| 800 North | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Chicago Avenue | |
| Length | 12.2 mi (19.6 km) |
|---|---|
| West end | 17th Avenue inMelrose Park |
| East end |  US 41 (Lake Shore Drive) inChicago |
Chicago Avenue is a major east–west street inChicago, Illinois. In theChicago street address system, it is at 800 north from 385 east to 5968 west, and continues west into the suburbs in several different suburban address systems.[1] Chicago Avenue starts at the shore ofLake Michigan atLake Shore Drive (U.S. Route 41) in theGold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, and runs west approximately 12.2 miles (19.6 km) to 17th Avenue inMelrose Park, Illinois.
Chicago Avenue has two lanes west of Austin Avenue, and the Chicago city limits, and roughly four lanes east of Austin Avenue.
Chicago Avenue runs just to the north of Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park. It then runs throughMaywood and over theDes Plaines River before enteringRiver Forest. Chicago Avenue is largely residential through River Forest and Oak Park, with a few small commercial strip malls and developments.
At Austin Avenue, Chicago Avenue becomes part of the addressing system for Chicago as 800 North, or 8 blocks (one mile) north ofMadison Street. Chicago Avenue runs through the largely impoverishedAustin andHumboldt Park neighborhoods. In the late 1940s and early 1950s at Chicago and Clark Streets, it was home to the firstPuerto Rican immigrants to Chicago, who called the area "La Clark". East of aboutKedzie Avenue, Chicago Avenue runs through theWest Town andNear North Side areas.
Chicago Avenue is served by multipleChicago Transit Authority (CTA) "L" lines: theRed Line (asChicago), theBrown Line/Purple Line Express (asChicago), and theBlue Line (asChicago).[2]
The66 Chicago is a CTA bus route that primarily travels along Chicago Avenue. It runs betweenNavy Pier (viaFairbanks Court) and Austin Boulevard.[2] On September 21, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CTA began installing temporary "pop-up essential bus lanes" along a 4.6-mile-long (7.4 km) stretch on Chicago Avenue (Laramie Avenue toAshland Avenue).[3][4][5] The bus lanes were made permanent in December 2022.[6] On April 2, 2021, the CTA began runningbattery electric buses along bus route 66, the first route to ever host them.[7][8]
Media related toChicago Avenue at Wikimedia Commons