Lincoln Park is one of Chicago’s oldest and most storied neighborhoods, boasting several famous landmarks and attractions. It is currently considered one of the liveliest neighborhoods on the city’s north side, home to several dance and music clubs, theaters, and other nightlife enjoyed by the young urban professionals and DePaul University students who populate the area.

When Chicago was first incorporated as a city in the early 1800s, the area that would eventually be known as Lincoln Park was just outside of the city limits to the north, and was comprised primarily of small Native American settlements, prairie, swamp, and an Army outpost. As it was claimed and developed, it came to be known as Lake View Township, and included a public space known as Lake Park. After President Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, Lake Park was renamed Lincoln Park in his honor. Residential areas steadily grew in the area over time, but the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 devastated much of the area, and the period at the end of the 19th century saw Lincoln Park grow substantially as construction flourished. Today, nearly half of the buildings in the neighborhood can trace their origins back to this post-disaster period. Brownstones and townhomes make up the majority of the real estate in this area, servicing single families and younger homeowners, but also catering to wealthier home buyers with larger, Victorian-style homes in parts of the neighborhood.

The development of the neighborhood into a destination for successful professionals and their families was bolstered by the initiatives to create parks and preservations throughout the area. Many of the streets have been lined with tall, green trees and carefully pruned bushes. Oz Park, in the heart of the region, remains a lush and open attraction, including its lovingly crafted statues of characters from The Wizard of Oz (author L. Frank Baum was one of the noted residents of Lincoln Park). Lincoln Park is also home to the Lincoln Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Zoo, both of which offer tourists and residents the opportunity to go outdoors and explore the natural trappings of Chicago for free.