West Loop Boundaries (Chicago, Oak Park, Washington: for rent, lofts, condos)

[mpalkar]

Hello,

I am thinking of potentially renting in west loop....help much appreciated...

1) What are the boundaries

2) How safe is West Loop? I will be working downtown n there will be times that I will catch a cab at 2 am....

3)Any other advice on West Loop.

Thanks much

Monica

[snoylekim]

Kind of varies , but I think consensus on the eastern boundary would be the Chicago River.. Northern boundary would be Fulton or the tracks to the north .. There are a lot of developments from there south to Washington that are sometimes considered 'West Loop - Fulton Gate' . The western boundary is kind of flexible .. there's east of the expressway , and west of the expressway where the term 'West Loop' has been used to describe the neighborhood as far west as Racine.. Southern Boundary would be Van Buren or Harrison Street .. The neighborhood is reasonably safe, but parts are quiet at night ( little foot traffic or businesses) .. Greektown is typically hopping until the wee hours .. There's lots of police presence in the loop and Greektown, so .. Further west could be a little more perilous walking around at certain hours. You shouldn't have a problem grabbing a cab at that hour from the office in the loop ( If your in a typical large office, building security might help).. The west loop is a bit quieter than Near North/River North/LP , but IMHO you're still close enough to head into the action, and leave to more quieter surrounding when you tire of it .. There's a Jewel, a Dominicks, Presidential Market, a 24 Hour Walgreens and most of the conveniences of any other neighborhood . There are qute a few condos for rent ( or there were before 5/1) , so you should be able to find a very nice place if you're willing to spend a little $$..

[Chi-town Native]

I can see Racine, although I think Greektown and Little Italy shouldn't be absorbed into a newcomer neighborhood like the west loop. Halsted would be preferable, but no biggie - I would say if anyone tries to sell you on anything beyond 1400 W. as the west loop that they are a con artist.

[Avengerfire]

^ I agree for the most part, but add IMO nothing west of the Kennedy Expressway is West Loop.^

Furthermore there is no "West Loop" neighborhood.

West Loop Gate is a neighborhood.

The boundaries for it are: Lake Street on the North, The Chicago River on the East,The Eisenhower Expressway to the South, and The Kennedy Expressway to the West.

http://maps.cityofchicago.org/mapchicago/viewer.htm

[snoylekim]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

^ I agree for the most part, but add IMO nothing west of the Kennedy Expressway is West Loop.^

Furthermore there is no "West Loop" neighborhood.

West Loop Gate is a neighborhood.

The boundaries for it are: Lake Street on the North, The Chicago River on the East,The Eisenhower Expressway to the South, and The Kennedy Expressway to the West.

" + theTitle + "

Agreed. But lots of realtors take liberties with designation and stretch it pretty far west, probably thinking the name ' Near West Side' would be off-putting to some .. the general challenge is delineating a 'neighborhood' or community, that, for the most part, had virtually no residents 25 years ago ( other than some remaining SROs on Madison and the beginnings of PT) . My area of West Loop - Gate was light industrial from the 1880s thru the loft conversions / construction of the 1990s .. The real residential area south of me was pretty well decimated by Mayor Daley Senior and the bulldozers ( and the Avondale/ Dan Ryan expressway) ..

[Chi-town Native]

"Furthermore there is no "West Loop" neighborhood."

this highlights why the Community Areas should in fact always be included in discussions about neighborhoods.

[Intergalactic]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

^ I agree for the most part, but add IMO nothing west of the Kennedy Expressway is West Loop.^

Furthermore there is no "West Loop" neighborhood.

West Loop Gate is a neighborhood.

The boundaries for it are: Lake Street on the North, The Chicago River on the East,The Eisenhower Expressway to the South, and The Kennedy Expressway to the West.

" + theTitle + "

I agree; the "West Loop" would be the western area of the Loop neighborhood, between the River and the El tracks, that is everything along Wacker, Franklin, and Wells Streets.

[mpalkar]

Thank you guys! Appreciate your adviceMonica

[mycrows]

Like the South Loop, the West Loop has no need for "boundaries." It's only limited by the imagination of realtors. For example, here are some HUGE, WEST LOOP CONCRETE LOFTS FOR RENT!! (http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/1178840595.html - broken link) that are conveniently located on Washington St a couple blocks west of Western Ave.

[snoylekim]

I guess then the West, West Loop would be, say, Austin or Oak Park ... :0