Near West Side
Fulton Market, Taylor Street, the United Center
MEDIAN: $303,000
The Neighborhoods of the
Near West Side
The Near West Side is the city's front yard to the west: just across the Chicago River from the Loop, close enough to walk to the office. The community runs from Grand Avenue south to 16th Street and from the river west to the railroad tracks past Western Avenue.
People move here to be close to everything. Old warehouses and meatpacking buildings now hold restaurants, offices and lofts, and the Blue, Green and Pink lines plus Union and Ogilvie stations put the whole region in reach.
The area has five distinct neighborhoods. Fulton Market and the West Loop are the busy, newer side to the north, Little Italy and University Village center on Taylor Street and UIC to the south, and the Medical District to the west is built around one of the country's largest hospital campuses.
Fulton Market
The old meatpacking and produce district along Fulton Market and Lake Street, now home to Google's Midwest offices, McDonald's headquarters and some of the city's best-known restaurants. New condo buildings and loft conversions sit between brick warehouses that still have their loading docks. Evenings here mean a dinner reservation, a rooftop bar or Time Out Market, with the Green and Pink lines at Morgan station steps away.
Little Italy
Taylor Street between Ashland and Halsted, where Italian beef stands, bakeries and family restaurants have run for generations. Brick rowhomes and Victorian-era houses surround Arrigo Park, with condos mixed in. Summer nights mean a lemon ice at Mario's and a walk down Taylor Street, and the Blue Line and Pink Line are both close by.
Medical District
Built around the Illinois Medical District, one of the largest hospital and research campuses in the country, with Rush, UI Health and Stroger Hospital. The side streets west of the hospitals hold 1800s brick rowhomes, greystones and two-flats, plus newer condos and townhomes. Life here is practical and close to work, with the Blue Line and the Pink Line's Polk station for a quick ride downtown.
University Village
South of the University of Illinois Chicago along Halsted Street, rebuilt in the 2000s on the site of the old Maxwell Street market. Brick townhomes, walk-up condos and single-family homes line its newer streets. Days here run on the campus calendar, with coffee shops, Maxwell Street Polish stands and UIC's arena and theaters close by.
West Loop
The area just west of the river, where Randolph Street's Restaurant Row, Greektown on Halsted and the United Center are all within reach. Converted warehouse lofts and newer high-rise condos fill the blocks, with townhomes and a few single-family homes near Skinner Park. Weekends mean brunch on Randolph, a walk to Mary Bartelme Park and a Bulls or Blackhawks game, and most of the Loop is a walk across the bridge.
Getting around the Near West Side
This is one of the easiest places in the city to live without a car. Three L lines, two Metra terminals and two expressways all meet here.
Three L lines. The Green and Pink lines run along Lake Street through Fulton Market and the West Loop, with stops at Clinton, Morgan and Ashland. The Blue Line runs beside the Eisenhower Expressway, with stops at Clinton, UIC-Halsted, Racine and Illinois Medical District, and the Pink Line's Polk station serves the Medical District and Little Italy. From most stops, the Loop is less than 10 minutes away.
Metra at the front door. Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center sit on the community's east edge, so a suburban commute or a trip out of town starts with a walk instead of a transfer.
Buses on every major street. Routes on Halsted, Ashland, Madison, Roosevelt, Taylor and Harrison connect the neighborhoods to each other and to the Loop.
Expressways, and tighter parking. The Kennedy, Dan Ryan and Eisenhower meet at the Jane Byrne Interchange here, so getting on the highway is quick. Street parking gets tight near the restaurant rows and on United Center game nights, and many newer condo buildings include garage spaces.
Bikes. The flat grid makes biking into the Loop easy, with bike lanes on several east-west streets and Divvy stations across the area.
Is the Near West Side right for you?
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Housing on the Near West Side
The Near West Side is mostly condos and lofts in the north and a mix of townhomes, rowhomes and houses in the south. What you'll find depends on which side of the Eisenhower you're on.
Fulton Market: new condos and lofts. Most homes for sale are in converted warehouses or newer condo buildings, many with garage parking and rooftop decks. Single-family homes are rare.
West Loop: lofts, high-rises and some houses. Timber-and-brick loft conversions and newer high-rise condos make up most of the market. Townhomes and a small number of single-family homes sit on the quieter side streets near Skinner Park.
Little Italy: rowhomes and Victorians. Brick rowhomes and houses dating to the 1880s line the blocks around Arrigo Park, alongside renovated condos in older buildings.
University Village: newer townhomes and houses. The streets south of Roosevelt were rebuilt in the 2000s with brick-and-limestone townhomes, walk-up condos and single-family homes, all designed to look like classic Chicago.
Medical District: greystones, flats and newer builds. West of the hospitals, older greystones, brick two-flats and rowhomes mix with newer condo buildings and townhomes.
Living on the Near West Side
Almost everything is walkable here, from dinner to the grocery store to the office. The lake is the one thing that isn't: it's about two miles east, across the Loop.
Food, from famous to old-school. Randolph Street's Restaurant Row and Fulton Market hold many of the city's best-known restaurants, Greektown runs along Halsted, and Taylor Street has Italian beef stands, bakeries and family restaurants that have been there for generations.
Culture and games. The United Center hosts the Bulls, the Blackhawks and big concerts. The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and the National Public Housing Museum are near UIC, and the Randolph Street Market brings antiques and vintage finds to the West Loop.
Parks. Mary Bartelme Park, with its modern design and dog park, and Skinner Park anchor the West Loop. Union Park sits on the West Loop's western edge, and Arrigo Park is the green center of Little Italy.
Groceries. Whole Foods at Halsted and Madison and Mariano's a block south on Halsted cover the West Loop and Fulton Market. Little Italy and University Village have fewer options on Taylor Street, so most shoppers head to the stores along Roosevelt Road.
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Current selling trends, median income, recent sale prices, commute times, and walkability.
Find Your Fit
Match what you want most to the neighborhood that does it best.
A new condo near the restaurants and offices everyone's talking about: start with Fulton Market.
Old-school Italian spots, a park across the street and a rowhome with history: start with Little Italy.
A short walk to work at the hospitals and a quick Blue Line ride downtown: start with the Medical District.
A newer townhome or house on quiet streets near UIC: start with University Village.
A loft or high-rise condo with Restaurant Row, the United Center and the Loop all walkable: start with the West Loop.