Building Names:

• 401 N Aberdeen
• Verde

Comprising the neighborhoods of Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, River West, Noble Square, East Village and Humboldt Park, the Chicago area known as West Town has in recent decades seen urban decay gentrified into a thriving real estate market. Located due west of the Gold Coast and Near North Side, west of the Chicago River and the Kennedy Expressway, West Town's housing ranges from Victorian mansions to three-flats, cottages and newly constructed townhomes.

Wicker Park, formerly a neighborhood of Polish immigrants before becoming populated with artists and now young professionals, has at its heart the bustling six-corner intersection of Damen, Milwaukee and North avenues. Trendy shops, restaurants, galleries and nightspots line the commercial thoroughfares, while leafy surrounding streets are home to renovated mansions, flats and graystones. Despite its location miles west of the lake, Wicker Park still offers easy access to the Loop and O'Hare Airport via the Kennedy Expressway and the Blue Line 'L.'

Following Damen Avenue south of Division Street, Wicker Park gives way to another traditional neighborhood undergoing change. Ukrainian Village remains home to many first-, second- and third-generation Eastern Europeans. Ornate orthodox cathedrals with colorful domes, shop signs in Russian and English and colorful flower boxes are familiar sights throughout this well-kept neighborhood of brick two- and three-flats and bungalows.

East of Damen, the "new" neighborhood of East Village is actually a very old Eastern European community whose predominant architectural style is the small cottage and two- or three-flat, though many teardowns and newly built homes have appeared in the area. Like much of West Town, East Village has been rediscovered by urban pioneers and entrepreneurs attracted to its lower real estate prices and accessibility to the Loop, a 10-minute drive. Even closer to downtown is River West, near the Chicago River and the River North gallery district. The area offers dozens of new office and residential loft conversions, and some renovated two- and three-flats and newly constructed townhomes.