Posts from October 2026

You can learn a lot about a home from a listing. Understanding the neighborhood around it takes a little more exploring.

Where would you grab coffee? How would you get to work? What's within walking distance? What would an ordinary Saturday look like?

Those are the kinds of questions behind LiveLincolnPark.com, a localized directory and neighborhood resource I'm building for people interested in this part of Chicago.

One Neighborhood, Plenty to Explore

I wanted to give Lincoln Park its own space. There is enough here to keep someone exploring for years, from neighborhood restaurants and independent shops to parks, cultural destinations and residential streets.

Live Lincoln Park brings those pieces together. The directory includes places to eat, get coffee, shop, exercise and spend an afternoon. Alongside...

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By Joe Bjorklund

When you begin thinking about buying your first home in Chicago, it's easy to start with listings. You choose a price range, enter the number of bedrooms, and scroll through photos.

But there's another question that deserves attention early:

What part of Chicago fits the life you want to build?

That's why I added a guide to Chicago's 77 community areas to ChicagoFirstTimeHomebuyer.com. Learning about the city belongs alongside learning about down payments, mortgages, inspections, and closing costs.

A City of Neighborhoods—and 77 Community Areas

Chicago has 77 officially designated community areas, with many smaller neighborhoods within them. Although people often use "neighborhood" and "community area" interchangeably, they aren'...

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