How Did These 9 Chicagoland Neighborhoods Get Their Names?
August 30, 2021
Neighborhood
More than any other city, Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. From the earliest days of its history, Chicago's neighborhoods have built the city's diverse, rich, and sometimes colorful character. Learn how these 9 iconic Chicagoland neighborhoods got their names.
1. Wicker Park
In 1868, alderman and land developer Charles Wicker attended a meeting of the Chicago Board of Public Works at which the board announced its intention to build a park ""lying west of Milwaukee avenue and south of North avenue." Two years later, Charles and his brother and business partner Joel Wicker purchased 80 acres of land and donated four for what would become Wicker Park, with the rest becoming the neighborhood that would bear the park's name.2. Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park was, of course, named after Illinois' favorite son, Abraham Lincoln. However, the park's history is a bit darker. The land that is now occupied by the park was originally a cemetery for cholera and smallpox victims. In the 1860s, Chicago removed most -- but not all -- of the remains and began converting the area into a massive park to be called "Lake Park." Following Lincoln's assassination, the park was given the name it bears to this day.3. Bucktown
Bucktown's name dates back to the 1800s, when it was a key neighborhood in Chicago's storied Polish downtown. Polish settlers, like most European immigrants of the day, raised chickens, goats, and other small livestock in their yards. In fact, there were so many goats in the neighborhood that the original Polish term for the neighborhood was Kozie Prery, or "Goat Prairie," after the animals. As male goats are called "bucks," the neighborhood's name evolved over time to the one it bears today.4. Naperville
In 1831, Joseph Naper led a small group of settlers in a two-month voyage across the Great Lakes in his schooner the Telegraph. Naper founded Naper's Settlement. Naper's Settlement became a key stop at the crossroads of two main stage routes from Chicago to Galena and Ottawa. By 1832, Naper's Settlement was home to about 180 residents, who built sawmills, gristmills, stores, and the Pre-Emption House hotel. Naper's Settlement was first incorporated as the Village of Naperville in 1857.5. Evanston
Evanston, home of Northwestern University, was actually founded after the school was established. In 1851, a group of Methodist business leaders, including leader John Evans, founded Northwestern University. They chose a bluffed and wooded site along the lake as Northwestern's home, purchasing several hundred acres of land from Dr. John Foster, a Chicago farm owner. In 1854, after Northwestern opened its doors, Northwestern's founders submitted their plans for the city of Evanston, to be named after John Evans, around the campus. In 1857, the township of Evanston was formed.6. Bronzeville
Following the Civil War, African-Americans moved to Chicago to seek work in the city's industrial centers. Facing segregation in the city, the new residents settled largely in a thin strip of land on the South Side. The neighborhood was given a number of racially charged nicknames before James Gentry, theater editor for the Chicago Bee, suggested the name "Bronzeville" in the 1930s. The name was taken up and popularized by the Chicago Defender, a nationally-circulated Black newspaper. The neighborhood has been home to such luminaries as Louis Armstrong, Marla Gibbs, Lou Rawls and Ida B. Wells.7. Hyde Park
Hyde Park's name originated as a bit of a marketing gimmick. Attorney Paul Cornell, whose family had first arrived in the New World in 1638. In 1853, Cornell purchased 300 acres of land, granting some to the Illinois central railroad to establish a passenger station for commuters. Hoping to attract residents to the area, Cornell named it Hyde Park, after London and New York City's luxurious Hyde Park neighborhoods.8. Englewood
Like Hyde Park, Englewood was named after another city bearing the same name, this time Englewood, New Jersey. The area now known as Englewood was known as Junction Grove when it was first developed in the 1850s, named after the newly constructed railroad tracks that crossed the region. When Henry B. Lewis, a wool merchant from the east coast, moved to the area in the late 1860s, he proposed the name Englewood, after the town in New Jersey. Today, the Junction Grove park stands in the Englewood neighborhood as a reminder of the neighborhood's rich history.9. Streeterville
The luxurious Streeterville neighborhood owes its name to a somewhat ignominious history. In the late 1880s, low-level criminal George "Cap" Streeter claimed his riverboat ran aground on a sandbar just off the Lake Michigan shoreline. As the city dumped construction debris in the area to create additional land along the shore, Streeter attempted to claim the newly constructed 180 acres as his own. Streeter continued to pursue his claims for decades, forging ownership documents, charging fees to developers, and even collecting taxes on the land. Authorities tried to evict Streeter and strip him of his fraudulent claims, but Streeter and his wife, "Ma" Streeter, fought back, defending the area with guns and, at times, pots of boiling water. Streeter's fight for the land was briefly interrupted by his arrest and conviction for murder in 1902, but after he was pardoned 9 months later, he resumed his claims, abandoning them only upon his death in 1921.When Home Means More, You Need a Team With More to Offer
Ready to become part of the history of one of Chicagoland's iconic neighborhoods? We get you. At Baird & Warner, our agents are hyperlocal experts who can help you find the spot that's just right, while making the buying process easier, at every step of the way. And with mortgage and title services in-house, our one-stop-shopping approach takes the hassle out of closing on your new home, so you can get to the more important business of exploring everything your new neighborhood has to offer.Tags:
