Lincoln Park, Chicago

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Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois
Community Area 07 - Lincoln Park
Chicago Community Area 7 - Lincoln Park
Location within the city of Chicago
Latitude
Longitude
41°55.2′N 87°39′W
Neighborhoods
ZIP Code parts of 60614
Area 8.26 km² (3.19 mi²)
Population (2000)
Density
64,320 (up 5.28% from 1990)
7,785.0 /km²
Demographics White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Other
84.5%
5.17%
5.06%
3.61%
1.67%
Median income $83,328
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Lincoln Park, also designated as Community Area 7, is one of the northside Chicago community areas that divide Chicago, Illinois in the United States. Named after Lincoln Park, a vast stretch of park belonging to the Chicago Park District, and therefore named after Abraham Lincoln, the community area is anchored by the Lincoln Park Zoo and DePaul University. Lincoln Park is bordered by the community areas of Lakeview to the north, Logan Square and West Town to the west, and Near North to the south.

Contents

[edit] History

The area now known as Lincoln Park in Chicago was still primarily forest with stretches of grassland and occasional quicksand, and was virtually untouched by Europeans as late as the 1820s.

In 1824 the United States Army built a small post near today's Clybourn and Armitage Avenues. Indian settlements existed along Green Bay Road, now called Clark Street (named after explorer George Rogers Clark), at the current intersection of Halsted Street and Fullerton Avenue.

In 1836, land from North to Fullerton and from the lake to Halsted was inexpensive, costing $150 per acre ($0.04 m²). Because the area was considered remote, a small pox hospital and the city cemetery were located in Lincoln Park until the 1860s.

In 1837 Chicago was incorporated as a city, and North Avenue was established as its northern boundary. Settlements increased along Green Bay Road (now Clark Street) when (1) the government offered land claims and (2) Green Bay Road was widened.

[edit] Neighborhood

Starbucks on the corner of West Belden Avenue and Lincoln Avenue.
Enlarge
Starbucks on the corner of West Belden Avenue and Lincoln Avenue.

The Lincoln Park neighborhood is 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.

The neighborhood population is primarily made up of young professionals, recent college graduates, and young families. However,in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, it was also home to the first Puerto Rican immigrants to Chicago. Jose (Cha-Cha) Jimenez transformed the local Young Lords gang into human rights activists for Latinos and the poor. They mounted sit-ins and takeovers of institutions and churches at Grant Hospital, Armitage Ave. Methodist Church, and McCormick Theological Seminary. Today few Puerto Ricans reside in Lincoln Park. [1] It does continue to be home to Lincoln Park High School, The Latin School of Chicago, Francis W. Parker School, and DePaul University which bought out the McCormick Seminary buildings in 1975, when the seminary moved to Hyde Park. Many students who attend these schools now live in this neighborhood.

There are many boutiques, movie theaters, retail stores, restaurants and coffee shops. There are also many bars and clubs in the area, especially along Lincoln Avenue between Diversey and Armitage. Rent for studio apartments can range from $700-$950, and one-bedroom apartments start at $1000 and skyrocket from there, depending on the view, size and location.

[edit] Lincoln Park (Chicago Park District)

Lincoln Park, for which the neighborhood was named, stretches along the lakefront from Ardmore Avenue (in Edgewater) south to North Avenue. The park contains a zoo, an outdoor theatre, a rowing canal, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, ponds, playing fields, and a large statue of General Grant. The famed restaurant, North Pond, is also located in the park.

[edit] Education

Residents are zoned to schools in the Chicago Public Schools

Zoned schools include:

[edit] Transportation

Train stopped at the Fullerton (CTA) station.
Enlarge
Train stopped at the Fullerton (CTA) station.

The Lincoln Park neighborhood is accessible via mass transit, including the CTA's red, brown, and purple lines at the Fullerton station, and the purple and brown lines at Armitage as well as CTA bus service. It is also one of over 20 neighborhoods served by I-GO Cars.

Via car, Lincoln Park can be reached by using Lake Shore Drive or Interstate 94.

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