Uptown neighborhood guide
Development
Uptown grew after the Northwestern Elevated Railroad opened its Wilson Avenue station in 1900, which served as the line’s northern terminal until 1908. In the early 1900s Uptown became a shopping and entertainment district, home to the Riviera Theatre (1919), the Uptown Theatre (1925), the Aragon Ballroom (1926), and the Green Mill, while Essanay Studios produced films on Argyle Street from 1907 to 1917. Many of these buildings sit in the Uptown Square Chicago Landmark District. Uptown’s housing includes single-family homes, six-flats, and apartment hotels in the Sheridan Park Historic District (National Register, 1985), and early apartment buildings along Winthrop and Kenmore avenues. Graceland Cemetery occupies Uptown’s southwest corner.
Parks & Recreation
Uptown’s lakefront is part of Lincoln Park and includes Montrose Beach, a dog beach at its north end, the Montrose Point bird sanctuary and dune area, and Montrose Harbor. Clarendon Park, which opened as a city bathing beach in 1916, now has a fieldhouse, ball fields, and a playground. Margate Park, on Marine Drive between Lawrence and Foster, has a fieldhouse and a dog-friendly area.
Transit
Uptown is served by three CTA Red Line stations: Wilson, Lawrence, and Argyle. Wilson is also a rush-hour transfer point to the Purple Line Express, and the rebuilt Lawrence and Argyle stations reopened in July 2025 with elevators. The Red Line runs 24 hours. Metra’s Union Pacific North Line stops at Ravenswood station, at Lawrence on Uptown’s western edge. CTA bus routes include 36 Broadway, 151 Sheridan, 22 Clark, 78 Montrose, 81 Lawrence, 92 Foster, and the 146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Express.
Community Area
Uptown is Chicago’s official community area 3. Edgewater, to the north, was part of Uptown until the city made it a separate community area in 1980.
