famous gangster John Dillinger was shot, still operable today, shows first-run movies on a regular basis. These places are only the tip of the Lincoln Park entertainment iceberg, with many bars, nightclubs, restaurants, shops, salons, and eateries, your options are practically unlimited.

Homes in Lincoln Park are predominantly in the form of two-flats, brownstones and gray stones, though many of these have been transformed into condominiums. Neighborhood changes have led to dramatic housing changes within the area. Specifically, many single family homes have been transformed into multiple-dwelling units more suitable for students and young professionals.

More recently, the trend though due to an influx of families moving into Lincoln Park, is to reconvert the multiple-dwelling units back into single owner properties. Not for everyone, these properties range upwards in price starting at half a million dollars. Note: Should you actually find one in good condition for under $500,000, best advice is to quickly put in a bid.

The Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, along with local alderman and city officials, all invested a great deal of time and energy to ensure the neighborhood was serviced with the highest quality in streets and property maintenance, security and amenities. While walking down the street in Lincoln Park, the amount of green on display may take you by surprises. On account of the abundance of trees, they in turn, give the neighborhood a sunny, naturalistic feel. This is simply another integral element which helps to define the neighborhood.

A final note about Lincoln Park is another mention of Depaul University and its presence in the neighborhood. In short, with its constant and interesting influx of young students, it adds a whole other dimension onto the community. Plus, with DePaul’s captured audience of thousand, businesses which set up shop in the area for the purpose of catering to the student population wind up also greatly benefiting the local resident crowd.

As one would expect, transportation in the area is plentiful, with CTA buses on every major street and Red, Brown and Purple Line “El” stops at North Ave, Sedgwick, Armitage, Fullerton, and Diversey.