The Gold Coast: Luxury Living in a Historical Neighborhood

Today the Gold Coast is Chicago's wealthiest neighborhood, along with the northern part of Streeterville. But how has this happened, you may wonder. Well, the answer has to be traced back in history. The Gold Coast was a regular neighborhood until 1885, when Potter Palmer, former dry goods merchant and owner of the Palmer House hotel, built a fancy castle on Lake Shore Drive. Palmer played a significant role in the development of Chicago business and the Gold Coast area over the next few decades. Chicago's elite gradually migrated from Prairie Avenue to the Gold Coast. It established itself following the Chicago Fire, and survived the encroachment of commercial areas in the mid-1900s to finally become what is today: a thriving, yet expensive, neighborhood in the heart of Chicago.

Similar to other neighborhoods, it is hard to define the exact borders of Gold Cost. The zone extends along the lakefront from Oak Street to North Avenue, reaching inland approximately to Dearborn Parkway, containing the Carl Sandburg Village housing development between LaSalle, Dearborn, Division, and North. The Gold Coast is a prosperous neighborhood, mostly consisting of high-rise apartment and condo buildings on Lake Shore Drive, facing Lake Michigan, but also including low-rise residential blocks on its interior. Luxury condos in the Gold Coast go for an average of $680,000.

Ever since its establishment, the Gold Coast neighborhood has been home to many important Chicago families, individuals who have contributed substantially to the social, cultural and economic history of the city. The Astor Street District is a historical part of the city of Chicago. Today’s owners and residents appreciate this legacy and strive to preserve and enhance the quality of life and the beauty of the area.

There are a lot of interesting things you can do in Gold Coast. Take a delightful walk along three blocks of the Gold Coast's multifaceted Dearborn Street. There you will find one of the city's most beautiful collections of architecturally diverse residences, plus a Gothic-style church and historic institutions such as the Latin School and the 3Arts, an apartment complex geared toward artists of all walks of life. A walk through the neighborhood will reveal the beauty in the styles and magnificence that is being preserved today.

The Gold Coast has a rich vein of shops running from North Avenue down to Chicago, and braced by Rush and LaSalle. Here you can find some well established fashion brands such as Barney’s, Prada, Anthropologie, and other boutiques selling practically anything under the sun. Simply put, the Gold Coast is a golden opportunity to see Chicago's finer retail fashion industry.

There are a lot of high-class restaurants here. Big Bowl on Cedar has moderate prices and offers Midwestern Asian eatery ruled by tasty steamed and fried dumplings with various fillings, and of course the famous Kung Pao chicken. The Tapas Bar features a unique menu of traditional and new age Spanish cuisine. Bistrot Zinc is an authentic French restaurant, with a casual and comfortable atmosphere featuring an affordable French wine list and classic bistro dishes.

The bars and dance clubs located in Chicago's Gold Coast area offer all types of music, from 70s classics to funk, lounge, and swing. Among them is Jilly's Piano Bar, founded by Frank Sinatra's friend Jilly Rizzo.