Lincoln Park is Chicago community area #7, a mostly residential North Side neighborhood just north of downtown, bounded by Diversey Parkway, North Avenue, Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. About 68,000 people live in its roughly 3.2 square miles (2020–2024 American Community Survey, via CMAP), in a mix of 19th-century row houses, greystones, vintage courtyard buildings and lakefront high-rises. The neighborhood takes its name from the 1,200-acre lakefront park on its eastern edge, home to the free Lincoln Park Zoo.
Lincoln Park at a glance
| Official name | Lincoln Park, Chicago community area #7 |
|---|---|
| Boundaries | Diversey Pkwy (north), North Ave (south), Lake Michigan (east), Chicago River (west) |
| Land area | About 2,024 acres, or roughly 3.2 sq mi (CMAP) |
| Population | 67,987 (ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimate, CMAP, released June 2026) |
| Median age | 31.0 |
| Households | 33,772; about 45% owner-occupied, 55% renter-occupied |
| Main ZIP code | 60614 (edges in 60657 and 60610) |
| CTA rail | Red, Brown and Purple (rush-hour Express) lines at Fullerton; Brown/Purple at Armitage and Diversey |
| The park | About 1,200 acres along the lake; Chicago’s largest park |
| Median sale price | About $900,000 in September 2026 (Redfin; changes monthly) |
Where is Lincoln Park, and what are its boundaries?
Lincoln Park sits on Chicago’s North Side between Lake View to the north and Old Town and the Near North Side to the south. The community area is bounded by Diversey Parkway on the north, North Avenue on the south, Lake Michigan on the east and the North Branch of the Chicago River on the west. The Clybourn Avenue corridor and the industrial land along the river make up the western edge, while the park and DuSable Lake Shore Drive run along the east.
Two naming details trip up newcomers. First, “Lincoln Park” means both the neighborhood and the park, which actually stretches far beyond the neighborhood, from Ohio Street up to Hollywood Avenue. Second, the historic Old Town Triangle, just north of North Avenue, sits inside the Lincoln Park community area even though many people think of “Old Town” as a separate place. Most of the neighborhood uses ZIP code 60614, with a few blocks at the edges in 60657 and 60610.
Within the community area there are several well-known sub-neighborhoods, each with its own neighborhood association: Old Town Triangle, Mid-North, Lincoln Central, Park West, Wrightwood Neighbors, Sheffield Neighbors, RANCH Triangle and the blocks around DePaul. We cover each one in our Lincoln Park sub-neighborhoods guide, and you can compare two of the most popular in Mid-North vs. Wrightwood Neighbors.
How many people live in Lincoln Park?
About 68,000: CMAP’s June 2026 Community Data Snapshot puts Lincoln Park’s population at 67,987, based on the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates.
A few more figures from the same snapshot help describe daily life here:
- Households: 33,772, with roughly 45% owner-occupied and 55% rented.
- Median age: 31.0, reflecting a large population of students and young professionals alongside long-time homeowners.
- Median household income: $137,914.
- Commuting: about 34% of workers work from home; of those who commute, transit (26.7%) and driving alone (26.2%) are about even, and 8% walk or bike.
These are survey estimates with margins of error, and they cover the whole community area, so individual blocks can look quite different.
What is daily life like in Lincoln Park?
Daily life in Lincoln Park is walkable, leafy and centered on the lakefront: most errands, restaurants, gyms and transit stops are a short walk from tree-lined residential side streets.
Walk Score rates the neighborhood 94 for walkability, 92 for biking and 79 for transit. A typical weekend might be a run on the Lakefront Trail, a Saturday morning at Green City Market on Clark Street, a stroll through the Lincoln Park Zoo and dinner on Armitage or Halsted. Weekday mornings are busy with people heading to the Fullerton and Armitage “L” stations, and with kids walking to neighborhood schools.
Coffee shops double as offices for the many people who work remotely; see our ranking of the best Lincoln Park coffee shops for remote work or browse coffee and bakeries in our directory. For groceries there are specialty shops such as Dirk’s Fish & Gourmet Shop, John’s Food & Wine and The Fresh Market, plus seasonal stands like Blue Door Farm Stand; the full list is under groceries and markets.
Seasons matter here. Summer brings beach days, patios and street festivals; fall is many residents’ favorite time (we explain why in I Love Lincoln Park in the Fall); and winter is cold, windy and quieter, with the Lincoln Park Conservatory offering a warm, green escape.
The park: Chicago’s largest
Lincoln Park the park covers roughly 1,200 acres along Lake Michigan, making it Chicago’s largest public park; the Lincoln Park Conservancy cites 1,214 acres and more than 20 million visits a year.
The park grew from a former city cemetery: the City set aside a 60-acre section as Lake Park in 1860, and it was renamed for Abraham Lincoln after his assassination. Today it runs from Ohio Street north to Hollywood Avenue, but the stretch along the neighborhood holds many of its best-known attractions:
- Lincoln Park Zoo: founded in 1868, about 49 acres, and free to enter.
- Lincoln Park Conservatory: a historic glass plant house with year-round gardens.
- Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, on the shore of North Pond.
- The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, a small prairie-style garden next to the zoo.
- Theater on the Lake and The Lakefront Restaurant near Fullerton and the lake.
- North Pond, a restaurant beside the North Pond Nature Sanctuary.
- North Avenue Beach, the Lakefront Trail, a rowing canal, playing fields and an archery range.
Away from the lake, neighborhood parks such as Oz Park, with its Wizard of Oz statues, serve the western blocks. Our parks and lakefront guide covers beaches, trails and playgrounds in depth, and the parks and outdoors directory lists them all.
DePaul University
DePaul University’s main campus sits in the heart of Lincoln Park, around Fullerton Avenue and Sheffield Avenue, and it shapes the neighborhood’s rhythm.
Founded by the Vincentians in 1898 as St. Vincent’s College, DePaul enrolled about 20,600 students in fall 2025 across its Lincoln Park and Loop campuses. The Lincoln Park campus covers about 36 acres and houses The Theatre School, the School of Music and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, among others. The Fullerton “L” station serves the campus directly.
Living near campus means more foot traffic, more rentals and livelier evenings during the school year, and quieter summers. One recent change: DePaul closed the DePaul Art Museum on June 30, 2026, citing finances; as of October 2026 students, faculty and neighbors were urging the university to reopen it.
Shopping and dining: the main commercial corridors
Lincoln Park’s shops and restaurants are concentrated on a handful of streets, each with its own character.
Armitage Avenue and Halsted Street
The Armitage-Halsted area, a City of Chicago landmark district since 2003, preserves one of the city’s best 19th-century neighborhood shopping streets, known for pressed-metal bays and corner turrets. It is the place for home and fashion boutiques such as Serena & Lily, and Halsted is home to destination restaurants like Boka. Halsted also has Kingston Mines, one of the city’s best-known blues clubs. Browse shopping and boutiques.
Clark Street
Clark runs parallel to the park and mixes everyday errands with casual dining, from The Wieners Circle to R.J. Grunts near the zoo. The Second City is close by in Old Town.
Lincoln Avenue
Lincoln Avenue cuts diagonally across the neighborhood, with restaurants, bars, salons, fitness studios and medical offices, especially between Fullerton and Diversey. Restaurants along it include Galit, and Pequod’s Pizza is on nearby Clybourn Avenue.
Webster, Fullerton and Clybourn
Webster Avenue has neighborhood restaurants and the Oz Park area; Fullerton Avenue connects DePaul to the lake; and the Clybourn Corridor on the west side has big-box and national retailers, plus Metra service at Clybourn station. For more, see our restaurants, bars and nightlife and fitness and recreation directories.
Housing, schools and getting around: an overview
Lincoln Park offers a wide range of housing, a mix of CPS neighborhood, magnet and private schools, and some of the best transit access on the North Side.
Homes and cost
Housing ranges from studio rentals and vintage condos to two-flats, greystones, rehabbed row houses and large single-family homes, including landmark streets such as the McCormick Row House District. Redfin reported a median sale price of about $900,000 and about $498 per square foot in September 2026; that figure blends condos and houses and can swing month to month. Read our real estate and cost-of-living guide, our summer 2025 market report and, for renters, our guide to weekend apartment hunting.
Schools
Lincoln Park is served by Chicago Public Schools neighborhood elementary schools, magnet and selective programs, and private and parochial schools. Lincoln Park High School (2001 N. Orchard St.) serves grades 9–12 and offers International Baccalaureate, performing arts, visual arts and Advanced College Prep programs. Attendance boundaries change, so always confirm an address with the CPS school locator. Details are in our Lincoln Park schools guide.
Transit and parking
Fullerton station (Red, Brown and rush-hour Purple lines) is the neighborhood’s main hub, with Brown Line stops at Armitage and Diversey, the Red Line at North/Clybourn just southwest of the neighborhood, and Metra’s Union Pacific North and Northwest lines at Clybourn. Busy bus routes include #22 Clark, #8 Halsted and #74 Fullerton, and Divvy bike-share stations are common. Much of the neighborhood has permit-only residential parking zones. See getting around Lincoln Park and our insider guide to zoned parking.
Pros and considerations of living in Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park’s strengths are its lakefront, walkability and transit; its main trade-offs are cost, parking and busy pockets around nightlife and campus.
Pros
- The lakefront: Chicago’s largest park, beaches, a free zoo and the Lakefront Trail are all within walking distance of most blocks.
- Walkability: Walk Score of 94; groceries, gyms, restaurants and errands are close by.
- Transit: three “L” lines, Metra and frequent buses make a car optional for many households.
- Architecture: landmark districts and tree-lined streets of 19th- and early 20th-century homes. Learn more in our Lincoln Park history guide.
- Culture: theaters, music clubs and museums, from The Second City to Kingston Mines; see arts and entertainment and museums and attractions.
Considerations
- Cost: home prices and rents are well above the Chicago average, and property taxes add to the monthly bill.
- Parking: street parking is tight, many blocks require a zone permit, and spring-to-fall street sweeping and winter overnight bans on some main streets mean you need to watch the signs.
- Crowds and noise: streets near DePaul and the bar clusters on Halsted, Lincoln and Armitage can be loud on weekend nights, and zoo, beach and festival days bring visitors.
- Winter: Chicago winters are long and cold, and lakefront wind adds a bite.
- Older buildings: charming vintage homes can come with older systems and higher upkeep.
For neighborhood crime information, review the Chicago Police Department’s CLEARmap and the City’s data portal for the specific blocks you’re considering.
Is Lincoln Park a good place to live?
For people who value walkability, lake access and transit and can budget for higher housing costs, Lincoln Park is one of Chicago’s most popular places to live.
The facts behind that: it borders Chicago’s largest park, it has a Walk Score in the mid-90s, three “L” lines stop inside it, and its housing stock spans everything from studio rentals to landmark row houses. The trade-offs are just as concrete: a September 2026 median sale price near $900,000 (Redfin), limited street parking, and busier, noisier pockets near campus and nightlife. The best way to decide is to spend time on the specific blocks you’re considering, at different times of day and in different seasons. Start with our sub-neighborhoods guide, then browse the Live Lincoln Park directory to see what’s around the corner. If you’re visiting first, the hotels and places to stay list includes Hotel Lincoln, Hotel Versey, The Willows Hotel and Villa D’Citta.
Frequently asked questions
What are the boundaries of Lincoln Park, Chicago?
The Lincoln Park community area (#7) is bounded by Diversey Parkway on the north, North Avenue on the south, Lake Michigan on the east and the Chicago River on the west. The Old Town Triangle and the DePaul campus are both inside these boundaries.
What is the population of Lincoln Park?
Lincoln Park has about 68,000 residents. CMAP’s June 2026 Community Data Snapshot reports 67,987 people, based on 2020–2024 American Community Survey estimates.
How big is the park called Lincoln Park?
The park covers about 1,200 acres along Lake Michigan, from Ohio Street to Hollywood Avenue, making it Chicago’s largest park. The Lincoln Park Conservancy cites 1,214 acres and more than 20 million visits a year.
Is the Lincoln Park Zoo free?
Yes. Lincoln Park Zoo, founded in 1868, is one of the few major zoos in the country with free general admission.
What ZIP code is Lincoln Park in?
Most of Lincoln Park is in ZIP code 60614. Some blocks at the neighborhood’s edges fall in 60657 and 60610, so check the exact address.
How much does a home cost in Lincoln Park?
Redfin reported a median sale price of about $900,000 in Lincoln Park in September 2026, or about $498 per square foot. The median mixes condos and houses and changes every month; see our real estate guide for detail by home type.
Which CTA trains serve Lincoln Park?
The Red, Brown and Purple (weekday rush-hour Express) lines stop at Fullerton, and the Brown and rush-hour Purple lines stop at Armitage and Diversey. The Red Line’s North/Clybourn station and Metra’s Clybourn station are just at the southwest edge.
Sources
- CMAP Community Data Snapshot: Lincoln Park (June 2026)
- Encyclopedia of Chicago: Lincoln Park
- Chicago Park District: Lincoln Park
- Lincoln Park Conservancy: About Lincoln Park
- Lincoln Park Zoo (overview)
- DePaul University: Lincoln Park Campus
- Chicago Sun-Times: DePaul Art Museum closure (Oct. 2026)
- City of Chicago Landmarks: Armitage-Halsted District
- Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce: Doing Business in Lincoln Park
- City of Chicago: Greater Lincoln Park Plan context chapter
- Redfin: Lincoln Park housing market (September 2026)
- Walk Score: Lincoln Park
- Fullerton station (CTA)
- Lincoln Park High School (overview)
- Green City Market: Lincoln Park
Questions about a specific block, building or move? Joe Bjorklund has 14 years of experience helping buyers and sellers in Chicago. Get in touch.
Last updated October 2026 by Joe Bjorklund, Baird & Warner Lincoln Park.