Near South Side · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Near South Side.
- Active listings
- 22
- Median list
- $355K
- Avg time on market
- 50 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
About the community
Living in Near South Side.
The Near South Side is Community Area 33 of Chicago, sitting just south of downtown and the Loop and running east to Lake Michigan, with Roosevelt Road as its northern edge and 26th Street to the south. It is one of the city's most dynamic communities, having transformed from an elite residential district to a warehouse and manufacturing zone and, finally, into a newly built-up residential neighborhood marketed as the South Loop. The community area encompasses the South Loop, the Prairie Avenue Historic District, the Central Station and Museum Park developments, Motor Row, and the lakefront Museum Campus. Along Lake Shore Drive it holds some of Chicago's best-known structures, including Soldier Field, McCormick Place, and the Museum Campus, home to the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium. Its housing stock mixes new condominium and apartment towers built since a 1990s boom, luxury townhomes in the Central Station development, and loft conversions of former factories and warehouses. The historic Prairie Avenue District preserves grand nineteenth-century mansions, anchored by the Glessner House and the Henry B. Clarke House. The neighborhood is highly transit-rich, with the South Loop earning a Walk Score of 93 and a Transit Score of 92, and it sits within walking distance of Loop jobs. With a 2023 population of 29,174 and a median household income near $125,000, it appeals to professionals who want walk-everywhere living with the lakefront, the museums, and a Bears game all close by.
At a glance
Community area population
The Near South Side had a 2023 population of 29,174 across 1.75 square miles, with a median household income near $125,000.
Varied modern housing
Housing includes new condominium and apartment towers from a 1990s boom, luxury townhomes in Central Station, and converted industrial lofts.
The Museum Campus
The lakefront Museum Campus holds the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium.
Soldier Field
Soldier Field, owned by the Chicago Park District, has been home to the NFL's Chicago Bears since 1971.
Prairie Avenue Historic District
The district preserves nineteenth-century mansions, including the Glessner House, completed in 1887, now a house museum.
Transit-rich location
Nearby rail includes the CTA Red, Orange, and Green lines plus Metra Electric service, with about nine bus lines through the South Loop.
Walker's Paradise
The South Loop earns a Walk Score of 93, a Transit Score of 92, and a Bike Score of 90.
McCormick Place and Wintrust Arena
The area is home to McCormick Place, Chicago's primary convention center, and Wintrust Arena, which opened in 2017.
What it’s actually like to live here
Life on the Near South Side centers on the lakefront and the 57-acre Museum Campus, where the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium sit along Lake Michigan beside Soldier Field. Lake Shore Drive was reconstructed in 1996 so it no longer cut through the Museum Campus, knitting the museums and the lakefront together for pedestrians. Just offshore, Northerly Island offers a lakefront park and the Huntington Bank Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheater with views of the lake and skyline. Residents also have several neighborhood parks created by the Central Station development.
The South Loop offers dense, walk-everywhere living, with hundreds of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in the neighborhood. Its position immediately south of the Loop puts downtown jobs, theaters, and entertainment within easy walking and transit distance. The neighborhood is served by extensive public transit, with the Red, Orange, and Green lines and Metra Electric service all nearby. With a Walk Score of 93, daily errands here generally do not require a car.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Near South Side community pages coming soon.
Browse the listings above. Detailed neighborhood pages with market stats, school info, and lifestyle take-downs land here as we roll them out.
Around town
What there is to do in Near South Side.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Culture
Field Museum
A natural history museum on the lakefront Museum Campus with permanent and traveling exhibitions.
- Family
Shedd Aquarium
A lakefront aquarium on the Museum Campus that opened in 1930 as one of the first inland aquariums in the world.
- Family
Adler Planetarium
A planetarium on the Museum Campus that opened in 1930 as the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere.
- Culture
Glessner House
A house museum on Prairie Avenue designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and completed in 1887.
- Culture
Soldier Field
A lakefront stadium owned by the Chicago Park District and home of the NFL's Chicago Bears since 1971.
- Parks
Northerly Island
A lakefront park and natural area that is also home to the Huntington Bank Pavilion concert venue.
How Near South Side got here
A bit of history.
In the last three decades of the nineteenth century, a stretch of Prairie Avenue on the Near South Side served as the residence of many of Chicago's elite families and became the city's most fashionable address. A South State Street horse-drawn streetcar line opened in 1859 and helped draw wealthy families to the area, and by the time of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 it was home to some of the city's finest mansions. Among the figures associated with the district were meatpacking industrialist Philip Danforth Armour and piano manufacturer William Wallace Kimball. The Glessner House, completed in 1887 as the last work of architect Henry Hobson Richardson, is the best-known historic structure in the district and is now operated as a museum.
By the start of the twentieth century, rapid transit had evolved and many wealthy families moved farther from the Loop, while the railroads brought warehouses and light manufacturing to the area. Michigan Avenue between 14th and 22nd streets became an auto row of car dealerships and showrooms, an era preserved today in the Motor Row District. The late twentieth century brought a residential turnaround, beginning with the Dearborn Park development in the late 1970s and accelerating with a housing boom in the 1990s. Construction of the 72-acre Central Station development on former rail yards began in 1990, and factories were converted to loft condominiums, re-establishing the area as a residential neighborhood a century after the original flight of the elite.
The questions buyers actually ask
Near South Side FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Near South Side. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- What kinds of homes can I buy on the Near South Side?
- The housing stock is varied. You will find new condominium and apartment towers built since the 1990s housing boom, luxury townhomes in the Central Station and Museum Park developments, and loft condos converted from former factories and warehouses along Michigan, Indiana, and Wabash. Prominent high-rise towers include One Museum Park and One Museum Park West along Prairie Avenue. The Prairie Avenue Historic District also preserves grand nineteenth-century mansions.
- Should I expect a condo or a townhome?
- Both are available. The bulk of recent development has been condominium and apartment towers, but the Central Station development specifically includes numerous condominiums alongside luxury townhomes. Loft-style condos converted from old industrial buildings are another distinctive option in the neighborhood. Detached single-family homes are rare outside the historic Prairie Avenue blocks.
- What public schools serve the area?
- Residents are zoned to Chicago Public Schools. K-8 schools serving sections of the Near South Side include Drake, National Teachers Academy, and South Loop Elementary, and Phillips Academy High School is a zoned high school for parts of the area. Buyers should always confirm the exact attendance boundary for a specific address with CPS, since boundaries can change.
- How is transit and getting downtown?
- Transit access is excellent. The South Loop earns a Transit Score of 92, with the CTA Red, Orange, and Green lines and Metra Electric service all nearby, plus about nine bus lines. The neighborhood sits immediately south of the Loop, so downtown jobs and entertainment are a short trip away, and the area's Walk Score of 93 means most daily errands can be done on foot.
- How close is the lakefront and the Museum Campus?
- Very close. The community area runs east to Lake Michigan and includes the Museum Campus, Soldier Field, and Northerly Island directly on the lakefront. The 57-acre Museum Campus holds the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium. A 1996 reconstruction of Lake Shore Drive made the campus more pedestrian-friendly by routing through traffic west of Soldier Field.
Your local agent
Joe knows Near South Side
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the places I actually know, and the things that move value here don't show up in the MLS write-up: which streets and buildings hold demand, what the HOA or assessments really cover, how the comps read once you account for condition and location, and where buyers consistently want to be.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who has read the last 50 closed comps in this specific market, not a national average, and can tell you what they actually mean for your price. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Licensed Illinois broker
- Comp-driven pricing
- Near South Side specialist
- Honest local market take
- Brokerocity
Thinking of selling?
What's your home actually worth?
Not a Zestimate. A real CMA from someone who's sold this neighborhood, knows the floor plan premiums, and can tell you which upgrades the buyer pool here actually pays for.
- Pricing range with comp-by-comp logic
- Pre-list improvements that pay back, and the ones that don't
- No obligation, no spam, no auto-dialer