Wicker Park, West Town

Just south of Bucktown in the larger West Town community area, Wicker Park caters to a similar but younger demographic of Chicagoans. With shops, restaurants and bars galore lining Division Street, the sidewalks of Wicker Park are always alive with foot traffic. Whether you're coming from the north (O'Hare, Logan Square) or from the south (the Loop, Hyde Park, River North) the best way to reach Wicker Park is by taking the CTA's Blue Line to Division.

Head west on Division upon exiting the CTA subway station and check out old-school stalwarts like Zakopane, a dive bar and relic from Wicker Park's past.   Newer arrivals to the neighborhood include Jerry's Sandwiches, a thoroughly modern spin on the traditional sandwich shop that features over 100 menu varieties and live music throughout the week.

There is, however, much more to Wicker Park than simply shopping, eating and drinking.  This Near North neighborhood hosts a variety of popular festivals and other annual events, like the Do Division Street Festival on the last weekend of May. With dozens of local and national musical acts performing all-day long, in addition to the countless artists and vendors, Do Division is a must for both visitors and locals alike. Another seasonal highlight is the Wicker Park Farmer's Market that takes place May through November in the neighborhood's picturesque namesake park.

Wicker Park is also home to many historic 19th century greystone mansions built by some of Chicago's most enterprising entrepreneurs in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire.  The grand residences on Hoyne Avenue (nicknamed “Beer Baron Row”) are a testament to the affluence of turn-of-the-century German brewers that settled there.

Though originally settled by Polish immigrants, Wicker Park also bears the influence of Germans, Scandinavians, Russians, and Eastern Europeans, which each successive wave of immigrants leaving their own mark on the history, architecture, and atmosphere of the neighborhood.  The Wicker Park of today may be more about boutiques and yoga lessons than babushkas and borscht, but visitors can still experience its Eastern European roots in the Russian Bathhouse on Division Street, just east of Damen Avenue.  Frequented by local and national political power brokers like Mayor Daley and Jesse Jackson, this famous sauna is more than a simple curio.

Located throughout the city, Chicago Tribute Markers of Distinction commemorate where notable Chicagoans lived and worked. A marker in Wicker Park honors author Nelson Algren.

Read, Learn, Discover at the Chicago Public Library. Search programming and event information at your neighborhood branch.