Old Town

What is it like to live in Old Town, Chicago?

Old Town feels like a village wedged between Lincoln Park and the Gold Coast. Wells Street is the main strip, with restaurants, taverns, comedy clubs and shops packed into a few blocks. North of North Avenue, the Old Town Triangle is all narrow streets, small front gardens and houses from the 1870s and 1880s. The park, the zoo and North Avenue Beach are a short walk east.

What kinds of homes are in Old Town?

Victorian-era cottages and rowhouses in the Triangle, vintage walk-up condos, newer townhomes, and high-rises toward the south and east. The historic homes are tightly protected by landmark rules, so exterior changes take planning and patience.

How do you get around?

The CTA Brown and Purple lines stop at Sedgwick, in a station that dates to 1900. The Red Line stops nearby at North/Clybourn and at Clark/Division. Buses run on North Avenue, Clark and LaSalle.

Old Town fun facts

• Many streets in the Triangle were laid out before the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and don't follow the city's grid.
• The Old Town Triangle became a Chicago Landmark district in 1977 and joined the National Register in 1984.
• The Old Town School of Folk Music started here in 1957, at 333 West North Avenue.
• The Old Town Art Fair takes over the Triangle's streets every June.

Thinking about buying or selling in Old Town?

I'm Megan Sullivan with Compass. Landmark districts are wonderful to live in and specific about what you can change. I'll help you understand the rules before you plan the renovation.