Any neighborhoods/towns in the U.S. similar to Lincoln Square? (Chicago: 2014, apartment)

[Master Jay]

DannFrankenstein, welllllllllll, it's called Milwaukee Avenue to indicate it was the path to Milwaukee. As you may know, Milwaukee and Chicago cities were designed on a grid. Angle roads were developed on the then existing Native trails. Milwaukee Avenue was one of them.

So these days, you can literally take Milwaukee Avenue on the north side of Chicago all the way to Gurnee, where it then becomes Highway 41, which then becomes I-94, as you leave Wadsworth.

Yes, check out Casa Bonita in Libertyville, on Milwaukee Avenue. Interesting trivia: across the street is a now closed movie theater, where Marlon Brando once worked. I was lucky to have seen a movie there, back in 2017.

As far as Milwaukee, the north side tended to be settled by Germans, while the south side tended to be settled by Poles. Italians were on the east side, a la Brady Street.

S. 2nd Street was/is a rather gay community. Trivia: Club 219 and La Cage being places Jeffery Dahmer would frequent, along that strip... So IT would be akin to Chicago's Northalsted area.

And just like you see in Chicago, sure, you'll see places sprinkled in all kinds of other-dominant group areas. So it's no surprise you found an obscure place with German beers und fraulein that sprechened some Deutsch.

She was probably just: fOWllowing en hur grandfather's woodschteps!

[DannFrankenstein]

Das ist gut! I knew the diagonals were Native trails, but it didn’t occur to me that the road would still go all the way up there. We actually took 41 when I moved up there but I didn’t know Milwaukee Avenue merged into it. My experience with Milwaukee Ave ends after Dempster or Golf Rd.

Those local roads make for great journeys. You appreciate how massive Chicagoland is taking North Av or Roosevelt Rd from the city all the way to the country. I’d like to go take Halsted all the way South one time.

[Master Jay]

DannFrankenstein, my friend, I can give you another trivia piece.

The location in Gurnee where Milwaukee Avenue (Highway 21) meets Highway 41 is where a scene from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles was shot.

At the end of the film, the last hotel they stay at, the El Rancho Hotel, is located very close to that intersection ( just a bit northwest bound).

Ok, trivia 2: where YOU are talking (Milwaukee Avenue and Dempster), I DO believe is where the McDonalds is, where John Wayne Gacy was apprehended by police.

[DannFrankenstein]

I love how quickly Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy got mentioned in a seemingly innocent thread about Lincoln Square


Thinking more about the original question, I think maybe downtown Berwyn is similar to Lincoln, Lawrence, and Western, in that they’re about the same distance from the Loop and I assume both have similar reasonable crime rates and being sort of quiet while having moderately active nightlife


As for other areas, I was just in Kansas City and discovered some residential streets in Longfellow and Hyde Park which I think have a similar level of being nice but not too nice, like Lincoln Square


As for my RiverWest comparison, I think it is actually way more like Avondale or Mayfair than Lincoln Square. Those Chi hoods have about the same level of grit factor going on in my estimation. Maybe those would be good spots for the OP to consider as for their relative diversity, openness, and maybe housing price, assuming they’re not familiar with those parts

[Master Jay]

Excuse me, Mr. Dr. Young DannFrankenstein!

But I happen to enjoy learning AND sharing tidbits of fun, useless trivia, whenever possible!!! LOL

I have been to Berwyn. Which crossroads is considered their downtown?... Is it Cermak Road? Or a different area??

[DannFrankenstein]

No I was talking about around the Metra station and Oak Park Avenue. It’s a fun and interesting little downtown and I think it’s more dense housing than the rest of Berwyn, which is largely Bungalow Belt

[thinkinginil]

Thank you all so much for your responses. Sorry I didn't see these sooner, but I do appreciate them. I have heard great things about Libertyville, but have never been, but I think my husband would prefer out of Illinois altogether. He does have family out east so I will take a look at those mentioned. I never considered Kansas City, but will also check that out. Thank you!

[Kmanshouse]

For anyone interested, I was curious to see what parts of NYC might be similar to Lincoln Square.

In some thread awhile back a poster saw my Google maps and thought it looked like some areas of Queens or Staten Island.

By looking at street views alone, Staten Island was NOT it. Too suburban looking, too run down, honestly in a lot of the commercial spots.

But Queens had a couple of spots that looked very similar.

Specifically some commercial strips in the Ditmars Steinway and Astoria neighborhoods in Queens.

Along Ditmars from 33rd to 37th is one example.
Along 30th Ave from 31st street to 38th street is another.

The residential styles of the side streets are a bit different, with NYC's versions being connected more often and Lincoln Square having more 2-3 flat homes, but to me this is the closes replica I've seen of LS so far, within an urban environment. Both spots have good public transit access to Midtown Manhattan in a similar way LS has access to the Loop.

[Master Jay]

Kmanshouse, good morning,

Did you know there actually IS a Lincoln Square in New York, too?

I don't know New York. It would be a neat compare and contrast!

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

Kmanshouse, good morning,

Did you know there actually IS a Lincoln Square in New York, too?

I don't know New York. It would be a neat compare and contrast!

Yes, in fact, on Instagram I follow the LS hashtag and half the time it's a post about NYC's version. LOL.

Here is a google view of the NYC spots I mention.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7646...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7743...7i16384!8i8192

Have fun exploring. I did.

Bottom line, it seems LS matches up with the nicest parts of Queens. Brooklyn may have some similar spots as well but I think Brooklyn has become more urban/upscale than LS.

ETA: the google map view of LS are terrible. They don't do the neighborhood justice at all - it's a dreary day and appears to be early Covid as the streets are empty.