Bucktown is a neighborhood located to the east of the Logan Square community area in Chicago northwest of the Loop. Its boundaries are the Chicago River to the east, Western Avenue to the west, North Avenue to the south and West Fullerton Avenue to the north. It is primarily residential, with a mix of older single family homes, new builds with edgy architecture, and converted industrial loft spaces. The neighborhood's origins are rooted in the Polish working class, which settled in the area in the 1830s. A large influx of Germans began in 1848 and in 1854 led to the establishment of the town of Holstein, which was eventually annexed into Chicago in 1863. Additional population influxes include European Jews, Mexican immigrants and Puerto Rican migrants. In the last quarter of the 20th Century, a growing artists' community led directly to widespread gentrification, which brought in a large population of young professionals. Bucktown is directly north from Wicker Park.
There are many bars and restaurants in the vicinity and there has been a large number of "teardowns" of the older housing stock - replacing them with new and large residential buildings. There is a significant amount of shopping on Damen Avenue from North Avenue (in Wicker Park) going north until Webster Avenue. Bucktown is readily accessible on the Blue Line.
Bucktown gets its name from the large number of goats raised in the neighborhood during the 19th century. A male goat is a buck. The original Polish term for the neighborhood was Kozie Prery (Goat Prairie).
