rush university

rush university is a premier, private institution offering more than 30 degrees in medicine, nursing, health, and biomedical research.  the rush university medical center is steadily becoming a sprawling campus and is one of the biggest private employers in the city.  rush medical college was chartered two days before the city of chicago and opened in 1843 with 22 students.

the east side of the rush complex borders the university village neighborhood (although the "university" referenced here is the university of illinois-chicago, not rush).  over the past decade, thousands of new construction townhouses, mid-rises, and single-family homes were added to this neighborhood, as nearby warehouses and industrial plants were rehabbed into stunning residential lofts.  the frenzied pace of development brought droves of new residents to the village and created a hot new district for chicago’s youngest buyers and renters.  the prodigious new development transformed south halsted street into a thriving retail strip, replete with restaurants, coffee shops, delicatessens, grocers, and boutiques. 

university village includes and surrounds “little italy,” which is home to an abundance of authentic and venerable italian restaurants.  little italy has deep, deep roots in chicago history, and much of its housing stock remains intact from more than a century ago.  many of the professors and students from rush live in this area, which is characterized by stately two and three flat graystones, courtyard buildings, and single-family homes.

the blue line of the el stops right at rush university, and both the dan ryan and eisenhower expressways are blocks away.