"Chicago" by Carl Sandburg

Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders

-excerpt from the poem "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg (1916)

Chicago Skyline

Chicago Skyline
The Chicago Skyline from a Near West Side highrise

Monday, January 21, 2013

West Loop Gate

The Breakdown
An overview: Didn’t we already do the West Loop?  How is this different?  Well, yes, we did indeed cover the entire West Loop back in May of 2011.  However, we chose to come back and focus on the neighborhood’s eastern-most section for two main reasons.  First of all, our 2011 entry neglected the portion east of I-90/94.  As this entry will show, there are many wonderful things to do in such a small geographic area.  Secondly, we’ve had an incredible two years exploring your neighborhoods.  Now, we want to take you on a tour of ours.

Like Greektown, West Loop Gate is a neighborhood within a neighborhood within a community area.  As stated above, West Loop Gate is the easternmost portion of the West Loop neighborhood, which itself encompasses a relatively centralized (though spanning much of the east-west length) portion of one of the City’s largest community areas: the Near West Side.  Despite officially being a part of the Near West Side, West Loop Gate really serves more as an extension of the Loop, rather than a portion of the greater West Loop or Greektown.

But it hasn’t always been like that.  Relatively new as an in-demand place to live, West Loop Gate is continuing to grow taller and denser, much like its residential loft and high-rise bearing cousin the South Loop.  And as more and more people desire its location and fashionable condos, West Loop Gate’s lifestyle options continue to grow and expand with it.