Curlie

Neighborhoods

The City of Chicago has 77 officially defined community areas. The Social Science Research Committee at the University of Chicago defined 75 areas during the late 1920s, which at that time corresponded roughly to neighborhoods within the city. In the 1950s, the city annex O'Hare Airport and the 76th area was added. The creation of the 77th community area occurred in 1980 when the area know as Edgewater was separated from Uptown.

Today many of the areas no longer correspond to any single neighborhood, and some area names have fallen out of colloquial use. The ever-changing nature of a city means that a few of the designations given in the 1920s may not still be in common use. Many are known more by a traditional or informal neighborhood name, such as Wrigleyville (*Lake View), Chinatown (*Armour Square), or Ukrainian Village (*West Town).

Residents and realtors tend to assign new names as neighborhoods evolve. Some estimate there are more than 200 such named neighborhoods in the city today.

(*Denotes an official community name.)

Neighborhood categories will only consist of sites such as:
Branch library
Community associations
Economic development associations
Police district sites
Sites related to a neighborhood's history or unique culture.

Please do NOT submit sites concerning businesses or real estate to any neighborhood category.

Chicago is divided into 77 distinct community areas. In most communities, there are informally-named individual neighborhoods. The communities have their own sub-categories and the informally-named neighborhoods are listed in the 2nd grouping of neighborhood names. Please submit sites to the following categories. Read the categories descriptions for help in locating a specific neighborhood.

Chicago's far north side communities: Albany_Park • Edgewater • Edison Park • Forest Glen • Jefferson Park • Lincoln Square • North Park • Norwood Park • O'Hare • Rogers Park • Uptown • West Ridge

Chicago's north side communities: Avondale • Lake View (Lakeview) • Lincoln Park • Logan Square • North Center

Chicago's northwest side communities: Belmont Cragin • Dunning • Hermosa • Irving Park • Montclare • Portage Park

Downtown Chicago (central) including near north and near south side communities: Loop • Near North Side • Near South Side

Chicago's west and near west side communities: Austin • East Garfield Park • Humboldt Park • Lower West Side • Near West Side • North Lawndale • South Lawndale • West Garfield Park • West Town

Chicago's southwest side communities: Archer Heights • Brighton Park • Chicago Lawn • Clearing • Englewood • Gage Park • Garfield Ridge • McKinley Park • New City •West Elsdon • West Englewood • West Lawn

Chicago's south side communities: Armour Square • Bridgeport • Douglas • Fuller Park • Grand Boulevard • Greater Grand Crossing • Hyde Park • Kenwood • Oakland • South Shore • Washington Park • Woodlawn

Chicago's far southwest side communities: Ashburn • Beverly • Mount Greenwood • Washington Heights

Chicago's far southeast side communities: Avalon Park • Burnside • Calumet Heights • Chatham • East Side • Hegewisch • South Chicago • Pullman • Riverdale • Roseland • South Deering • West Pullman

Albany Park

Albany Park is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the north side of Chicago and includes the areas of Mayfair, North Mayfair, and Ravenswood Manor.

Archer Heights

Archer Heights is a neighborhood located on Chicago's southwest side.

Armour Square

Armour Square is a community located in the near-south side of Chicago and includes the neighborhoods of Chinatown and Wentworth Gardens. U.S. Cellular Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox baseball team, is located in this community.

Ashburn

Ashburn is a community located on the southwest side of Chicago. It contains the smaller neighborhoods of Ashburn Estates, Beverly View, Crestline, Parkview, Scottsdale, and Wrightwood.

Auburn Gresham

Auburn Gresham is a community located on the far south side of Chicago. It contains the area known as Gresham.

Austin

The community of Austin is located on the far west side of Chicago, Illinois, and includes the neighborhoods of Galewood, The Island, and Midway Park.

Avalon Park

Avalon Park is a community located on the south side of Chicago. It includes the neighborhoods of Marynook and Stony Island Park.

Avondale

Avondale is a community located on the northwest side of Chicago. It contains the neighborhoods of Jackowo and Waclawowo.

Belmont Cragin

Belmont Cragin is a neighborhood located on the northwest side of Chicago and includes the areas known as Brickyard, Cragin, and Hanson Park.

Beverly

Beverly including West Beverly

Bridgeport

Bridgeport is a neighborhood located on Chicago's south side.

Brighton Park

Brighton Park is a neighborhood located on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois.

Burnside

Burnside is located on the south side of Chicago. Locals call this community "The Triangle," as it is bordered by railroad tracks on every side.

Calumet Heights

Calumet Heights is located on the south side of Chicago. This community includes the neighborhood known as Pill Hill.

Chatham

Chatham is a community located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and includes the neighborhood of West Chesterfield.

Chicago Lawn

Chicago Lawn including Lithuanian Plaza, Marquette Park Chicago Lawn is a very diverse neighborhood, located just south of Gage Park and between 59th and 75th Streets.

Clearing

Clearing is located on the southwest side Chicago, Illinois, and contains the neighborhood known as Chrysler Village. A portion of Chicago Midway International Airport is located in this community area.

Douglas

Douglas is a community located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. It includes the sub-neighborhoods of Bronzeville, Groveland Park, Lake Meadows, Prairie Shores, and South Commons.

Dunning

Dunning is a community on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois. It contains the neighborhoods of Belmont Heights, Belmont Terrace, Irving Woods, and Schorsch Village.

East Garfield Park

East Garfield Park is a community located on the west side of Chicago. It contains the neighborhood known as Fifth City.

East Side

East Side is a community on the far southeast side of Chicago, located between the Illinois-Indiana state line and the Calumet River. The neighborhood got its name from the river because it was located on its east bank. The neighborhood has its own park on Lake Michigan and its own forest preserve. The community of East Side should not be confused with New Eastside, which is a neighborhood located in the Chicago Loop area.

Edgewater

Edgewater is a community in the far north side of Chicago, seven miles north of the city's downtown area. It includes the neighborhoods of Andersonville, Bryn Mawr Historic District, Edgewater Glen, Epic, and Lakewood/Balmoral.

Edison Park

Edison Park is a residential neighborhood in northwest Chicago, named after Thomas Alva Edison.

Englewood

Englewood including Hamilton Park.

Forest Glen

Forest Glen is one of the 77 community areas in Chicago. It's located on the city's northwest side and includes the neighborhoods known as Edgebrook, Middle Edgebrook, Sauganash, and Wildwood.

Fuller Park

Fuller Park is a community on the south side of Chicago, Illinois.

Garfield Ridge

Garfield Ridge is a community located on the southwest side of Chicago. It contains the neighborhoods known as Le Claire Courts, Sleepy Hollow, and Vittum Park. Garfield Ridge is one of the community areas which border Midway Airport.

Grand Boulevard

Grand Boulevard is a community located on the south side of Chicago. This is one of two community areas in the city that are part of an area known as Bronzeville, with the other being Douglas.

Hegewisch

Hegewisch is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois, and is located on the city's far-southeast side.

Hermosa

Hermosa is located on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois, and includes the neighborhoods of Belmont Gardens and Kelvyn Park.

Humboldt Park

Humboldt Park is located on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois, and is one of 77 officially designated community areas. It derives its name from a 207-acre park named for Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a German naturalist and explorer.

Hyde Park

Hyde Park is a community located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. It is considered one of the more cultural areas in the city and is home to the University of Chicago, Hyde Park Art Center, Museum of Science and Industry, Oriental Institute, and the Renaissance Society. Hyde Park's eastern boundary is Lake Michigan and its western boundary is Washington Park. Some consider Hyde Park to include the area between 47th and 51st Streets (East Hyde Park Blvd), even though this area is actually the south half of the Kenwood community area. The area encompassing Hyde Park and south Kenwood is also referred to as Hyde Park-Kenwood.

Irving Park

Irving Park is a community located on the northwest side of Chicago. It contains the smaller neighborhoods of Kilbourn Park, Independence Park, Old Irving Park, The Villa, and West Walker. The Villa is a historic district, built in 1902 by architects influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style of architecture.

Jefferson Park

Jefferson Park is a neighborhood located on the northwest side of Chicago. It includes the area known as Gladstone Park. Jefferson Park is named after the third president of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson.

Kenwood

Kenwood is a community located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. It includes two Chicago Landmark districts: Kenwood District and North Kenwood District. The community is often associated with Hyde Park.

Lake View

Lake View (sometimes spelled Lakeview) is a north side neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. Lake View is known nationwide as home to Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs. It also contains areas known as Lakeview East, North Halsted, West Lakeview, and Wrigleyville.

Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park is one of the north side community areas in Chicago. The neighborhood is home to Lincoln Park Zoo and DePaul University. It contains the areas known as DePaul, Old Town, Park West, Ranch Triangle, Sheffield Neighbors, and Wrightwood Neighbors.

Lincoln Square

Lincoln Square is located on the north side of the city of Chicago. Lincoln Square encompasses the areas of Bowmanville, Budlong Woods, Ravenswood, and Ravenswood Gardens.

Logan Square

Logan Square is a community area located on the northwest side of Chicago and includes the neighborhoods of Bucktown and Palmer Square.

Loop

The Loop is the historical center of downtown Chicago, as well as the city's central business district, bounded on the west and north by the Chicago River, on the east by Lake Michigan, and on the south by Roosevelt Road. It contains the New Eastside, Printer's Row, South Loop, and Historic Michigan Boulevard District areas.

Lower West Side

Lower West Side is a community located on the west side of Chicago. It's composed of the neighborhoods of Heart of Chicago and Pilsen, but the entire community area is commonly referred to as Pilsen by most Chicago residents.

McKinley Park

McKinley Park is a community located on Chicago's southwest side.

Montclare

The Montclare community is located on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois.

Morgan Park

This category includes neighborhood resources for Morgan Park (also, known as Beverly Hills) and includes Beverly Woods, Kennedy Park, and West Morgan Park.

Mount Greenwood

Mount Greenwood is a community on the southwest side of Chicago. It includes the neighborhood known as Talley's Corner.

Near North Side

The Near North Side is a neighborhood in Chicago. It is located north of the Chicago River and the downtown central business district (the Loop). Near North Side includes the communities of Cabrini Green, Dearborn Parkway, Gold Coast, Goose Island, Magnificent Mile, Old Town, River North, State Parkway, and Streeterville.

Near South Side

The Near South Side is a community located just south of Chicago's downtown central business district, the Loop. The sub-neighborhoods of Central Station, Dearborn Park, Museum Campus, and Prairie Avenue Historic District are located in Near South Side. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago cites Printer's Row and the South Loop as part of the Near South Side community. The official map of the City of Chicago supports the belief that Printer's Row and the South Loop are located in the Loop community.

Near West Side

Near West Side is a community on the west side of Chicago, adjacent to the downtown central business district, the Loop. It includes the neighborhoods of Columbus Circle, Fulton River District, Greektown, Little Italy, Medical Center (District), Tri-Taylor, University Village, and West Loop.

New City

New City is a community area located on the southwest side of Chicago. It includes the neighborhoods of Back of the Yards and Canaryville. This area was home to the famous Union Stock Yards for 106 years, until it closed in 1971.

North Center

North Center is both a community area and a neighborhood located on the north side of Chicago. North Center (Northcenter) includes the areas known as Saint Ben's, Revere Park, and Roscoe Village. It is also home to the CW Television Network affiliate WGN-TV and WGN America.

North Lawndale

North Lawndale (also known simply as Lawndale) is located on the west side of Chicago. It contains the areas known as K-Town (because many names of north-south avenues begin with the letter K) and Homan Square.

North Park

North Park is a neighborhood located on the north side of Chicago, Illinois. It contains the areas known as Hollywood Park and Pulaski Park.

Norwood Park

Norwood Park is a community on the far northwest side of Chicago, Illinois. It contains the smaller neighborhood areas known as Big Oaks, Old Norwood, Oriole Park, and Union Ridge.

O'Hare

The community of O'Hare is located on the far northwest side of Chicago. O'Hare International Airport is located within its boundaries. It also includes the neighborhood of Schorsch Forest View. This Chicago community area is the only one that extends outside of Cook County. The western edge is in DuPage County.

Oakland

Oakland is located on Lake Michigan on the central-south side of Chicago, Illinois.

Portage Park

Portage Park is located on the northwest side of Chicago and is one of the city's 77 officially designated community areas.

Pullman

Pullman is a neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. Pullman was built in the 1880s by George Pullman and is full of historic and architecturally significant buildings. The community encompasses the older historic area, often referred to as just Pullman and the northern annex historic area, usually referred to as North Pullman. It also contains the area known as Cottage Grove Heights.

Riverdale

Riverdale is a neighborhood located on Chicago's far south side. It contains the areas of Altgeld Gardens, Eden Green, and Golden Gate. For the nearby Cook County village, please see Riverdale, Illinois.

Rogers Park

Rogers Park is the northernmost of Chicago's neighborhoods. It includes the Loyola area.

Roseland

Roseland is a neighborhood located on the far south side of Chicago. It includes the areas known as Fernwood, Gano, and Princeton Park. Its postal ZIP code is 60628. Its approximate boundaries are 115th Street on the south, 87th Street west of Interstate 94 on the north, South Halsted Street on the west, and South Cottage Grove Ave. on the east.

South Chicago

South Chicago is one of the 77 community areas in Chicago, Illinois. It was formerly known as Ainsworth. The Calumet River is located on the community's southeast side. South Chicago is considered the gateway to the Calumet Region and is one of four neighborhoods (the others being East Side, Hegewisch and South Deering) that are considered by locals as Chicago's Southeast Side.

South Deering

South Deering is a community that is located on Chicago's far southeast side. It includes the neighborhoods known as Jeffery Manor and Vets Park.

South Lawndale

South Lawndale is a community located on the west side of Chicago. Little Village is a neighborhood in South Lawndale. It was popularly known as "Czech California" for many years because of the largest ethnic group being of Bohemian heritage. It is currently home to the largest Mexican-American population in the Midwest. Marshall Square is a neighborhood in the northeast corner of the South Lawndale Community Area, named to designate the square formed by Marshall Boulevard.

South Shore

South Shore is a community along Chicago's southern lakefront. It includes the neighborhood known as Jackson Park Highlands.

Uptown

Uptown is a neighborhood located north of Chicago's downtown and includes the areas of Buena Park, Clarendon Park, Margate Park, New Chinatown, and Sheridan Park.

Washington Park

Washington Park is a community area and neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. It includes the 372 acre park named Washington Park.

West Garfield Park

West Garfield Park is a community located on the west side of Chicago.

West Pullman

West Pullman is a neighborhood located on the far south side of Chicago, Illinois. Its postal ZIP code is 60628. It is just south of the Roseland neighborhood. Its boundaries are approximately 115th Street on the north, 129th Place on the south, Interstate 57 on the west, and South Front Ave. on the east. West Pullman is not part of the nearby historic community of Pullman.

West Ridge

West Ridge is a middle class neighborhood located on the far north side of Chicago. It contains areas known as Golden Ghetto, Nortown, Peterson Park, Rosehill, and West Rogers Park.

West Town

West Town is a community located in Chicago, Illinois, northwest of the Loop. It includes the neighborhoods of East Village, Humboldt Park (see below), Noble Square, River West, Smith Park, Ukrainian Village, and Wicker Park. The western boundary of the West Town community area is Humboldt Park. The 104-block area east of Humboldt Park, west of Western Avenue, and north of Chicago Avenue is commonly referred to as part of Humboldt Park, even though it is not in the Humboldt Park community area.

Woodlawn

Woodlawn is located on the south side of Chicago. The University of Chicago lies just to the north of this community, in Hyde Park. It is bounded by Lake Michigan to the east.