Lincoln Square (Roscoe, Davis, Montrose: condos, homes, neighborhood)

[rw2006]

Is Lincoln Square a nice neighborhood?

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by rw2006

Is Lincoln Square a nice neighborhood?

If you scroll down the page just a little bit, you can find the answer to your question.

[Lookout Kid]

Yes it is.

[Chinolala]

It's nice! I'd love to live there

[McOctopus]

Lincoln Square is great; I lived there two years (on Wilson, right by the Western brown line stop). There is the Sulzer regional public library, which is great to have nearby, the Old Town School of Folk Music, Welles Park, the Davis movie theater, lots of restaurants (especially Thai food). God knows it has changed a lot in the last ten years with gentrification but it's still a great neighborhood.

[jessiegirl_98]

Please search the forum to find more information

[lenniel]

Lincoln Sqaure has a nice mix of young families, some artist types, a smattering of the old German immigrant holdouts, new condo development, nice bars/rests/shops, parks, etc. Single family homes (not tear downs or one's that need a lot of work) will run a minimum of $600K (and that's for nothing special that probably needs work). Nice new condos will run $250K+ for 1 BR, $350K and up for 2 BR or more.
It's a neighborhood on the rise and has a lot of development occurring. Typically, peopel that lived in Wrigleyville, Lake View or Linc Park when they were single will move to Roscoe Village, North Center or Linc Square once they get married and are starting a family.
It takes 10 minutes to ride your bike to Wrigley and can get downtown in about 20 on the L (if Blago doesn't screw it up)

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Originally Posted by lenniel

Lincoln Sqaure has a nice mix of young families, some artist types, a smattering of the old German immigrant holdouts, new condo development, nice bars/rests/shops, parks, etc. Single family homes (not tear downs or one's that need a lot of work) will run a minimum of $600K (and that's for nothing special that probably needs work). Nice new condos will run $250K+ for 1 BR, $350K and up for 2 BR or more.
It's a neighborhood on the rise and has a lot of development occurring. Typically, peopel that lived in Wrigleyville, Lake View or Linc Park when they were single will move to Roscoe Village, North Center or Linc Square once they get married and are starting a family.
It takes 10 minutes to ride your bike to Wrigley and can get downtown in about 20 on the L (if Blago doesn't screw it up)

Decent synopsis, but it takes longer than that to get downtown on the el. Usually takes me 30-35 peak and 35-40 offpeak to get from Western (right in the heart of Lincoln Square) to State/Lake. The Metra is way faster, though, and even though the nearest stop is at Ravenswood/Lawrence, I could get to my old office (near Ogilve) in 20 minutes.

[MkeOrd]

It is a great area and I lived there for about 7 years, but many of the charming old shops have closed and much of the soul of the place has been altered. This said, many of the old shops are holding on (even if under new ownership) and many of the old Germans and Greeks who lived here before the Old Town School moved in have sold out at a nice price and retired and many come in to eat German food on the weekends. It used to be very affordable - I remember three flats selling for $300K, two flats selling for $225K, and homes selling for $175K near the library and park but it was one of the first places to boom and for good reason (real homes with yards in the city near the brown line and metra). I wish I had bought a place and never moved sometimes.

Two things changed the place. The Old Town School of Folk Music came in the late 1990s, followed by baseball hat wearing Lincoln Park couples around 2000 and it became a suburb in the city. If you are from a suburb and want that same feel in the city this is a great place with yards and nice homes. It is walkable and family friendly (always was). But if you are looking for the German-ethnic place that was Lincoln Square you have to look hard. I remember when Cafe Selmarie was just a little place off on the side street rather than the sprawling anchor for the square it is today. The old German and Polish style bakery closed in the late 1990s (now a parking lot across from the Old Town School) and the Greek restaurant across from the Old Town school closed as well. You can still get good German food (don't be afraid to try it), and there is a good German pastry shop/coffee shop on Montrose across from the ALDI.

The Lutz family has been baking pastries for generations. I think they used to have a sign that said since 1700 or something like that and I think they were also trained as Konditorei (pastry chefs) in Germany until recently. They even once had a little restaurant there like a true Konditorei cafe in Germany. They did my wedding cake and it was great!

If you move to the neighborhood try out the old cafes and shops and spend some money in these great places. I would hate to see what remains of the original place killed off.

[Avengerfire]

I see now this thread is old! Keep adding info though!