Wicker Park is a neighborhood in Chicago that was initially settled in the 1870s by German and Scandinavian immigrants. It later became home to Jews and Poles and was known as the "Polish Gold Coast" in the early 1900s. Since the 1980s, the area has gentrified and attracted young professionals and artists due to its proximity to downtown and cheap housing prices. Today, Wicker Park is a vibrant neighborhood with many restaurants, shops and a thriving music scene dominated by its young residents. It contains the historic Wicker Park, known for its gardens and fountain, as well as Victorian homes and the Art Deco Northwest Tower building.

1. Wicker Park
Audrey, Jessica, Ian, Sam & Juan - UNIV (Section 96)

2. History
● 1870: Charles and Joe Wicker purchased 80 acres of
land along Milwaukee Ave
● Families looking to rebuild after the Great Chicago
Fire
● Initial immigrants were mainly German and Scandinavian
● Early 1900s: Jews and Poles begin to migrate to the
area
o became known as the “Polish Gold Coast”
o Great Depression caused a period of immigration decline
● Al Capone lived in Wicker Park for a short period of time
● 1960s/1970s: Kennedy Expressway is completed and a new group of settlers move in
o priced out by gentrification in Old Town and Lincoln Park
● 1980s/1990s:
o larger amounts of movement to this area by young artists and urban professionals
 cheap prices and proximity to The Loop
 “Around the Coyote” Festival - helped artists to gain local and international prominence
● 2000s: Development and gentrification continue
o cutting edge shops, galleries and restaurants

3. Demographics
● Wicker park has 25,008 residents with a median
income of $77,357
● The majority of residents are young adults, with a
median age for the neighborhood being 30 years
old. The two largest age groups are 20-29 year
olds and 30-39 year olds.
● The male to female ratio is 5,734:5,484, which is
9% above the Chicago average
● The largest racial group in the area is white,
followed by hispanic residents
● Its young residents have led to a thriving nightlife
and alternative/punk rock scene

4. Transportation
1.Take Red Line at Loyola towards 95th/Dan Ryan.
2.Get off on Monroe and switch to the Blue Line towards O’Hare.
3.Get off at Damen.
OR
1.Take Red Line at Loyola towards 95th/Dan Ryan
2.Get off at North/Clyborn
3.Walk to North Ave and Halsted
4.Take the 72 bus
5.Get off bus at North Ave and Hoyne

5. Wicker Park
Wicker Park is a family-friendly, dog-friendly
park located at 1425 N Damen
Ave. The park is 4.03 acres in total.The
land for the park was donated by Charles G. and Joel H.
Wicker when they were developing the town. The park is
known for its beautiful gardens and ornamental fountain in
the middle of the park. There are several sports facilities as
well as a gymnasium for the public to use.

7. Hoyne Ave.
A popular attraction in Wicker Park are all the
Victorian style houses such as the ones
located on Hoyne Avenue. These houses
help make up the Historical District of Wicker
Park. These homes were built by renowned
Chicago business owners between 1868 and
1905. Hoyne Avenue specifically was once
called Beer Baron row because of the fact
that several German brewers built some of
the elaborate mansions along the street.

8. Northwest Tower
Also known as the Coyote building, this
12-story skyscraper is built in the Art Deco
style (similar to the Mundelein building at
Loyola). It was one of the first skyscrapers
built outside the downtown area (built circa
1928). Originally marketed to lawyers, doctors, and other
professionals. Became known as the Tower Coyote building
in the 1980s because it was thought to resemble a howling
Coyote.

9. Reckless Records
This is a large record store in the
heart of Wicker Park. They have a
wide selection of new and used
records and CDs at reasonable
prices. This record store
emanates the music culture
found in Wicker Park.

11. Works Cited
"Community Area 2000 Census Profiles." City of Chicago ::. City of Chicago, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
"Wicker Park Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60622, 60647 Detailed Profile."Wicker Park Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois
(IL), 60622, 60647 Subdivision Profile. Citydata.com, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
Heidemann, Jason A. "A History of Wicker Park and Bucktown." Time Out Chicago. N.p., 17 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
"Things to Do in Wicker Park / Bucktown." Choose Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"Wicker Park." Chicago Park District. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.