Chicago has been called a “City of Neighborhoods” due to the development of ethnic enclaves as the city grew ever larger in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today you still find vestiges of that time in names like Ukrainian Village, Chinatown, and Greektown. If you are looking for a neighborhood feel in Chicago – and by that I mean residential areas, where you can walk tree-lined streets with central business corridors – you have a lot of options.
The Booth Experience has recently highlighted the Loop, South Loop, and Hyde Park. Thirteen percent of the Class of 2017 actually lives north or west of the downtown Loop, in neighborhoods like Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Logan Square, Wicker Park, Bucktown, or Ukrainian Village.
Wondering which Chicago neighborhood would best suite your style of living? Here’s what a couple of current Booth students have to say about their Chicago neighborhood of choice:
“I live in Logan Square because apartments tend to be a bit larger while still being affordable. I also wanted to be near real grocery stores, have a car, and am more of a Brooklyn than a Manhattan kind-of person. I also feel like I never know who I’ll meet here, they often aren’t much like me, and that’s pretty cool.” -JD, Booth ‘16
“My wife and I decided to live in Wicker Park for a couple of reasons. We had been to Chicago a number of times before and we always liked visiting the Wicker Park neighborhood. There are a lot of great restaurants and bars and when you walk around it really feels like a neighborhood. When it warms up there are events and festivals going on every weekend. The other reason was because my wife got a job teaching at a school in Wicker Park. We liked the idea of her having an easy commute.” –Brad, Booth ‘16
Each of these neighborhoods has good public transportation links that can get you to Hyde Park. Commuting time is no more than 30-35 minutes for the furthest neighborhoods by car, and you can compare that to 15-20 minutes door-to-door for most students in the Loop (and by train). These northwest side Chicago neighborhoods can be a great option if you are looking for a little more space, or a different feel than downtown. What other Chicago neighborhoods are you curious about?
