{"id":43124,"date":"2020-11-19T09:46:59","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T17:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/?p=43124"},"modified":"2026-02-26T05:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T13:10:08","slug":"living-in-chicago-s-near-north-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/local-resources\/living-in-chicago-s-near-north-side\/","title":{"rendered":"Living in Chicago’s Near North Side: a Fashionable, Walkable Community Perfect for Urban Living Enthusiasts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite the fact that the Near North Side neighborhood is one of 77 official Chicago<\/a> communities, with boundaries that have been in place since the early 1920s, the term Near North Side has come to be identified with just about the entire area just north of downtown Chicago<\/a>. Today, this designation encompasses a number of popular neighborhoods, such as Old Town, River North and The Gold Coast. To discuss the neighborhood in more contemporary terms, however, it\u2019s best to use the city\u2019s more recent neighborhood borders, officially recognized in 1993 by the Chicago City Council. These boundaries place the Near North\u00a0neighborhood<\/a>\u00a0off the lakefront and more northwest along the north branch of the Chicago River.<\/p>\n

Location<\/h2>\n

The Near North Side neighborhood is bordered by parts of Michigan Avenue and State Street along its eastern edge. On the north, the neighborhood extends to Division Street, on the south as far as Wacker Drive, and on the west its border runs along N Clark Street for the most part, though as far west as Sedgwick Avenue north of Chicago Avenue. It makes for a rather odd shaped boundary, but suffice it to say that the Near North Side is really more the Near North(west) Side.<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n

The Near North Side is without a doubt the oldest part of the City of Chicago<\/a>. The Michigan Avenue Bridge<\/strong> over the Chicago River is where Jean Baptiste Point du Sable built the first permanent settlement in the 1780s on the northern banks of the river. Today, a marker in what is now Pioneer Court honors that location. Close by that first settlement, a New Yorker by the name of William Ogden<\/strong> came to Chicago in the 1830s to oversee land that his family had bought along the Chicago River. Though appalled by the swampy conditions, he nevertheless recognized and benefited from rapidly increasing real estate values, inducing him to buy additional tracts of land, making him personally wealthy, and setting the stage for his being elected the city\u2019s first mayor<\/a> in 1837.<\/strong> Also in the same area was a section once known as McCormickville because so many of the city\u2019s famous McCormick family built mansions around there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Then there is the nearby fabled Water Tower<\/strong>, built in 1869 to provide drinking water to this growing city. Why fabled? The then-new tower was one of only five public buildings and a bungalow<\/a>\u00a0in the disaster area to survive the tragic Chicago Fire of 1871. It still stands today as the second oldest water tower in the nation. Needless to say, this neighborhood has a long and storied history.<\/p>\n

\"Water<\/p>\n

Transportation<\/h2>\n

Since the Near North Side is literally adjacent to downtown Chicago, the commute couldn\u2019t be more convenient. Depending on where one resides, commuting to the city\u2019s central business is often just a leisurely walk. However, for those adverse to hoofing it, there are a number of public transportation options that include bus lines (22 Clark Street<\/a>, 29 State Street<\/a>, and 151 Sheridan Road<\/a>, which runs along Michigan Avenue, are just a few) and the CTA Red Line stops at Division<\/a>, Chicago<\/a>, and Grand<\/a>, all of which connect to downtown or points north in the city. For cyclists, there are miles of bike lanes throughout the neighborhood and numerous Divvy Stations, where one can rent a bike.<\/p>\n

\"Mag<\/p>\n

Schools<\/h2>\n

One of Chicago\u2019s premier selective enrollment high schools, Walter Payton College Prep<\/a>, is located here, offering world-class math, science, world-language, humanities, fine arts, and adventure education programs. Also, close by, is the Ogden International School of Chicago<\/a>, a full continuum (Grades K-12) International Baccalaureate School and the first in Illinois to receive the distinction of having authorized International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programs, Middle Years Programs, and Diploma Programs. Only 25 schools in North America hold this distinction. Also, the Catholic Archdiocese has one of its most noted schools here – the Frances Xavier Warde School<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0an elementary school that provides an academically excellent, values-oriented education to students of all ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Public Safety<\/h2>\n

Statistics for the Near North Side community<\/a> encompass an area larger than just the neighborhood of the Near North Side but are certainly reflective of the neighborhood, which ranks as one of the safer neighborhoods in the city<\/strong> for violent crime at 51st out of 77 communities. As for property crime, it ranks 4th out of 77 communities but above average in safety when it comes to quality of life crimes (36th out of 77 communities).<\/p>\n

“The Near North is pleasant and walkable, frequented by tourists and local professionals”, says Nadia Balint, a long time Chicago resident. “It is one of the best neighborhoods you can wish for in terms of safety.”<\/p>\n

Shopping and Dining<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s never a shortage of choices for shopping and dining here but given the popularity of many of the restaurants, there can be a shortage of \u201cseats\u201d, especially if a restaurant doesn\u2019t take reservations. That\u2019s not the case for two excellent dining establishments, the Tavern on Rush and Joe\u2019s Seafood. Tavern on Rush<\/a><\/strong> is a steakhouse offering an extensive menu of classic American fare, including USDA prime aged steaks and chops, fresh fish and seafood, and one of the best Sunday brunches in the city. Joe\u2019s Seafood<\/a><\/strong>, one of the most widely recognized restaurants in the world, also serves great steaks but it\u2019s their seafood that they\u2019re known for, especially their famous Florida Stone crabs.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Bistronomic (@bistronomicfood)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n