We asked readers which Chicago neighborhood feels like a small town? Here’s what you told us, lightly edited for clarity.
“Edison Park. They even have their own little downtown.”
— Joe Saracini
“Austin. It was originally its own town until 1899. It has its own town hall at Lake Street and Central Avenue. Historic homes were built in the center from Lake Street to Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard to Central Avenue.”
— Mike Daum
“Little Village. Shops, vendors, people walking around. Rogers Park on Devon Ave with difference races, shops and living in harmony.”
— Akintunde Akapo
“Lincoln Square because families with kids are being raised in the neighborhood.”
— Craig Barner
“Clearing. Has its town hall still standing. 63rd is a main street. Much of it surrounded by Midway Airport or the factories of Bedford Park, making it a bit more isolated.”
— Paul Walenga
“Andersonville. Everything is walkable, and it has a lot of local flavor.”
— Tom Krajecki
“Galewood is known as the suburb within a city.”
— Yordy Bautista
“Hegewisch is so isolated from the rest of the city that it really feels like its own town.”
— Quinten Jones
“Little Village. They sell the best burritos in the Chicago. They sell them right on the corner.”
— Terrence Camodeca
“Norwood Park. When I was growing up there in the ’70s and ’80s it was like Mayberry. Many independent businesses, so many folks knew each other. So many different kinds of church communities, and folks tended to go every Sunday.”
— Christine McGlade
“Wicker Park, before the Bucktopian pall settled over it.”
— Teddy Varndell