Lakeview
Wrigley Field, Belmont Harbor, Southport Avenue
MEDIAN: $303,000
The Neighborhoods of Lakeview
Lakeview is the big, busy heart of the North Side, about four miles north of the Loop. It runs from Diversey Parkway up to Irving Park Road, and from Lake Michigan west to Ravenswood Avenue, with more than 100,000 people inside those lines.
People move here because everything is close. The lakefront and Belmont Harbor sit on one side, Wrigley Field sits in the middle, and blocks of restaurants, theaters, bars and boutiques fill in between, all tied together by the Red, Brown and Purple lines.
It's really several neighborhoods sharing one name. A high-rise by the harbor, a vintage flat steps from Halsted Street and a family house off Southport Avenue are all Lakeview, and each comes with a different daily routine. This page walks you through them.
Lakeview East
The lakefront side, east of Halsted Street and Broadway. High-rises and 1920s courtyard buildings face Lincoln Park and Belmont Harbor, and the Lakefront Trail is across the street. Most commuters here ride the express buses on DuSable Lake Shore Drive rather than the L. Days start with a run or bike ride along the lake and end with dinner on Broadway, and summer weekends belong to the harbor and the trail.
North Halsted (Boystown)
Halsted Street between Belmont and Grace, the city's best-known LGBTQ+ entertainment district, with rainbow pylons lining the sidewalk. Bars, restaurants and the Center on Halsted share the street, and the Pride Parade and Northalsted Market Days fill it every summer. Greystones and vintage walk-ups line the side streets. Life here is social: weekend brunch on Halsted, theater and comedy a few blocks away, and a dance floor whenever you want one.
West Lakeview & The Southport Corridor
The quieter west side, from Southport Avenue toward Ravenswood Avenue, with tree-lined streets of two-flats, greystones and single-family houses. Life here is calmer and more residential: morning coffee on Southport, errands on foot and a movie at the Music Box on a Friday night.
Special mention: the Southport Corridor. Southport Avenue is Lakeview's main street, a stretch of boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops anchored by the 1929 Music Box Theatre. The Brown Line stops at Southport and Paulina, and the side streets around it are where Lakeview's single-family homes cluster.
Wrigleyville
The blocks around Wrigley Field, where game days set the rhythm from spring to fall. Clark Street is lined with sports bars, and the Metro and Smart Bar are music institutions. Behind the ballpark, Alta Vista Terrace holds 40 London-style rowhouses from the early 1900s. From spring through fall, life runs on the Cubs schedule, with game-day crowds and rooftop parties, then the blocks quiet down for winter.
Getting Around Lakeview
Lakeview has six L stations on three lines. Which line you use depends on which side of it you live on.
The center rides the Red Line. Belmont and Addison sit in the middle of the neighborhood, and Sheridan serves the north end. The Red Line runs 24 hours, and Belmont is the big transfer point, where the Red, Brown and Purple lines meet.
The west side rides the Brown Line. Southport and Paulina stations serve West Lakeview and the Southport Corridor, and Wellington and Belmont cover the south end. The Brown Line runs into the Loop's elevated ring, so many riders get downtown without a transfer.
The lakefront rides the bus. Lakeview East is a 10- to 15-minute walk from the L, so most residents there take express buses like the 135, 146 and 151, which run down DuSable Lake Shore Drive toward Michigan Avenue. Broadway, Clark, Halsted and Ashland each have their own north-south route.
Driving takes planning. DuSable Lake Shore Drive has ramps at Belmont, Addison and Irving Park, while the Kennedy Expressway is a drive west. Street parking is tight across the neighborhood, so check whether a space comes with the home.
Game days change the map. On Cubs home dates, the blocks around Wrigley Field fill with fans and many streets switch to permit-only parking. Wrigleyville residents learn the schedule; everyone else learns to take the Red Line.
There's no Metra station inside Lakeview. The closest, Ravenswood, is about a mile north of Graceland West.
Is Lakeview right for you?
John will help you narrow it down, then match you with a Chicago agent who knows these blocks, at no cost to you.
Housing in Lakeview
Housing in Lakeview gets less dense as you move west, from lakefront towers to vintage flats to family houses.
Lakeview East: towers and courtyard buildings. Along the lake, high-rises from the 1920s and the 1950s to 1970s offer lake views and doormen, and older towers often have larger units than new construction (and a higher HOA fee). Behind them, 1920s courtyard buildings bring vintage condos with radiator heat and leafy shared courtyards.
Northalsted and Wrigleyville: walk-ups and two-flats. Greystones, brick two- and three-flats and vintage walk-ups fill the side streets, many converted to condos. Alta Vista Terrace, a city landmark block of 40 rowhouses modeled on London's, sits just north of Wrigley Field.
West Lakeview and the Southport Corridor: flats and family houses. The density drops west of Southport Avenue. Two-flats, greystones and single-family houses line tree-shaded streets, and many older homes have been rebuilt or replaced with larger new construction.
Graceland West: bigger lots. Single-family homes sit on wider lots than most of the city, so houses here can be larger and come with yards and garages.
Across Lakeview, condos are the most common way in, with studios and one-bedrooms easiest to find near the lake. Houses, especially with a garage, are scarcer and draw the most competition near Southport.
Living in Lakeview
Almost every errand in Lakeview is a walk, and so is most of the fun. What changes is whether your nearest main street is Broadway, Halsted, Clark or Southport.
What you can walk to. Broadway and Halsted put restaurants, bars and Whole Foods a few blocks from Lakeview East. Clark Street brings Wrigley Field, the Metro and a long run of sports bars. The Belmont theater district has more than 20 stages, from the Athenaeum to the Briar Street Theatre.
On the west side, Southport Avenue has the Music Box Theatre, boutiques, cafes and the Paulina Meat Market. Chicago Music Exchange draws guitar players from across the city.
Nearly every summer weekend has a street festival. The Pride Parade, Northalsted Market Days and a steady run of neighborhood fests close streets from June through September.
The lake. Lakeview East borders Lincoln Park, with the Lakefront Trail, Belmont Harbor's sailboats and the Jarvis bird sanctuary near Addison along the shore. Lakeview has no sandy beach of its own; Montrose Beach is a short bike ride north.
From West Lakeview, the lake is about a 20- to 25-minute walk, or a quick ride on the Belmont or Addison bus.
Groceries. A two-level Mariano's sits on Broadway near Wellington, and a Whole Foods on Ashland at Belmont serves the west side, with a second Whole Foods planned for Belmont and Halsted. Most blocks are within about a 15-minute walk of a full-size store.
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Find Your Fit
Match what you want most to the part of Lakeview that does it best.
Lake views, a doorman and the harbor across the street: start with Lakeview East.
Halsted Street's restaurants, bars and summer festivals at your door: start with Northalsted.
Game days, live music and the Red Line at the corner: start with Wrigleyville.
A main street of shops, a vintage movie palace and the Brown Line: start with the Southport Corridor.
A two-flat or family house on a calmer, tree-lined street: start with West Lakeview.
A bigger lot and a quieter block north of Irving Park: start with Graceland West.
Still deciding? John can help you weigh them.