More than 175,000 people, including Mayor Richard M. Daley and his family, live and / or work in Burnham Park and the Loop. A neighborhood directory named the area “Chicago’s Renaissance Communities.” Although they are new, Burnham Park, Dearborn Park and Central Station have started to look and feel like real neighborhoods, with neighborhood schools and community events.

Transportation
A major attraction of these neighborhoods is the opportunity to walk to work. The Loop area also has one of the best urban/suburban transportation networks in the nation. Buses, trains, cabs, subways, elevated tracks and expressways run from downtown to nearly every corner of the city and many suburban locations.

Shopping
Pinter's Row is located close to State Street in the Loop and Michigan Avenue’s “Magnificent Mile”, one of the most elite retail districts in the nation.

Culture
Among the institutions that call this neighborhood home are the landmark Auditorium Theatre, the Grant Park Concert Series and many large and small museums. Roosevelt University, Columbia College Chicago and DePaul University DePaul Center are located here as well. Also known for the Printer’s Row Book Fair, held in June on the 500, 600 and 700 blocks of South Dearborn which was once the home of printing in Chicago.

Recreation
This area is mere blocks from the lakefront and Grant Park. The lakefront provides the setting for an endless array of activities from swimming and boating to bike trails and jogging paths.

Hospitals
Several hospitals are located in the area including University of Chicago Hospital, Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.