Andersonville is a neighborhood (located in the Edgewater community area) on the North Side of Chicago, about five miles (8 km) north-northwest of the city's downtown. Once a sleepy little village made up primarily of Swedish immigrants, Andersonville is now one of Chicago's most popular north side neighborhoods. The community is particularly known for its diversity, including a continued Swedish cultural presence led by the Swedish American Museum, the Swedish Bakery and other Swedish delicatessens.[1],a significant number of Middle-Eastern businesses, a new influx of families with children, and a large lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender LGBT population all makes this a very diverse population. The LGBT community of Andersonville was showcased in the 1994 lesbian themed movie Go Fish. It is also known for its unique commercial district, made up almost entirely of locally owned, independent shops, restaurants, cafes, taverns, a chocolatier, and service providers. Andersonville does have a Starbucks Coffee, but it is the only national chain business in the community.

The approximate street boundaries of Andersonville are Broadway to the east, Ravenswood Avenue to the west, Winnemac Avenue to the south, and Elmdale Avenue to the north. The heart of the Andersonville commercial district is the corner of Clark Street and Berwyn Avenue (5300 N. Clark Street).

The main shopping street is North Clark Street, which runs roughly north-south. The stretch of Clark Street south of Foster Avenue (where Andersonville has expanded across community boundaries into northern Uptown) is sometimes called South Foster, or SoFo. Some maps show the entire stretch between Foster and Lawrence as Andersonville Terrace; although this name is seldom used by residents, realtors have recently started using it again for the area as far south as Argyle Street, in an attempt to capitalize on Andersonville's popularity. The stretch north of Bryn Mawr still retains a good number of Hispanic-owned business as well as some restaurants and cafes serving Andersonville's more recent transplants.  Today, in addition to being one of the most concentrated areas of Swedish culture in the United States, Andersonville is home to a diverse assortment of devoted residents and businesses, including one of Chicago's largest gay and lesbian communities, a large collection of Middle Eastern restaurants and bakeries, and a thriving Hispanic commercial area north of Catalpa Avenue.

Andersonville is now considered one of Chicago's "hot" neighborhoods. It also enjoys nationwide renown for its unique commercial district, comprised almost entirely of locally owned, independent businesses. In 2004, an economic study of Andersonville was reported in newspapers across the globe. It demonstrated what Andersonville locals haev known for a long time: that the locally owned businesses are a crucial part of Andersonville's vitality and quality of life, returning far more to the community in economic benefits and neighborhood involvement than would non-local businesses. Communities everywhere now look to emulate Andersonville as a model of a thriving urban neighborhood.

Bucktown is a neighborhood located in the east of the Logan Square community area in Chicago northwest of the Loop. Its boundaries are the Chicago River to the east, Western Avenue to the west, Bloomingdale Avenue to the south and West Fullerton Avenue to the north.^[1] It is primarily residential, with a mix of older single family homes, new builds with edgy architecture, and converted industrial loft spaces. The neighborhood's origins are rooted in the Polish working class, which first began to settle in the area in the 1830s.^{[citation needed]} A large influx of Germans began in 1848 and in 1854 led to the establishment of the town of Holstein, which was eventually annexed into Chicago in 1863. Additional population influxes include European Jews, Mexican immigrants and Puerto Rican migrants. Puerto Ricans concentrated along Damen and up Milwaukee Avenue from the 50's until the 80's. They supported the Young Lords and other groups that campaigned in the 80's and voted strongly for Harold Washington's victorious,mayoral campaign which called for "Neighborhoods First" not city hall. In the last quarter of the 20th century, a growing artists' community led directly to widespread gentrification, which brought in a large population of young professionals. Bucktown is directly north from Wicker Park.

There are many bars and restaurants in the vicinity and there has been a large number of "teardowns" of the older housing stock - replacing them with new and large residential buildings.

There is a significant amount of shopping on Damen Avenue from North Avenue (in Wicker Park) going north until Webster Avenue. Bucktown is readily accessible on the Blue Line.

Bucktown gets its name from the large number of goats raised in the neighborhood during the 19th century. A male goat is a buck. The original Polish term for the neighborhood was Kozie Prery (Goat Prairie).

Edgewater is a Chicago community area in the far North Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois seven miles north of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Rogers Park to the north, Uptown to the south, Lincoln Square to the west and south and West Ridge to the west and north. As one of Chicago’s 77 official community areas, Edgewater is bounded by Foster Avenue on the south, Devon Avenue on the north, Ravenswood Avenue on the west, and Lake Michigan on the east. Edgewater contains several beaches that residents enjoy in the warm months. Historically, Edgewater was once part of Lake View Township, an independent suburb which was annexed by the city of Chicago in 1889.

Edgewater has the second highest population density of any of the neighborhoods in Chicago ^[1]

Edgewater was first developed around the 1890s as a summer home for Chicago's elite. With the exception of pockets acknowledged as historic districts (like the Bryn Mawr Historic District), Edgewater (actually, Edgewater Beach) boasts a skyline of apartment buildings, condominium complexes, and mid-rise homes.

The Gold Coast consists mostly of high-rise apartment buildings on Lake Shore Drive, facing Lake Michigan, but also includes low-rise residential blocks inland. As with many neighborhoods, its exact borders are subject to dispute, but generally extend from North Ave. south to Division St. and west to LaSalle St. and also includes the areas east of State St. south to Oak St. and east of Michigan Ave. south to Walton St.

The Gold Coast was an unexceptional neighborhood until 1885, when Potter Palmer, former dry goods merchant and owner of the Palmer House hotel, built a fanciful castle on Lake Shore Drive. Over the next few decades, Chicago's elite gradually migrated from Prairie Avenue to their new homes north of the Loop.

Along almost every boulevard of the Gold Coast, upscale boutiques and shops have opened up. Chanel, Hermès, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Cartier SA, Van Cleef & Arpels, Yves Saint Laurent, Harry Winston, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Stuart Weitzman, Rolex, Max Mara, Vera Wang, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Paul Stuart, Betsey Johnson, and Lilly Pulitzer are just a few of the dozens of designers that have locations in the exclusive neighborhood. Also, Lamborghini and Porsche have dealership locations in the Gold Coast.

Lake View — or Lakeview, as it is increasingly spelled — is a North Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is designated as Community Area 6 of 77 well-defined Chicago community areas. It is bordered by West Diversey Parkway on the south, West Irving Park Road on the north, North Ravenswood Avenue on the west, and the shore of Lake Michigan on the east. The Uptown community area is to Lake View's north, Lincoln Square to its northwest, North Center to its west and Lincoln Park to its south. The 2000 population of Lake View was 94,817 residents, making it the second largest of the Chicago community areas by population, following Austin which has 117,527 residents. Lake View, though, has a higher population density than the larger (area-wise) Austin neighborhood.

While actual territorial limits and colloquial names are not definite depending on local sources and usage, Lake View is unofficially divided into smaller neighborhood enclaves: Lakeview East, West Lakeview and Wrigleyville. Lakeview East (more commonly just Lakeview) forms the area popularly known as Boystown. It holds the distinction of comprising the first gay village to be officially recognized as such by a civic body in the United States.^[1] New Town is a formerly-used community name designating the area centered at the intersection of North Clark Street and West Diversey Parkway. The Northalsted Merchants Association is centered on the North Halsted Street strip between West Belmont Avenue and West Grace Street and is the dominant merchants association in Lake View.

Lake View is most recognized nationwide as home to Wrigley Field and its Chicago Cubs. Neighboring the field is one of the most famous gay villages in North America. Held on the last Sunday of each June, the Chicago Pride Parade, one of the largest gay pride parades in the nation, takes place in Lake View. The community area has also been host to several other major events: In 2006 it played host to an international sports and cultural festival, Gay Games VII, with its closing ceremonies held at Wrigley Field and headlined by Cyndi Lauper.

Although boundaries are precisely defined in the city's list of official neighborhoods, the Lincoln Park neighborhood in popular thought has somewhat variable boundaries; it is generally considered to be bordered on the north by Diversey Parkway, on the west by Clybourn Avenue, on the south by North Avenue, and on the east by the public park of the same name.

Lincoln Park, also designated as Community Area 7, is one of the North side community areas of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Named after Lincoln Park, a vast stretch of park belonging to the Chicago Park District, the community area is anchored by the Lincoln Park Zoo and DePaul University. Lincoln Park is bordered by the community areas of Lakeview and North Center to the north, Logan Square (Bucktown neighborhood) and West Town to the west, and Near North to the south.

Lincoln Park is home to Lincoln Park High School, Francis W. Parker School, and DePaul University. Many students who attend these schools now live in this neighborhood.

Lincoln Park is also home to two architecturally significant churches: St. Vincent De Paul and St. Josaphat's, one of the many so-called 'Polish Cathedrals' in Chicago. Visible from throughout the neighborhood, these monumental edifices tower over the neighborhood lending the area much of its charm.

Lincoln Park is home to a large amount of boutiques, retail stores, bookstores, restaurants and coffee shops. Restoration Hardware, lululemon athletica, Rugby Ralph Lauren, Pottery Barn, Barneys New York CO-OP, L'Occitane en Provence, R.E.I., American Apparel, BCBG Max Azria, Abercrombie and Fitch, United Colors of Benetton, Marc Jacobs, and Club Monaco, are just a few of the large number of upscale national retailers and boutiques located in the neighborhood. There are also many bars and clubs in the area, especially along Lincoln Avenue between Wrightwood and Webster.

In 2007, Forbes magazine named the area between Armitage St, Willow St, Burling St, and Orchard St as the most expensive block in Chicago.

Lincoln Square encompasses the smaller neighborhoods of Ravenswood Gardens, Ravenswood Manor, Bowmanville and Budlong Woods. Although it is sometimes known by these other names the City of Chicago officially designated it as Lincoln Square in 1925. About 44,000 people live in the neighborhood along with over 1,000 small and medium sized businesses. It is accessible through the Brown Line of the 'L'. It is bounded by Peterson Avenue and Bryn Mawr Avenue on the north, Montrose Avenue on the south, Ravenswood Avenue on the east and the Chicago River on the west. It is somewhat trendy and its housing stock consists of private residences and small apartment buildings.

The commercial heart of Lincoln Square is located at the intersection of Lawrence, Western and Lincoln Avenues. Lincoln Avenue south east of this intersection is home to a wide variety of restaurants and shops. Lincoln Square is historically known as a heavily German influenced and populated neighborhood, but now one is just as likely to see shops catering to Thai or Middle Eastern cultures. Still, the neighborhood is home to a number of German businesses, notably the Chicago Brauhaus, Merz Apothecary and Lutz Continental Café, and is the home of the Chicago branches of DANK (the German-American National Congress) and the Niedersachsen Club. The German-language weekly newspaper Amerika-Woche was born in Lincoln Square in 1972, though its original headquarters above the Brauhaus is now only a bureau.

Loop architecture is dominated by high-rises. Notable buildings include the Home Insurance Building, considered the first skyscraper (demolished in 1931); the Chicago Board of Trade Building, a National Historic Landmark; and the Sears Tower, the tallest in the United States. Some of the historic buildings in this district were instrumental in the development of high-rises. Chicago's rational street numbering system originates in the Loop at the intersection of State Street and Madison Street.

This area abounds in shopping opportunities, including the Loop Retail Historic District, although it competes with the more upscale Magnificent Mile area to the north, and with suburban shopping malls. It includes Chicago's former Marshall Field's department store location in the Marshall Field and Company Building; the original Sullivan Center Carson Pirie Scott store location (closed February 21, 2007); and Sears on State.

It is the location of a number of government buildings, including City Hall/County Building, the James R. Thompson Center, the Richard J. Daley Center, and multiple federal buildings. Chicago's Downtown Theatre District is also found within this area, along with numerous restaurants and hotels. The Loop contains a wealth of outdoor sculpture, including works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Alexander Calder, and Jean Dubuffet. Chicago's cultural heavyweights, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Goodman Theatre, the Chicago Theatre, the Lyric Opera at the Civic Opera House building, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, are also in this area, as is the historic Palmer House Hilton hotel, found on East Monroe Street.

Printer's Row, also known as Printing House Row, is a neighborhood located south of the Chicago downtown area known as the Loop. It is bounded by Congress Parkway on the north, Polk Street on the south, Plymouth Court on the east, and the Chicago River on the west.^[1] This neighborhood overlaps significantly with the officially designated landmark Printing House Row District. Just to the south of the District is Dearborn Station, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally, the buildings in Printer's Row area were used by printing and publishing businesses. Today, the buildings have mainly been converted into residential lofts.

River North is a neighborhood in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. It is bound by Michigan Avenue to the east, Chicago Avenue to the north, and the Chicago River to the south and west. This neighborhood, home of The River North Gallery District, has the largest concentration of art galleries in the United States outside of Manhattan.^[2] Along with hundreds of art galleries, the area holds many bars, dance clubs, popular restaurants, and entertainment venues. Subsections of River North include:

• the gallery district, primarily along Superior and Huron streets between Wells and Orleans;
• a theme-restaurant area with many tourist-oriented restaurants, surrounding Clark and Ontario;
• "the Cathedral District," an area with many new residential skyscapers surrounding Holy Name Cathedral (Catholic) and St. James Cathedral (Episcopal), located near State and Superior, and Huron and Wabash, respectively;
• a design district, with shops and showrooms selling commercial and luxury interior furnishings, in the blocks north of the Merchandise Mart; and
• Kingsbury Park, an area of newly built residential high-rises surrounding Erie Park, at Erie Street and the Chicago River.

According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, the River North area has been experiencing explosive population growth. An estimated 25,000 new residents, occupying some 10,000 new condominiums, have moved into the neighborhood since 2000.^[3] If these estimates hold true, the Near North neighborhoods population is nearing 100,000 residents at 97,811, a 34.3% increase from 2000.

River West and The Fulton River District makes up the north east area of the Near West Side, just west of the Loop. It is bordered by the Chicago River to the east, Ohio Street on the north, Madison Street to the south, and the Kennedy Expressway to the west. The Fulton River District and the entirety of River West is a former manufacturing and current transportation corridor turned residential neighborhood. The neighborhood is made up of warehouses that have been converted to loft condominiums, new construction high rise condominiums and apartments, high rise and mid rise business offices, retail and restaurants. The Fulton River District and River West is also the home of The Boeing Company, and the Ogilvie Transportation Center (formerly Northwestern Station), a major commuter rail terminal. The neighborhood is known for the scent of chocolate emanating from the Blommer Chocolate Company.

Rogers Park is the northernmost of Chicago community areas in the far North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and is also the name of the Chicago neighborhood^[1][2] that constitutes most of the community area. It is bounded by the city of Evanston along Juneway Terrace and Howard Street to the north, Ridge Boulevard to the west, Devon Avenue and the Edgewater neighborhood to the south, and Lake Michigan to the east. The neighborhood just to the west, West Ridge, was part of Rogers Park until the 1990's. Some Chicagoans use the phrase "East Rogers Park" to refer to any area east of Ridge, but usually East Rogers Park refers only to the portion of Rogers Park east of Clark Street. 

The presence of so many students and academics from Loyola, Mundelein College (now part of Loyola), and Northwestern University, just a few miles to the north, has historically lent Rogers Park a high degree of liberalism and tolerance. The community also has a high Internet presence. In 2007, the Web site outside.in named Rogers Park one of the country's "bloggiest neighborhoods.

Rogers Park is unique in that it is one of the few Chicago neighborhoods that has direct public access to Lake Michigan. Unlike other Chicago lakefront neighborhoods, nearly every east-west street in Rogers Park has a beach. In addition, many buildings along Lake Michigan have their own private beaches.

South Loop is growing rapidly.  Most of the area south of Congress Parkway and east of the Chicago River, possibly excepting Printer's Row, is referred to as the South Loop. The southern boundary of the neighborhood is under debate. While the southern boundary for the community area is Roosevelt Road, the term "South Loop" is often used to describe an area that extends as far south as 18th Street or Cermak Road. Numerous shops south of Roosevelt Road with "South Loop" in their name hint that this more generous definition may be gaining recognition.

The more restrictively-defined area includes River City, the northern half of Dearborn Park, and portions of State Street, Wabash Avenue, and Michigan Avenue. The more generous definitions would include the Central Station development, Dearborn Park II, the Prairie District, and even the northern growth of Chinatown. In 2006, the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was formed to provide representation for thousands of South Loop residents.

The major landowner in the South Loop is Columbia College Chicago, a private school that owns 17 buildings. Also to be found here is the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, championed by Mayor Daley.

Streeterville is a neighborhood in Chicago, north of the Chicago River. It is bounded by the river on the south, Michigan Avenue on the west, and Lake Michigan on the north and east. Legend says the reclaimed land on which the neighborhood is built owes its existence, solely, to George Streeter. In the late 1880s, George 'Cap' Streeter claimed his boat hit a sandbar just off the shoreline during a storm and there it stayed; he and his wife made this their new home. The Streeters encouraged dumping in this area and, after several years, the debris built up and became solid land. George claimed this 'new land' as an independent territory in respect to an 1821 government survey that declared Chicago, and Illinois, property lines terminated at the shoreline. Under his homesteading rights as a Civil War Veteran, he declared the new land to be the District of Lake Michigan. Naturally, the powers that be eventually got around to seizing this land by force, and it is now home to some of the most expensive real estate in Chicago.^[4]

Streeterville houses some of Chicago's tallest skyscrapers and most upscale stores, hotels, restaurants and theaters, as well as Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, School of Continuing Studies, Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management's downtown campus and School of Law. The Magnificent Mile portion of Michigan Avenue is part of Streeterville, as is the number one tourist attraction in Chicago, Navy Pier. In 2007, construction started on Chicago's new tallest skyscraper, the Chicago Spire. It is located in the extreme southeastern corner of the neighborhood, next to Lake Shore Drive, and is currently on hold pending a more favorable credit market environment.

Uptown is a diverse neighborhood located north of Chicago's downtown. As one of Chicago’s 77 community areas, Uptown has well defined boundaries. They are: Foster on the north; Lake Michigan on the east; Montrose (Ravenswood to Clark), and Irving Park (Clark to Lake Michigan) on the south; Ravenswood (Foster to Montrose), and Clark (Montrose to Irving Park) on the west.^[1] Uptown borders three community areas and Lake Michigan. To the north is Edgewater, to the west is Lincoln Square, and to the south is Lake View.

For over a century, Uptown has been a popular Chicago entertainment district, which played a significant role in ushering in the Gilded Age, the Lyceum Movement, the Jazz Age, the Silent Film Era, the Swing Era, the Big Band Era, the Rock & Roll Era, has been a filming location for over 480 movies, has ties to significant spectator sport athletes and organizations, including the Chicago Blackhawks and three Olympic figure skaters, as well as theater, comedy clubs, dance performers who later became nationally-famous, and even "The People's Music School," a needs-based, tuition-free music school for formal classical music .

West Loop Gate, often just called "the West Loop", makes up the north central area of the Near West Side, west of Chicago's Loop. It is bordered by the Kennedy Expressway to the east, Grand Avenue on the north, the Eisenhower Expressway to the south, and Ashland to the west. The neighborhood also extends to the Chicago River south of Madison Street.  The neighborhood is known for its plethora of excellent Greek restaurants, including the famous Parthenon, and its 24 hour foodspots.

A former manufacturing corridor turned art-edgy neighborhood, the area is made up primarily of warehouses that are still in use or have been converted to loft condominiums, "loftominiums," restaurants, night clubs, a growing number of art galleries and some retail. It's also the home of Harpo Studios, owned by well known talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and the production site of her syndicated show.

Chicago Union Station, the city's only remaining intercity rail terminal, is a well known West Loop landmark.

Wicker Park is a Chicago neighborhood northwest of the Loop, south of Bucktown. Charles and Joel Wicker purchased 80 acres (32 ha) of land along Milwaukee Avenue in 1870 and laid out a subdivision with a mix of lot sizes surrounding a 4-acre (1.6 ha) park. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 spurred the first wave of development, as homeless Chicagoans looked to build new houses. Wicker Park proved especially popular with German and Swedish merchants, who built large mansions along the neighborhood's choicest streets--particularly on Hoyne and Pierce, just southwest of North & Damen, known then as Robey. Today, the neighborhood is best known for its numerous commercial and entertainment establishments and being a convenient place to live for downtown workers due to its proximity to public transportation and the loop. Gentrification has made the area much more attractive to college educated, white collar workers, although it faced considerable resistance from the working class Puerto Rican community it displaced. Crime has decreased and many new homes have been built as well as older homes being restored. This has led to increased business activity, with many new bars, restaurants, and stores opening to serve these individuals. Property values have gone up, increasing the wealth of property owners and making the neighborhood attractive to real estate investors.

The borders of the neighborhood are generally accepted to be the Chicago River the east, Bloomingdale Avenue to the north (at 1800 N), Division to the south (at 1200 N), and Western Avenue to the west (at 2400 W). Both the East Village and Ukrainian Village are to the south, Humboldt Park is to the west, and Bucktown is to the north.

Wrigleyville is the neighborhood directly surrounding Wrigley Field along North Clark and West Addison streets. Actual boundaries are undefined, with some sources citing Wrigleyville as spilling into adjacent enclaves such as Lakeview East and North Halsted. Wrigleyville features low-rise brick buildings and houses, some with rooftop bleachers colloquially called Wrigley Rooftops where people can purchase seats to watch baseball games without having to pay Major League Baseball ticket prices. Proprietors are able to do so under special agreements with the Chicago Cubs organization.

While the bars and restaurants in Lakeview East (especially along North Halsted Street) usually feature gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender culture, Wrigleyville bars and restaurants (particularly on North Clark Street) feature the sports culture with sports-oriented themes, and some mix the LBGT and sports themes. Sluggers, Hi-Tops (closed in 2006), Cubby Bear and Barleycorn bars host the Cubs crowds near the Wrigley Field intersection of North Clark Street and West Addison Street. Las Mañanitas, a gay Mexican restaurant, is located on North Halsted Street just two blocks away from the stadium. This area has been a staging ground for a number of Hollywood movies. In addition, the area's Irish American roots are evident with Irish pub themes. While the specialty drink in trendy Lakeview East bars might be a custom-made cocktail, beer by the pitcher is much more heavily advertised in Wrigleyville establishments.