West Town (Chicago), Illinois

West Town is one of the 77 designated official community areas in Chicago, Illinois. It is on Chicago’s West Side and is three miles northwest of the downtown Loop. Its name may have been derived from Western Avenue, which was Chicago’s western boundary when the area was first settled.

West Town’s boundaries are Bloomingdale on the north, Kinzie on the south, Chicago River’s North Branch on the east and Kedzie on the west. Neighborhoods within West Town include: East Village, Eckhart Park, Humboldt Park, Kinzie Industrial Corridor, Noble Square, Smith Park, Ukrainian Village and Wicker Park. Zip codes in West Town include 60612, 60622, 60642 and 60647.

The Kennedy Expressway, part of Interstate 90, passes through West Town. The area is also served by four stops on the CTA Blue Line, providing access to O’Hare International Airport and the Chicago Loop. The stations are at Grand Avenue, Chicago Avenue, Division Street and Damen Avenue.

West Town is known for the diversity of its ethnic restaurants, boutiques, trendy nightclubs and art stores. It is home to Kendall College and College of Office Technology. The Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral and Rectory, Humboldt Park Boathouse Pavilion and the Erie Neighborhood House are some historic landmarks in West Town.

The Erie Neighborhood House is a social service agency tracing its roots to the settlement house movement of the 19th century. It has operated in the neighborhood since 1870, providing services ranging from early childhood education and after-school programming to ESL and citizenship classes for adults. 

Most of the area east of Wood Street was within the original 1837 city limits. Workers came to the area in the late 1840s to build railroad lines. Other settlers were drawn in by jobs from the factories near the river. By the turn of the 20th century, Germans and Scandinavians tended to live near Wicker Park, while Polish immigrants settled around Division and Ashland streets, an area that became known as the Polish Downtown.  Russian Jews tended to live near Humboldt Park, while Italians lived along Grand Avenue. The Ukrainian community settled in the section between Chicago and Division and Damen and Western. Today, this neighborhood is called Ukrainian Village.

 Around the 1950s, many Latino immigrants began settling in West Town. Puerto Ricans moved west toward Humboldt Park, and then Mexicans concentrated in areas east of Ukrainian Village. At the turn of the millennium, West Town had yet another dramatic change. There was an influx of a younger population of artists and students, particularly in the Bucktown section north of North Avenue. This gentrification filtered to the southeast areas along Milwaukee Avenue and Halsted. By 2000, the various Latino groups fell to 47 percent of the population. Due to rising real estate property prices, the lower income populations began to move northwest. 

West Town is 4.571 square miles in area. According to the 2010 U.S. census report, 57.8% of West Town residents are white, 8.4% are black, 28.6% are Hispanic, 4.1% are Asian and 1.2% are other. 

 The population in West Town is 84,948 and the median age is 31. The median household income is $69,155, and the average household size is 2.2 people. There are 37,732 housing units in West Town. The median home value is $401,071. There are 15,242 owner-occupied housing units in West Town, and 22,490 renter-occupied housing units. Median rent there is $1,006 per month.  

In West Town, 87% or the residents hold a high school diploma or higher and 60% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.

West Town is served by the Chicago public school system. High schools located in West Town include Clemente High School and Wells Community Academy High School. Other schools include Noble Street Charter High School and Holy Trinity High School. Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School is an alternative high school whose students are mostly from Puerto Rico.

Kreisman Law Offices is located in the heart of Chicago’s Loop. We handle Illinois legal work for the entire Chicago metropolitan area, including the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. Chicago's Robert D. Kreisman of Kreisman Law Offices has over 40 years of trial experience and specializes in a wide range of legal services, including Illinois personal injury law, mediations and arbitrations, Illinois product defect/product liability law, Illinois medical malpractice claims and lawsuits, probate, real estate law, commercial litigation and Illinois nursing home abuse cases. Please call us 24 hours a day at 312.346.0045 or toll free 800.583.8002 for a free and immediate consultation, or complete a contact form online. Our office handles Spanish speakers with our bilingual staff.

Our Chicago Loop office is in a convenient location for Chicago area residents. Kreisman Law Offices is located at the corner of Dearborn and Monroe Streets. There are many convenient modes of public transportation to Kreisman Law Offices Loop location, including the Metra and CTA and there is ample parking available, both on the street and in the many public garages.