Lincoln Park Neighborhood
Lincoln Park rates as one of the finest urban playgrounds in the country. It is not just grass and trees; you can spend a whole day here and visit the zoo, beach, conservatory, and nature museum. The neighborhood is primarily made up of young urban professionals, recent college graduates and young families. It is a great place to live with many activities to enjoy.
The area now known as Lincoln Park in Chicago used to be mostly forest with stretches of grassland until the Europeans arrived. In 1837, Chicago was incorporated as a city and North Avenue was established as the northern boundary. Lincoln Park’s boundaries are defined in the city’s list of official community areas of Chicago. It is bordered on the north by Diversey Parkway, on the west by the Chicago River on the south by North Avenue and on the east by Lake Michigan.
Lincoln Park is also the home to four beautifully architected churches including; St. Vincent de Paul Parish, St. Clement Church, St. Josaphat’s and St. Michael’s Church, which is located in the Old Town Triangle area of Lincoln Park. These churches tower over the neighborhood, creating much of the charm that Lincoln Park maintains.
The neighborhood also houses the Children’s Memorial Hospital and the Lincoln Park Hospital, which is currently closed and slated for redevelopment. The plan is to add condos, senior housing and retail and commercial developments. The neighborhood contains many upscale national retailers, unique boutiques, bookstores, restaurants and coffee shops. There are also many bars and clubs as well.
Lincoln Park has many attractions as well including; Lincoln Park Zoo, Lincoln Park Conservatory, an outdoor theater, a rowing canal, the Chicago History Museum, and many ponds and playing fields. You will never get board in this town with the variety of activities that this community has.
As far as transportation is concerned, the neighborhood is accessible via mass transit, including the CTA’s Red, Brown and Purple lines at the Fullerton Station, the Purple and Brown lines at the Armitage and Diversey stations, as well as the CTA bus service. The neighborhood is also accessible by car from Lake Shore Drive or interstate 90-94.
Lincoln Park is one of the wealthiest and most prominent neighborhood to live in. It is considered a very upscale neighborhood because of its location and charm. There are many activities and sights to see, so whether you are planning on living there or just visiting, it appears your time or money will not be wasted!
Lincoln Park Condominiums
Lincoln Park is well known throughout much of the country as one of the most desirable communities in Chicago in which to live. The area is known for shady, tree-lined streets and stretches of exciting entertainment and nightlife melding an ideal union of serenity and fun. Lincoln Park holds an old fashioned appeal reinforced by rows of brown and graystone walkups as well as newer Lincoln Park Condominiums offering a mix of conventional three and four story flats, single family townhomes and high rises that satisfies almost anyone’s taste.
Most of the neighborhood’s older graystones, brownstones, and brick walkups are rehabs. But don’t let that fool you. They are updated with the most modern of conveniences and state-of-the-art amenities essential to today’s busy lifestyle. There are still many private single-family residences, but many have been split up into separate two and three bedroom units. These vintage apartments or condos are very popular with the student population of DePaul University whose campus is located within the boundaries of Lincoln Park. Many parents have discovered that buying a condo is more cost effective when sending their children to college than paying room and board to the college or university. Kiddie Condos as they are called offer many advantages. FHA now has a program out for just this situation. It offers a low down payment, a lower owner-occupied interest rate since it is not an investment property and by a blood relative (son or daughter) being a co-signer can help them establish a solid credit rating. Another major advantage is you own the property so any increase in equity over the years can be realized when finally selling the condo. Lincoln Park Condominiums near the DePaul University campus is obviously one of the areas in which Kiddie Condos can be found.
As mentioned above Lincoln Park is one of the most popular communities in the Chicago area. The charm of the many brownstones and graystones are not the only buildings of architectural significance in the area. There are two churches, St Vincent DePaul and St Josaphat’s, one of the so-called Polish Cathedrals dotting the landscape of much of Chicago. These monumental edifices tower over much of the neighborhood lending it much of its charm.
Today Lincoln Park is primarily made up young urban professionals, recent college graduates and young families. The majority of Lincoln Park’s families are very wealthy, making Lincoln Park the overall second wealthiest neighborhood in Chicago, after the Gold Coast. Lincoln Park condominiums offers a modest alternative to many of the larger primary residences in which Lincoln Park is well known.
