Boundaries of "Downtown" Chicago (Lincoln, Fulton: apartment, homes, neighborhoods)

[Chicago_Illini_26]

Nearly everybody would agree that the entire Loop neighborhood (down to Congress Parkway, for this purpose) is considered to be "downtown," and a lot of lifelong Chicagoans insist it is The Loop and nothing else.

However, I have met a lot of people who would definitely consider parts of River North or Streeterville (up to about Hubbard or Illinois in both) or South Loop (sometimes down to the Museum Campus) as being part of "Downtown," too.

Going further, I would imagine many tourists definitely consider the Magnificent Mile and possibly even the Gold Coast up to about Division to be "downtown," as well, in addition to likely all of River North and Streeterville ... possibly even the eastern portions of West Loop/Fulton River District.

So, what do you consider the boundaries of "Downtown Chicago"? I had never really thought about actual boundaries until the other day, but I guess I would think of it as from the Hancock Building to the Museum Campus along the lake north to south, west to about Dearborn or Clark in River North and then the entire Loop.

[NoHyping]

Originally Posted by Chicago_Illini_26

Nearly everybody would agree that the entire Loop neighborhood (down to Congress Parkway, for this purpose) is considered to be "downtown," and a lot of lifelong Chicagoans insist it is The Loop and nothing else.

However, I have met a lot of people who would definitely consider parts of River North or Streeterville (up to about Hubbard or Illinois in both) or South Loop (sometimes down to the Museum Campus) as being part of "Downtown," too.

Going further, I would imagine many tourists definitely consider the Magnificent Mile and possibly even the Gold Coast up to about Division to be "downtown," as well, in addition to likely all of River North and Streeterville ... possibly even the eastern portions of West Loop/Fulton River District.

So, what do you consider the boundaries of "Downtown Chicago"? I had never really thought about actual boundaries until the other day, but I guess I would think of it as from the Hancock Building to the Museum Campus along the lake north to south, west to about Dearborn or Clark in River North and then the entire Loop.

I just use this by the city under Chicago's CBD (Central Business District). Basically what you cite in your post. It still gets me though that Google still uses Just the Loop to the Lakefront.

https://data.cityofchicago.org/Facil...rict/tksj-nvsw

If some say just the Loop etc. especially ... I use this link. It does surprise me the Museum Campus is excluded and I do see warrant for more the South Loop and even Gold Coast up to Lincoln Park the Park, to just across the Kennedy to the West seems fine though yet. Though could definitely expanding it in coming years.

[Hiruko]

To me it's the Loop, but many people include the Near North Side as part of so-called Downtown Chicago.

[Nearwest]

The Loop is one of Chicago's 77 designated community areas. According the City of Chicago Planning Commission, its boundaries are Lake Michigan to the east, the Chicago River to the north and west, and Roosevelt Rd. to the south.

[CCrest182]

Roosevelt Road (South border), Lake Shore Drive (East border), I-90/94 and/or Halsted St (West border), Division St (North border), Excluding River West, Goose Island, and Cabrini Green. That is roughly "downtown Chicago" IMO.

Basically the contiguous area where you see tourists and office workers walking around everywhere. Once it starts to get more residential than touristy as well as low rise and there are more locals walking around than suburban office workers and tourists, you are no longer in downtown.

[personone]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

Roosevelt Road (South border), Lake Shore Drive (East border), I-90/94 and/or Halsted St (West border), Division St (North border), Excluding River West, Goose Island, and Cabrini Green. That is roughly "downtown Chicago" IMO.

Basically the contiguous area where you see tourists and office workers walking around everywhere. Once it starts to get more residential than touristy as well as low rise and there are more locals walking around than suburban office workers and tourists, you are no longer in downtown.

Completely agree with these boundaries. And if you want to define it by neighborhoods, I say it's: Loop (proper), West Loop, South Loop, River North, Streeterville, and Gold Coast.


The street boundaries are more accurate, however.

[Robert9]

I have always heard the lake to the east, Roosevelt to the south. North ave north and Halstead west.

[personone]

Originally Posted by Robert9

I have always heard the lake to the east, Roosevelt to the south. North ave north and Halstead west.

North Ave is a little too far north for me. Once you get north of Division there's not enough density/hustle/bustle/restaurants/shops/foot-traffic/or large commercial buildings for it to be "downtown." Even when you are near Division and near the boundaries of Roosevelt and Halstead, things start thinning out, but I still think those are fair boundary points.


Although, in it's current state of the pandemic/civil unrest, there's not much of a true "downtown" feel left.

[IronWright]

The city has downtown zoning with expansion areas as far south as the Stevenson east from the lake west to Wentworth, north to Cermak west to Canal. The West Loop runs as far west as Ashland, north to Ogden northeast to Carroll. River West is zoned downtown and to the north all of Division between the lake and Halsted are zoned downtown. That makes Old Town, Cabrini Green, Gold Coast, Motor Row, Chinatown, River West and most of Fulton Market eligible for Downtown density/height.

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...od-growth.html

Unfortunately the corrupted alderman and NIMBY's put developers with ambitious projects through years of torture to either reject or downsize their proposals in all of these expansion districts. If the city actually honored these zones they claim are "downtown" with incentives for developers to expand the footprint on that scale the core would be massive and place Chicago back in the global skyline/downtown conversation. Instead we are getting tons of medium-density low-rise town homes, 4-6 story apartment buildings and mid-rise developments. We also have the never ending retail plague of suburban strip-malls and big-box stores with seas of surface parking.

[Castlebar]

Originally Posted by Robert9

I have always heard the lake to the east, Roosevelt to the south. North ave north and Halstead west.

Yes, the city of Chicago defines its CBD as East to Lakefront, north to North Avenue, west to Halsted Avenue, and south to Roosevelt Road.