The Gold Coast Traveling north, the Gold Coast picks up where Streeterville leaves off. The Gold Coast stretches as far west as Clark Street and north to North Avenue, where Lincoln Park begins. High rises, mansions and brownstones make up this lovely neighborhood, truly one of Chicago's most beautiful residential areas, and still only minutes from downtown and the Loop. Wicker Park and Bucktown North, Damen and Milwaukee Avenues form the hub of this neighborhood, whose boundaries are ever expanding north and west towards Humboldt Park and Logan Square. This area is inhabited by one of the largest populations of working artists of any major American city.
Housing runs the gamut from beautifully renovated town homes to inexpensive, spacious lofts.
Dozens of galleries line North and Damen Avenues, along with bohemian cafes, comic book shops and restaurants ranging from expensive chic to down home and unpretentious. More than a mile of public park stretches from North Avenue to Diversey along the lake. Lincoln Park itself boasts a world class zoo, a bird sanctuary, lagoons, museums and cultural activities, a community theater, biking and jogging paths, and public beaches. The neighborhood that borders Lincoln Park takes the same name, and runs from Armitage north, up Clark Street and Lincoln Park West to Diversey, and west to Halsted Street. Old Town and DePaul lies to the south, from Division north to Armitage and from Clark Street west to Halsted.