Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, all easily accessible to each other via a great mass transit system. For someone who loves the urban flow and wants to be near work, restaurants, shopping, and things to do, there is no better neighborhood than downtown Chicago.
Comprised of River North, Old Town, Gold Coast, Streeterville, Lakeshore East, Loop, Printers Row, West Loop, Greektown, and South Loop, the downtown area currently has about 4,300 units for sale that offer an interesting mix of architectural styles, prices, and amenities. Not surprisingly, the majority of the homes for sale are condominiums or townhomes - new ones, converted apartment buildings, restored warehouses - but there are some single family homes as well. There's not much grass for individual units, but there are 24 miles of lakefront park, courtesy of the Chicago Park District for anyone needing a "green fix." These parks, notably Grant Park, Lincoln Park and Olive Park have some of the best public beaches, fishing, boat slips and docks, golf courses and driving ranges, walking, biking and skating trails around.
Anyone picking up a Chicago guidebook will soon zero in on the hundreds of top-rated restaurants, the designer shopping, and the award winning architecture you pass on your daily walk or transit ride to work. Area residents soon find their favorite, more affordable "everyday" places to eat, drink, and shop. For something different, cuisines of the world are a short cab ride away in nearby neighborhoods. The buildings may fade into the background but whether it's Trump Tower in River North, Hancock Center in Streeterville, Sears Tower in the Loop, or the office building with the diamond shaped roof visible from Lake Shore Dr., there's always one sky scraper that stands out every time.
If your game plan is to continue your education after work, it's easy to do that as Chicago is home to 86 colleges and universities, most with evening or weekend programs to supplement their growing full time enrollment. Nineteen are located right in the Loop, including Columbia College, Roosevelt University, DePaul, John Marshall Law School, and the famous Harrington School of Design.
If you want to live downtown to be "in the midst of it all," there's plenty to see and do. Theaters, museums, and major sports teams offer year round events of interest, but the city is noted for its downtown festivals in the summer and its family events at Navy Pier.
Interested in seeing whether downtown living is for you? ChicagoCityHomes will find you the Chicago condo, townhome, or loft of your dreams.
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