Streeterville has been one of Chicago’s fastest growing neighborhoods since its rather colorful beginnings in the late 1800s. Part of the Near North Side community, Streeterville is composed of the all the land east of Magnificent Mile, stretching southward to the river and northward to Oak Street.
The community was named after the eccentric George Streeter, a steamboat captain and grifter who “accidentally” ran his steamboat into a sandbar off the shore of Lake Michigan in 1886. Claiming he was unable to move his boat, Streeter decided that the land was his. He invited contractors to dump rubble on his sandbar in order to extend his territory, which he named District of Lake Michigan. Streeter of course had no real claim to the land, and was scheming to steal it from wealthy shore owners. Years of protracted evictions, false land titles, and shootouts ensued. After his death in 1918, the Courts threw out his estate’s claims for the property.
The neighborhood of Streeterville grew from the reclaimed land, and today is the site of some of Chicago’s most expensive real estate, its most iconic buildings, and its most beloved attractions.
- Streeterville has a median household income that’s over 70% more than Chicago’s median (based on 2013 data).
- Less than a quarter of the population are family households.
- The most famous Streeterville attraction is Navy Pier, a convention, cultural and recreation center sprawled on more than 50 acres of land along Lake Michigan. It features parks, shops, exhibits, rides and other attractions.
- Other notable landmarks include the John Hancock Center, Tribune Tower, and old Water Tower District which survived the Great Fire of 1871.
- Streeterville is the home to the popular Museum of Contemporary Art (which it shares with Gold Coast).
- The Ogden International School of Chicago
- Rueben Salazar Elementary Bilingual Center
- YCCS – Innovations High School
- Muchin College Prep
- Community Services West Career Academy High School
- Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
- Higher learning institutions also have campuses in Streeterville, like the Northwestern University Chicago campus, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and the DePaul downtown campus.
Dining, Nightlife, and Shopping
Residents of Southport enjoy easy accessibility to an incredible selection of restaurants, cafés, bars, groceries, and specialty stores. From June to October, The Low Line Famers Market offers a wonderfully curated selection of food and flowers. Whether you prefer big name chain stores or local restaurants and shopping, Southport has you covered.
Real Estate Options
Streeterville’s housing stock is predominantly made up of medium to high-rise condos and apartments. Given the origins of the neighborhood and the fact that a large portion of the area is allotted to commercial use and public spaces, this densely packed space is far from a single-family home community.
Some of the most upscale Chicago residences are found in Streeterville. Condos right off Michigan Avenue like 180 E. Pearson and lakeside high-rises along Lake Shore Drive like 840 N. Lake Shore and offer luxurious appointments with great views of the city and/or the lake. In the mid 2000s the Fordham Spire was planned for Streeterville, but sadly never came to pass because of the 2008 Recession. Today, construction is booming across Chicago- especially on the north side- with a heavy concentration of residential buildings.
Luxury condos are no less opulent. Measuring around 1,500 square feet and up, they come with the latest appliances, fixtures and amenities, and commonly feature two to three bedrooms.
Its original buildings and Victorian homes built in the late 1800s, plus the modern luxury homes and condos built in the last 20 years give Bucktown an eclectic feel.
