Lincoln Square

Lincoln Square is what happens when a German immigrant neighborhood ages gracefully into a family neighborhood with taste. The heart of it is Giddings Plaza and the pedestrian stretch of Lincoln Avenue by the Western Brown Line stop: the Old Town School of Folk Music, a real bookstore, beer gardens, and an Oktoberfest that shuts the street down. It is very hard to be unhappy on that block.

Housing is a mix of two-flats, vintage condos, and single-family homes on leafy side streets, and prices have climbed accordingly. The Brown Line gets you downtown in about half an hour, and Walk Score sits in the high 80s, so one car or zero is realistic for most households. Lincoln Square suits people who outgrew Wrigleyville but refuse to leave the city, which describes roughly half its residents.

Lincoln Square offers strong transit access: a car is optional for many trips. One car typically covers the gap that transit leaves.

With a Walk Score of 89, Lincoln Square is "Very Walkable": most errands can be accomplished on foot.

At roughly $12,000/year for 1 car, transportation is a moderate line item in Lincoln Square's true cost. The neighborhood is served by the Brown line.