East Village

Not unlike its Ukrainian cousin to the west, East Village was settled originally by European immigrants. By the late 1800's the area was primairly working-class Polish with the neighborhood center at the intersection of Ashland and Division home to over twenty thousand Polish immigrants living in the area. In the first half of the twentieth century, immigration increased and Division Street became the wild and unruly Broadway Nelson Algren describes in The Man With the Golden Arm.

Since those times, and after several decades of neglect, the neighborhood has changed dramatically with an explosion of development to become a completely different kind of entertainment district than it was before. Division Street now offers organic pizza, sushi and microbrew beers while this part of Chicago Avenue has become a cutting edge strip with unique features such as a fantastic high-end vegan restraunt, delicious gourmet pies, New Mexican cuisine and one of the best places for dance music in the city. In the neighborhood's center, be sure to visit Eckhart park which houses a public indoor swimming pool and hosts outdoor festivals and events in the summer.

Take a tour of East Village

Content provided by P3 New Media Group.

Currently available in the East Village area

Average rent in East Village