Questions about Chicago (Lincoln, Manhattan, Union: real estate, houses, employment)

[Dream Chaser]

I live in Chicago all my life and Im always learning something new. I been to doing to some research on trying to find the day population of The Loop. I want a correct number because different sources give me different numbers.

Question two: Is River North is considered Chicago's second business district ?

[chet everett]

River North largely blends into the both the traditional Loop and the broader North Loop / North Michigan Ave area so I would have a hard time saying it is a "second business district". The area(s) near O'Hare both along the Kennedy and adjacent to the airport probably are second in employment density to the core of the Loop, but given the widespread economic impact of retail and entertainment that happens in Lakeview my hunch is that dollar impacts are greater there than anywhere beside the broader Loop...

The commercial real estate in the Loop generally has the capacity for about 500,000 workers but currently the numbers are probably closer to 300K -- - Chicago Sun-Times

[It'sAutomatic]

There's always been smaller business corridors going North, West, and South of the loop. People think of them as parts of the central business district, even though they are distinct in some ways. This is probably because there isn't a huge gap between them like there is in New York, only a short hop across the river to the North and West and across Congress Pkwy on the South.

[edsg25]

I think it is important to keep the terms "downtown" and CBD (central business district) separate. back in the day, of course, the Loop served as both, the only true center.

but in the years after WWII, Chicago developed a far greater downtown, something that was referred to as a "Super Loop" at the height of the expansion era. Today's enlarged downtown is characterized by its density and as much life style as business and residential.

and within it are a number of communities...some business, some residential, some a mix. I'd say that there is pretty much agreement that downtown runs from North Avenue on the fringe of Lincoln Park down the lakefront to McCormick Place. West it goes westward from Greektown, for sure, arguably to the United Center and the Med Center. Much of these boundaries would be enclosed if the CTA is ever able to go head with its Circle Line.

The most heavily business oriented parts of the super downtown area outside the Loop include its most natural extension, the west loop across the river that includes the two metro stations (Union, Ogilvie) that make it a business haven. but the near north side (Streeterville, Michigan Avenue, River North) have more than their share of big business (the riverfront portion of all three being business oriented and, like the west loop, an extension of the Loop itself). I would say that that Streeterville and North Michigan Avenue have more so than River North which was the latest to convert to more downtown functions when Michigan Avenue rents (particularly on art studios) rammed up the value of the decaying (but still classical) warehouses of River North which then grew and built anew in an interesting mix of old an new. North Michigan Avenue's Mag Mile has long been the home of traditional downtown business activities like newspapers and advertising.

The South Loop, IMHO, remains the least big business oriented of the outward expansions.

What's interesting in Chicago as compared to New York is that in the later, the growth of business that couldn't be accommodated in the original downtown (and the downtown that gave all downtowns their names since it was and is Lower Manhattan) and had to jump a considerable amount of real estate to establish a beachhead in what was to become Midtown, a place that would soon enough well overtake the size of downtown. the move, I believe, was needed as Midtown had the bedrock base that the skyscrapers needed and that were missing in the space between it and lower manhattan.

Chicago, of course, went a different route and saw its core expand outward, a far different model that linear Manhattan experienced. In fact, Chicago remains the ultimate "concentric circle" city.

[snoylekim]

Well, if you consider Roosevelt part of the CBD and South Loop , the businesses did greatly expand during the last decade.. the retail corridor on the Western End ( Canal and West) added large Retail outlets ( Big Box, Supermarkets ..) to add to the smaller retailers already there.. from that perspective , that part of the South Loop was very business oriented, just not 'office business' ..

[ozzy463]

The problem with Chicago is everyone wants to own some kind of stuffed exotic animal and have it displayed over their fireplace

[emathias]

Originally Posted by ozzy463

The problem with Chicago is everyone wants to own some kind of stuffed exotic animal and have it displayed over their fireplace

Definitely, just look at this animal over a fireplace:

[Dream Chaser]

Originally Posted by emathias

Definitely, just look at this animal over a fireplace:

Lol

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by emathias

Definitely, just look at this animal over a fireplace:

Is this your frontroom? Looks pretty tasteful to me, and I'm being dead serious. That pinata is a nice touch.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

Is this your frontroom? Looks pretty tasteful to me, and I'm being dead serious. That pinata is a nice touch.

That's actually pinata #2. I've had a pinata as part of my decor since about 2001, but pinata #1 got its leg broken by the sister of the cat on the couch and so I did what you do to horses/burros who break a leg - I put him down. Both pinata #1 and pinata #2 came from Las Pinatas on Wells Street in Old Town.