Lincoln Park, Chicago
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Community Area 07 - Lincoln Park Location within the city of Chicago |
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| Latitude Longitude |
41°55.2′N 87°39′W / 41.92°N 87.65°W | |
| Neighborhoods | ||
| ZIP Code | parts of 60614 | |
| Area | 3.19 mi² (8.26 km²) | |
| Population (2000) Density |
64,320 (up 5.28% from 1990) 20,163 /mi² |
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| 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 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.
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[edit] History
The area now known as Lincoln Park in Chicago was primarily forest with stretches of grassland and occasional quicksand until the late 1820s when the Europeans arrived.
In 1824 the United States Army built a small post near today's Clybourn Avenue and Armitage Avenue (formerly Centre Street). Indian settlements existed along Green Bay Trail, now called Clark Street (named after George Rogers Clark), at the current intersection of Halsted Street and Fullerton Avenue. Before Green Bay Trail became Clark Street, it stretched as far as Green Bay, Wisconsin, and was part of what still is Green Bay Avenue in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.[1][2]
In 1836, land from North to Fullerton and from the lake to Halsted was relatively 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 Trail when (1) the government offered land claims and (2) Green Bay Road was widened.
In the period following the Civil War, the area around St. Josaphat's parish around Southport and Clybourn was home to Chicago's Kashubian community, who although Polish in national orientation, possess their own distinct culture and language marked by the distinct influences of their maritime way of life as well as their German neighbors.
Lincoln Park was home to L. Frank Baum (after whom Oz Park was named), Buckminster Fuller and the controversial outsider artist, Henry Darger, who worked as a janitor at Children's Memorial Hospital.
In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Lincoln Park 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.
In 1968 a violent confrontation between demonstrators and police took place in Lincoln Park and the streets of Chicago during the week of the Democratic National Convention.
Today, a very small number of Puerto Ricans reside in Lincoln Park.[3] The neighborhood population is primarily made up of young urban professionals, recent college graduates, and young families.
[edit] Neighborhood
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 the Kennedy Expressway and Damen Street, on the south by North Avenue, and on the east by the public park of the same name.
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.
The neighborhood contains large number 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, United Colors of Benetton, 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.
Lincoln Park is one of the more high-class and expensive neighborhoods in which to live, and as such has been satirized as the home of Trixies and Chads, specific derogatory terms for upper-class white yuppies. In 2007, Forbes magazine named the area between Armitage St, Willow St, Burling St, and Orchard St as the most expensive block in Chicago.[4]
[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 Chicago History Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, ponds, playing fields, and a large statue of General Grant.
[edit] Transportation
The Lincoln Park 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 Armitage, and Diversey stations, as well as CTA bus service.
Via car, Lincoln Park can be reached by using Lake Shore Drive or Interstate 90/94.
[edit] Education
Lincoln Park residents are served by Chicago Public Schools, which includes neighborhood and city-wide options for students.
Lincoln Park High School serves as the sole neighborhood secondary education institution and is ranked one of Chicago's best public high schools. Nationally, Lincoln Park High School is ranked as the 90th best high school in the country by U.S. News and World Report.[5]
Additionally, two zoned elementary schools (grades K-8), Abraham Lincoln Elementary School[1] and Oscar Mayer Elementary School [2] are found in the neighborhood. LaSalle Language Academy and the Newberry Science Academy, both magnet schools, serve the neighborhood.
[edit] Private schools
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates the Saint Clement School[3], a K-8 school, in the Lincoln Park area.
Francis W. Parker School, a K-12 school, is in the area.
Due to the fact that many students come from wealthy households, the prestigious Latin School of Chicago and the British School of Chicago receive the majority of their pupils from the Lincoln Park or Gold Coast neighborhoods.
[edit] Public libraries
Chicago Public Library operates the Lincoln Park Branch at 1150 West Fullerton Avenue.[6]
[edit] Photos
 A luxury home on Orchard Street in Lincoln Park |
 The statue of William Shakespeare in Lincoln Park |
[edit] References
- ^ Green Bay Road
- ^ Green Bay Road 2
- ^ www.nationalyounglords.com
- ^ The Most Expensive Blocks In The U.S. - Forbes.com
- ^ Lincoln Park High School: Best High Schools - USNews.com
- ^ "Lincoln Park Library." Chicago Public Libraries. Retrieved on November 15, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Official City of Chicago Lincoln Park Community Map
- Lincoln Park Real Estate
- Hidden Truths: Chicago City Cemetery and Lincoln Park - Then and Now
- Young Lords origins
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North Center, Chicago | Lakeview, Chicago |
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| Logan Square, Chicago |  |
Lake Michigan | |||||
 Lincoln Park, Chicago  |
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| West Town, Chicago | Near North Side, Chicago |
