South Loop

The Lowdown: South Loop

The South Loop is a quiet neighborhood between the Loop and the South Side of the city (hence the name). For the last few years, Realtors have assured skeptical homebuyers eyeing the desolate streets that the area was about to blow up. While a full-scale explosion has yet to happen, the South Loop is coming along.  The neighborhood is surprisingly undiscovered, considering it has some of the best perks city living can offer.  Walk to work.  Check.  City views.  Check. Close to restaurants.  Check.  Easy lakefront access.  Check.



Convenience is King: South Loop Residents

South Loop living appeals to a wide variety of Chicago residents who have similar tastes and characteristics as those who choose the West Loop.  While the South Loop doesn´t have the residential feel of Lakeview or Lincoln Park, that´s not what people are looking for when they move here.  The typical South Loop dweller is hard to define in generalities, but you can be sure that convenience ranks high on his or her list — a fact that makes it a prime location for busy professionals.  Folks tend to be laid-back and diverse, making it an easy place to fit in. 

 Thanks to the recent development around Roosevelt Road, shops and restaurants are starting to multiply.  If you decide to set up camp in the South Loop you´ll find there are several major retailers such as Dominick´s, Target, Jewel, Walgreens and Whole Foods, as well as several small and large health clubs. 



True City Living: South Loop Housing

The South Loop´s most famous resident is Mayor Richard Daley.  Now this doesn´t mean your trash will be picked up any faster or the streets will be any cleaner or safer than the rest of the city, but hey, if the South Loop is good enough for the mayor it´s probably good enough for you.  Housing options span from lofts and townhouses to high-rise condos and single-family homes.  So depending on how much the group living thing appeals to you, there are a plenty of choices to satisfy your privacy and convenience fancies.  And if you want to live large but aren´t ready to take the home buying plunge, the South Loop has got you covered.  You´ll find several high-rise apartment buildings, pimped out with amenities and kick-ass lakefront views.  

Still not impressed?   How about the fact that the South Loop is where you´ll also find the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium and Soldier Field?   It´s also home to an area known as Printer´s Row where many of the city´s publishing businesses were located back in the day.   Now, their buildings have been converted into lofts, but the history they left behind lives on every summer when readers and writers converge on Printer´s Row for the annual Printer´s Row Book Fair.

Even though the streets of the South Loop are light on green space, you can still frolic in the grass and tip-toe through the tulips.   Grant Park, often referred to as “Chicago´s front yard,” is just a few blocks north of the South Loop. Here you can enjoy summer concerts, stuff your face at the Taste of Chicago, take dance lessons (I’m not kidding) or just relax.