bucktown

bucktown is the neighborhood of choice for the hip chicagoan.  originally a giant barnyard (where 19th-century farmers raised their "bucks"), it morphed into a gritty, industrial outpost before the starving artist crowd moved in to take advantage of the low rents.  no surprise here: gentrification soon followed.  progessive fashion boutiques, national retailers, sushi restaurants, and fancy ice cream parlors muscled their way into the mix, alongside the offbeat retailers, record stores, bike shops, grunge nightclubs, and quirky eateries.

over the past twenty years, giant swaths of tear-downs have been torn down, and stunning, single-family homes have risen from the rubble.  Bucktown warehouses and manufacturing facilities have been renovated into condominiums and apartments, and new loft-style residences have been erected.  bucktown is rich with young professionals, starving artists, and families with kids, and there is always something to do or someplace to eat.

you will not be the first to confuse bucktown with wicker park, the equally hip neighborhood to the south.  the borders are frequently debated.  one way or the other, the commercial center of bucktown is still the "crotch," which is the six corner intersection of milwaukee, damen, and north avenues.  a blue line el train conveniently stops less than a block away, and the ride the loop is just a five-minute jaunt.