Old Town is a historic neighborhood in Chicago located between Lincoln Park and downtown. It has a diverse population and is home to many attractions like St. Michael's Church, one of the few buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The neighborhood can be accessed via the Red Line train or a 40 minute ride from Loyola station. Wells Street is the main commercial area with many restaurants and shops. Important sights include the Chicago History Museum which has exhibits on the city's history. Exploring Old Town with friends provided an authentic experience of Chicago's diverse history and culture.

1. Old Town, Chicago
Connections to Community

2. Location - Old Town
● Old Town is one of Chicago’s
most quaint and historic
neighborhoods.
● Tucked in between Lincoln Park
and the bustling business district
downtown.
● Old Town is bordered by W.
Division St., N. Clark St., W.
North Ave., N. Larrabee St., and
N. Clybourn Ave

3. How to get there?
- From the Loyola
Station we take the
train towards 95th
Street and get off at
Clark/Division stop. Its
about a 40 minutes
ride there with 12
stops in between.
- After you get off at
the station, its a few
blocks worth of walk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Line_(CTA)

4. General Overview- Old Town
Neighborhood
Demographics:
Median Age:
● 36.8 years (M)
● 35.0 years (F)
Racial Diversity:
Varies greatly within
Old Town, some
sections are 80% white,
others are 70% black.
Average Cost of a
Home:
● $540,999 (house)
● $456,779 (apartment)
Median Income:
● $66,012
● Ranges from
$6,861 in some
areas to $139,750
in others
A higher percentage of Old
Town residents have a college
degree compared to Chicago
as a whole.

5. History: Old Town & The Great
Chicago Fire
Area now known as Old Town was settled by
German and Irish immigrants.
Street layouts predate the Chicago fire, and
therefore don’t follow the grid pattern.
Old town was also a center of hippie culture in
Chicago.

6. Group Experience- St. Michael’s
St. Michael’s Church in Old Town dates back
to 1852. It is one of few buildings that
survived the Chicago Fire, although it was
badly damaged.
http://www.st-mikes.org

9. Group Experience - Second City
Old Town is home to Chicago’s
Second City Comedy Group at the
UP! Comedy Club. The box office
marquee, located just off the
intersection of Old Town’s historic
Wells Street and North Avenue,
advertises all upcoming events at the
club.

10. Group Experience- Chicago History
Museum
One of the main
attractions in Old
Town is the CHM,
which has plenty of
interesting
exhibitions. (“1968”,
“Abraham Lincoln”,
“Railroaders”)
http://chicagohistory.org/

13. Group Experience- Wells Street
Wells Street is the
major route that runs
through Old Town.
This is where most of
the restaurants,
stores, and social hubs
are located.

15. Group Reflection
Exploring is always more fun when it is with friends. As we set out on this journey to explore a certain area of
Chicago, we were excited; curious to know what awaits us. With Halloween just around the corner, the
restaurants and streets were decorated thoroughly making it a more lively experience. Although we were not
allowed to take pictures in some places, we captured the true essence of this town in our minds along with the
memories of this fun journey. Looking at the historical richness in the museums and churches, we couldn’t help
ourselves but wonder about the stories that lie in the past. This pathway to historical discovery has truly been
both an enlightening and exciting journey. This was indeed an authentic Chicago experience as Chicago is known
for its diverse history and being able to look at this first hand has only enhanced our Loyola Experience.

17. Bibliography
● "Old Town neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60610 detailed profile." Old Town neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL),
60610 subdivision profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Old-Town-Chicago-
IL.html>.
● "Old Town Real Estate For Sale in Chicago." Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
<https://www.seechicagorealestate.com/old-town-real-estate-chicago.php>.
● "Red Line (CTA)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.