ANDERSONVILLE
inclusivity - urban-suburban mix - community
Andersonville is a great neighborhood on Chicago's North Side. It's known for its Swedish heritage, its great local shopping and its large LGBTQ+ population and inclusive community.
Women & Children First, an inclusive bookstore on Clark St., in the main shopping area of Andersonville
DINING & LEISURE
Clark Street is really where Andersonville's local shopping comes to life. There are wonderful bookstores, resale shops, antique stores and a great multi-vendor retail market.
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Andersonville also has some amazing dining options. Since it's not notably celebrated throughout Chicago for its food, there are a lot of more under-the-radar places, like Jin Ju, Vincent and Defloured Bakery. During the warmer months, the Andersonville Farmers' Market also happens on Wednesdays on Berwyn Ave.
Jin Ju, a Korean restaurant that offers traditional dishes from a contemporary perspective
Vincent, a welcoming and pleasant bistro with great cocktails and a delicious seasonal menu
Defloured, a gluten-free bakery with available accomodations for other dietary restrictions
LOCATION & CONVENIENCE
Andersonville is very walkable and bikeable, with great public transportation. It typically takes about 45 minutes to get to the Loop by public transportation, or about 20 minutes by car with no traffic. It's also a wonderful neighborhood for families, with great public schools and low crime.
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Andersonville is about 8 miles north of the Loop, and it borders the neighborhoods Edgewater, Ravenswood and Uptown.
HISTORY
Andersonville's strong Swedish influence and distinctive architecture comes from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. After the fire, wood buildings were outlawed, but many Swedish immigrants couldn't afford to build with more expensive materials. To work around this, they began developing a neighborhood just outside of Chicago proper, which turned into Andersonville. It was annexed into Chicago as part of Edgewater in 1889. Andersonville's LGBTQ+ population began to significantly grow when Women & Children First bookstore was relocated there in 1990.