Lakeview Illinois Real Estate

Lakeview, Illinois
By Julie Farby

Lakeview (properly and historically spelled as "Lake View") is a neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Located 4 miles north of the Loop, along the shores of Lake Michigan, Lakeview runs approximately from Diversey Parkway on the south to Irving Park Road on the north and from Lake Michigan on the east to Ravenswood Avenue on the west. Originally a suburb outside the boundaries of Chicago a summer getaway for the city's residents, Lakeview was officially annexed to Chicago in 1889. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, “over the past century and a half, the name Lake View has referred in turn to the first of Chicago's North Shore suburban developments, an independent township, a city in its own right, and a community area within Chicago.” However, despite the changes, all of the Lake Views have occupied land between two and eight miles north of Chicago's center. As one official incarnation of Lake View gave way to the next, the area gradually transformed “from a loose agglomeration of large parcels of land occupied by farms and estates into distinct neighborhoods housing many single young adults, childless married couples, and gay men.”

According to the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, “legend has it Lakeview East got its name from "Hotel Lake View," built on the lake shore in 1853 by James H. Rees and E. E. Hundley.” According to local lore, the owners were “standing on the hotel's portico trying to decide upon the right name when Walter L. Newberry, delighted with the unbroken view of the lake from the building, proposed the name.” In the 1880's industry arrived in what had previously been a truck farming region, “known as the celery capitol of the world.” By 1887 the town of Lake View was incorporated into the city and in 1889 “it would be annexed to Chicago's real estate boom, where 43 percent of Lakeview East's present residences were constructed.” According to the community’s Chamber of Commerce, “a large shopping area at Clark Street and Diversey Parkway emerged to service the quickly growing populations, beginning what is now the Lakeview East business district on Broadway and Clark Streets.” Recent redevelopment of the building, now known as The Century Shopping Centre, consisted of the “renovation of the mall's interior and the refurbishing of the mall's exterior, including the restoration of the building's Arabesque facade and grand marquee.” With the addition of the city's only specialty theatre complex and a more upscale mix of retail stores, The Century has become “a major player among the city's top entertainment and shopping destinations.”

Today, Lakeview is a mostly upscale neighborhood consisting of a mix of bungalows, high-rises, and modern condominium buildings. It is the home of the most visible of Chicago's gay and lesbian communities, known colloquially as Boys Town, and centered on Halsted Street, a major gay entertainment strip. According to the 2000 US census, the population of Lakeview was 94,817, making it the second largest community in Chicago.

Demographics:
• Population (2000): 94,817
• White: 79.5%
• African American: 4.42%
• Asian: 5.42%
• Other: 1.95%
• Hispanic/Latino: 8.72%
• Median income: $53,811