River North

River North is the old warehouse district just north of the Chicago River, between the river and Chicago Avenue and between Michigan Avenue and the North Branch. The brick loft buildings that once held printers and furniture makers now hold galleries, steakhouses, hotels and design showrooms, and the Merchandise Mart anchors the southwest corner. On any given night this is one of the busiest restaurant and bar districts in the country, with Hubbard, Clark and Ohio streets doing most of the work. People who live here are mostly young professionals in glass rental towers, plus longtime loft owners who bought when the neighborhood was still rough. Almost everyone walks to work in the Loop or takes the Brown Line one stop.

Where it is

River North is part of the Near North Side community area. The river forms the southern and western edges, Michigan Avenue is the eastern edge and Chicago Avenue is the usual northern line, with Cabrini-Green and Old Town beyond. The Red Line stops at Grand and Chicago under State Street, and the Brown and Purple lines stop at Merchandise Mart and Chicago on Franklin. The 22 Clark, 36 Broadway, 65 Grand and 66 Chicago buses cover the rest. Drivers use the Ohio Street feeder from the Kennedy, which is also the reason Ohio and Ontario streets are loud. Getting downtown means walking across one of the river bridges; the Loop is ten minutes on foot from most of the neighborhood.

What to know if you’re moving here

River North is dense, loud and convenient. You are buying location, not quiet.

• Housing is loft conversions in 1880s to 1920s warehouse buildings and glass towers built since the 1990s; as a broad editorial estimate for September 2026, condos run from about $350,000 for a one-bedroom to $2 million and up for full-floor units and penthouses.
• Street parking is metered nearly everywhere and there are no residential permit zones, so most residents pay for a garage space in their building or go without a car.
• Assessments in loft buildings tend to be high because of freight elevators, old brick facades and rooftop mechanicals, so review the building’s reserves before closing.
• Public schools fall under Chicago Public Schools, and most families with school-age kids use the neighborhood elementary in the Near North Side or one of the selective-enrollment options.
• The Ohio and Ontario feeder ramps bring Kennedy traffic through the middle of the neighborhood all day, and the bar blocks on Hubbard and Clark stay loud until 2 a.m. on weekends.
• The drawback a local would mention is weekend crowds: bachelor parties, conventioneers from the hotels and lines outside the doughnut shops make Saturday mornings feel like a festival.

What to do if you’re visiting

Visitors end up around Clark and Hubbard streets, and the whole neighborhood is flat and walkable from the Grand Red Line stop.

• Line up early for a doughnut at Doughnut Vault on Franklin Street, which sells out most mornings, or go to Firecakes Donuts on Hubbard for a Valrhona chocolate cake doughnut.
• Eat deep dish where the style started at Pizzeria Uno at Ohio and Wabash, and expect a wait for a table and a longer wait for the pizza.
• Order an Italian beef standing at the counter at Mr. Beef on Orleans Street, a 1979 neighborhood institution.
• Tour the restored 1883 Nickerson mansion at the Driehaus Museum on Erie Street, one of the few Gilded Age houses left downtown.
• Find the alley entrance off Clark Street for a tiki drink at Three Dots and a Dash or a mezcal cocktail at Bar Sótano next door, behind Xoco.
• Walk the Riverwalk side of the Merchandise Mart at dusk to watch Art on theMART project onto the building’s river face in season.