Uptown

What is it like to live in Uptown, Chicago?

Uptown has range. Around Broadway and Lawrence you get marquees, music venues and late dinners. Argyle Street is the place for Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai restaurants and bakeries. Then you cross Marine Drive and you're in a lakefront park with a harbor, a beach, a dog beach and the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary. Pockets like Buena Park, Sheridan Park and Margate Park each have their own feel, so two addresses a few blocks apart can live very differently.

What kinds of homes are in Uptown?

More variety than almost anywhere on the North Side: high-rise condos near the lake, vintage courtyard buildings, greystone two-flats and three-flats, and single-family homes on the historic blocks of Buena Park and Sheridan Park. That range shows up in pricing too, which makes Uptown worth a look for condo buyers.

How do you get around?

The CTA Red Line stops at Wilson, Lawrence and Argyle. Lawrence and Argyle reopened as fully rebuilt, accessible stations in July 2025. Express buses run along the lakefront, and the Lakefront Trail is right there for bikes.

Uptown fun facts

• Charlie Chaplin and Gloria Swanson made films at Essanay Studios on Argyle Street.
• The Uptown Theatre opened in 1925 with more than 4,000 seats. It has been closed since 1981 and is the subject of a long-running restoration effort.
• Time Out named Uptown one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world in 2020.
• Graceland Cemetery, at the neighborhood's southwest corner, is the resting place of many of the architects who built Chicago.

Thinking about buying or selling in Uptown?

I'm Megan Sullivan with Compass. In Uptown the building matters as much as the unit, so I'll help you read the budget, the reserves and the meeting minutes before you write an offer.