Portage Park

My parents grew up in the Portage Park area. There’s not a ton going on there, but it’s a nice, family-friendly, typical Chicago neighborhood. It’s known for the huge amount of Chicago cops that live in the area, both active and retired. There’s a nice mix of people, and it’s pretty safe.

Portage Park is best known for Six Corners, which has been a shopping district in the neighborhood for 150 years or so. Its heyday was probably in the ‘50s through the ‘70s, but there’s still plenty there. The main attraction was the Sears department store, which is still around. There are also a ton of local businesses still around, although it’s not a major shopping district anymore. My parents LOVE to remind me about how great the shops used to be over there.

Every single Halloween I start my costume search at Fantasy Costumes (it’s at Six Corners). It’s been around forever and has the largest selection I’ve ever seen. This isn’t one of those cheap places that pop up for only a month before Halloween. It’s around all year and carries costumes, wigs, professional makeup, and those giant furry animal suits! They also RENT costumes, which is awesome.

The Portage Theater is another great spot in the neighborhood. It’s really old and they always show really random old movies.

Portage Park is a fairly populated area, with around 60,000 residents in the Northwest side of the city. This area is home to Chicago's largest Polish population, as Chicago is home to one of the largest Polish populations outside of Poland. Today the area is also home to a growing Hispanic community as well.

The Portage Park area is well known for the "Six Corners" shopping area, which is home to various stores ranging from "big box" stores to independent, local businesses as well. The "Six Corners" name is derived from the fact that six streets intersect in the area.

The Portage Theater which has long been a mainstay in the area. This large theater hearkens back to the early days of cinema and can seat over 2,000. If you want to see an impressive theater from the early 20th century, then you definitely should catch a movie at the Portage Theater. Its impressive lobby and art deco styling will be worth drive!

While Portage Park is largely residential there is still a good deal to do in the area, ranging from shopping, to the Portage Theater, to a visit to the park which shares the area's name, Portage Park. Portage Park has a long rich history and continues to be one of Chicago's more vibrant communities.

There are a lot of things planned for the actual park (like a new playground), and currently it hosts one of the best Chicago Park District swimming pools (it is beautiful, enormous, and will only put you back $40 for a seasonal membership). The surrounding area can be loud with traffic and car stereo music – and there isn’t much space in Portage Park to get away from the racket.

Early fall is my favorite time to visit Portage Park, because the leaves are changing colors, and it is a tad bit less packed with people and subsequent noise. At the entrance on Irving and Linder, there is a little botanical garden where you can both wander or linger (there is some hard-to-find seating). The park also has football fields, baseball fields and a field house where both the pool and a boxing ring are housed.

It’s a nice place to visit during the day, but don’t linger in the park after the sun goes down. That really goes for any Chicago park – you just don’t want to risk getting jumped.
The surrounding North Side neighborhood is a working class area, but there is a strong sense of community there – as well as a lot of bungalow housing units and quaint little churches.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Portage Park is the Six Corners. It’s the intersection of Irving Park Road, Cicero, and Milwaukee Avenues, and there are a number of really good shopping destinations if you’re so inclined. There’s a really cool costume shop in the neighborhood, which comes in handy when Halloween comes around. You can always find the right look. You’ll find some good, and unique shops if you stop by in Portage Park.
The nightlife tends to be a nice mix. There are some really packed clubs in the area, but there are also some casual, laid back places. Regardless of the mood you’re in, you can find a drink to suit it.
There’s some great places to eat in Portage Park too. My favorite is the Addison Steak House, which has a wonderful atmosphere, and while it isn’t cheap, it also isn’t terribly expensive, and you’ll get some good food.
The real estate in the area is mostly affordable, and while some places are small and need some work, the neighborhood in general is very nice and safe. You can certainly raise a family here, and I know it’s a very Polish area, so if you’re Polish, you’ll feel especially at home.