Logan Square is a community area located on the northwest side of Chicago. The name, used here to describe the city-designated community area defined by U.S. census tracts, also applies to one of a number of smaller, more loosely defined residential neighborhoods within the Logan Square community. The Logan Square neighborhood is centered on the public square that serves as its (and the community area's) namesake. Logan Square proper houses the 3-way intersection of Milwaukee Avenue, Logan Boulevard and Kedzie Boulevard.
The community area of Logan Square is, in general, bounded by the NIRC railroad on the west, the North Branch of the Chicago River on the east, Diversey Avenue on the north, and the SOO Line railroad on the south. The area is characterized by the prominent historical boulevards and large bungalow-style homes.
The neighborhood is home to a diverse population including Latinos (primarily Mexican and Puerto Rican, with some Cuban), African-Americans and a number of ethnicities from Eastern Europe, (mostly Poles). There has been an influx of younger, primarily white, college-educated artists and professionals attracted to the diversity and "bohemian" lifestyle. At one time, Logan Square boasted a strong Norwegian-American population. With relatively inexpensive housing and rent available, this neighborhood is a favorite for students, artists, and working-class citizens. More elaborate, stylish, and expensive houses and mansions line historic Logan(2600 N) and Kedzie Boulevards.
The community area and neighborhood are named for General John A. Logan who served in the Civil War, and later in Congress. One of the most striking intersections in the city, the square itself is a circular green space located at the center of a traffic circle formed by the junction of Kedzie and Logan Boulevards and Milwaukee Avenue. At the center of the circle is the Illinois Centennial Memorial Column, built in 1918 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Illinois' statehood. The monument, designed by Henry Bacon, famed architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and sculpted by Evelyn Longman, is a single 70-foot tall marble Doric column topped by an eagle, in reference to the state flag. Reliefs surrounding the base depict figures of Native Americans, explorers, farmers and laborers intended to show the great changes experienced during the state's first century.
