McKinley Park, Near South Side, and Medical Center

Located on Chicago’s Southwest Side, McKinley Park is home to a good many families residing within the neighborhood’s thriving residential area.

Though populated mostly by two and three-flats and newer townhouses, prospective home buyers may still be able to find the occasional century-old estate, kept in good condition by community pride and spirit. McKinley Park is considered by many to be a well-kept secret and, depending on location and the individual home, boasts very reasonable property values.

McKinley Park’s namesake is a large park featuring a swimming pool and outdoor ice-skating rink in the winter. The park, having undergone numerous renovations over the past few years, is now host to a roster of city-sponsored events throughout the year.

Many of the neighborhood shops sit on 35th street, along Archer Avenue, or within the Riverside Square shopping center located at Ashland and Archer. McKinley Park is comprised of residents from all corners of the globe, and to pay homage to the notion of unity, several food-oriented festivals are held annually during the summer months to celebrate the area’s range of diversity. Transportation-wise, McKinley Park has easy access to the Orange Line El and is close to I-55.

Chicago’s Near South Side is a neighborhood featuring a population of over 6,000, and close proximity to the Illinois Institute of Technology, as well as, the site of the Chicago White Sox’s new ballpark, entitled U.S. Cellular Field. The Near South Side which runs along Lake Michigan, though not quite as crowded or overrun as the Loop, is experiencing its own sizable growth as many first-time home owners and new families have discovered the area is ripe with affordable, quality housing options. Because the city anticipates that the neighborhood will soon experience a big population increase, prices are showing signs of becoming more competitive with those in the trendier, yet still more expensive, North Side Chicago neighborhoods.

Contrasting nicely with the continuum of new constructions going on in the neighborhood, you can also find some of the oldest buildings in the city among the Prairie Avenue Historic District, including the Widow Clark House, known as being Chicago’s oldest building.

The district enshrines the remnants of one of the most elite late-nineteenth century Chicago neighborhoods. Evidence that evolution is taking place, the façade of the Near South Side now reflects the addition of numerous high rise buildings springing up along the neighborhood’s lakefront.

Cultural is advancing in the Near South Side, as well, as the Chicago Bee Newspaper Building, a former historic monument of art deco architecture, now serves as the site of a public library.

The Near South Side can be easily accessed via car from I-90 on the west and I-55 on the north. Additional transportation service providers include: the Green Line “El” train which makes a stop near 35th Street and several CTA bus lines running along major streets in the neighborhood.

Medical Village, also on Chicago’s South Side, is a grouping of several hospitals, including the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Medical School and Cook County Hospital’s new, modern facility- which memorably provided the inspiration for the hit television show “E.R.” Bound by I-290 on the north, Cermak on the south, Ashland on the east, and Western to the west, this neighborhood if not accessed by car (for parking is readily available within the area’s many lots) may be reached by the CTA’s Blue Line “El” train which has a stop directly within the center of the Village.