West Loop

"A former manufacturing corridor turned art-edgy neighborhood," the West Loop area was a mix of factories, meat markets and wholesale produce outlets throughout the late 1800s and most of the 1900s. Many of these businesses still thrive in the area, but the neighborhood has seen a major demographic shift over the last few decades. The factories, most of which have closed, have been converted to high-priced lofts, critically acclaimed restaurants, night clubs, art galleries, and retail boutiques, easily making the West Loop one of Chicago's newer trendy neighborhoods. The transformation began to happen in part because of the neighborhood’s proximity to the Loop, but also because of the availability of the massive shuttered buildings, which have allowed for varying creative uses.