Although boundaries are not precisely defined, the Lincoln Park neighborhood is generally considered to be bordered on the north by Diversey Parkway, on the west by Clybourn Avenue, on the south by North Avenue, and on the east by the public park of the same name.
The neighborhood population is primarily made up of young professionals, recent college graduates, and young families. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, it was also home to the first Puerto Rican immigrants to Chicago. Jose (Cha-Cha) Jimenez transformed the local Young Lords gang into human rights activists for Latinos and the poor. They mounted sit-ins and takeovers of institutions and churches at Grant Hospital, Armitage Ave. Methodist Church, and McCormick Theological Seminary. Today few Puerto Ricans reside in Lincoln Park. [1] Lincoln Park is home to Lincoln Park High School, Francis W. Parker School, and DePaul University which bought out the McCormick Seminary buildings in 1975, when the seminary moved to Hyde Park. Many students who attend these schools now live in this neighborhood.
Lincoln Park is also home to two architecturally significant churches: St. Vincent De Paul and St. Josaphat's, one of the many so-called 'Polish Cathedrals' in Chicago. Visible from throughout the neighborhood, these monumental edifices tower over the neighborhood lending the area much of its charm.
There are many boutiques, movie theaters, retail stores, restaurants and coffee shops. There are also many bars and clubs in the area, especially along Lincoln Avenue between Diversey and Armitage.
