Plenty of history is packed into this West Side neighborhood. Former Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, lived and worked here when it was Chicago’s largest Jewish community. Legendary musician, Benny Goodman, made his debut in a local theater. This was also the home base of Dr. Martin Luther King’s northern civil rights movement. The heart … Read more
Jazz legend Louis Armstrong, civil rights leader Ida B. Wells and aviatrix Bessie Coleman were among the many prominent African Americans who lived or worked in Bronzeville and left an indelible mark on this South Side community’s development. Today, this former ‘Black Metropolis’ is a treasure trove of historical and cultural landmarks and experiences – … Read more
Like neighboring Portage Park, the Northwest Side residential community of Belmont Cragin is home to a large number of Polish restaurants, shops and other businesses. Before it was annexed by Chicago in 1889, this town was named after the Cragin Brothers’ metalworking company. The neighborhood’s present-day name comes from that and Belmont Avenue, one of … Read more
This South Side neighborhood’s name, history, and even its mere existence, are indelibly linked to the Union Stock Yards and a time when Chicago was, in the immortal words of poet Carl Sandburg, “hog butcher to the world.” Today, the Union Stock Yards Gate is all that remains of the city’s famous meatpacking past, and … Read more
Brighton Park and McKinley Park are predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods situated along the busy commercial thoroughfare of Archer Avenue. The arrival of railroads and the Illinois & Michigan Canal attracted industry and working class residents to the area, and both neighborhoods are very much industrial and residential to this day. Trivia buffs should note that McKinley … Read more
Albany Park is considered one of the country’s most diverse zip codes. Its vast panorama of ethnic shops and eateries – Korean, Middle Eastern, Thai, Indian, Mexican and more – presents a unique multicultural experience to any visitor. Adjacent North Park is a stronghold of Swedish culture, and home to North Park University, founded in … Read more
Millennium Park is situated at the northern edge of Grant Park, and opened in 2004 to quickly become one of Chicago’s most popular attractions. The architecturally distinctive park hosts hundreds of free concerts and programs in Frank Gehry’s stunning Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Innovative pieces of public art, like Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain and Anish Kapoor’s … Read more
The railroad boom of the mid-1800s contributed to Englewood’s birth, but the resettling of refugees to the city’s outskirts Great Fire of 1871 was the impetus for its growth. Englewood has seen waves of new housing construction in recent years, along with the arrival of its first new shopping center in decades and the newly-opened … Read more
Chicago Austin Historic District One of Chicago’s largest community areas, both in terms of population and area, Austin was originally neighboring Cicero Township’s seat of government before it was annexed by Chicago in 1899. The former town hall was modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and survives today as one of Austin’s most well-known landmarks. … Read more
Anchored by the Chicago Center for Green Technology, an “eco-industrial park” for landscaping and environmental companies, and the famed Garfield Park Conservatory, this West Side neighborhood is appropriately called Chicago’s ‘Green Town’. Designed by legendary Danish landscape architect Jens Jensen and opened in 1907, the free-admission Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the nation’s largest … Read more