Some Chicago neighborhoods are so big they feel like cities unto themselves. Others are so small that you can walk their entirety in just a few blocks. Though small, these seven neighborhoods are each a unique part of Chicago.

Map of smallest neighborhoods
Photo by Kenyon Edmond

Burnside

The Far South Side neighborhood Burnside is small enough that it has a past of being lumped in with nearby communities. The formerly industrial area is now a largely residential neighborhood. Though it spans just a few blocks, it’s not an overly dense neighborhood like other communities closer to the city center. 

Single-family homes are the most common option in Burnside. The neighborhood is also one of the city’s highly affordable options with a median sale price below $100,000, according to Neighborhoods.com.

The grid of streets running through the neighborhood is largely residential, but you’ll find spots to eat and drink—think small restaurants and hole-in-the-wall bars. Also, the trains that stop at the 91st Street Metra station will take you directly to Millennium Station downtown. 

Burnside is a quieter Chicago neighborhood, complete with greenspace like Lorraine Dixon Park. This South Side community is ideal for homebuyers who want a quieter place to call home without moving to the suburbs.

Graceland West

Graceland West is just north of Wrigleyville. Everything east of Clark Street within the community is occupied by Graceland Cemetery, making the liveable bounds of the neighborhood Montrose Avenue, Ashland Avenue, Irving Park Road, and Clark Street. 

Within this thin slice of city, homebuyers will find homes (mostly condos and townhomes) that trend toward upscale. The median home sale price in Graceland West is in the high $600s. 

Living next to a cemetery may seem macabre at first, but the cemetery also serves as an arboretum, lending a peaceful, beautiful air to the neighborhood. Graceland West is certainly less rowdy than neighboring Wrigleyville, but residents can still get a touch of that nightlife flavor with spots like improv venue CIC Theater.

Kilbourn Park

Kilbourn Park is sometimes considered a part of Irving Park’s sprawl, but it’s its own community. North to south, the neighborhood runs the few blocks between Addison Street and Belmont Avenue while Milwaukee and Cicero avenues serve as borders to the east and west. The core of the neighborhood is residential, but those major streets are dotted with spots to eat, drink, and grocery shop.

Kilbourn Park has a diverse collection of homes, both old and new construction; single-family and attached. The neighborhood’s median sale price is in the mid $300s, but buyers can find homes for half that price or as high as $600,000. 

Like many Chicago neighborhoods, this one has an actual greenspace to match its name. Residents can walk to centrally located Kilbourn Park for the playground, sports fields, and organic greenhouse.

Pill Hill

The South Side neighborhood Pill Hill was named for its large population of doctors during the 1960s. Today, the neighborhood remains an attractive spot for homebuyers.

A perfect square formed by East 91st Street, South Paxton Avenue, South Cregier Avenue, and railway tracks, the neighborhood mainly offers buyers single-family homes—many in the row style so often found in Chicago. The median home sale price is in the mid $100s, and that price seems even better when you take into consideration that most homes in this neighborhood have finished basements and solid parking options. 

The CTA’s 5 and 95 buses have several stops on the stretch of East 93rd Street running through the neighborhood, but the compact size of Pill Hill makes it easy to get around the neighborhood on foot. 

Ravenswood Gardens

Bordered by Lincoln Square and the larger Ravenswood, Ravenswood Gardens gives the impression of suburban calm. The Chicago River runs along the entire western edge of the neighborhood while a small slice of Montrose Avenue and the quieter residential streets of Campbell and Rockwell mark the other edges of the community.

Despite feeling removed from the city, the Rockwell Brown Line stop makes it easy to get downtown. Homebuyers who see the appeal of a smaller, quieter neighborhood will find a median sale price in the high $200s. The neighborhood’s single-family homes are mostly brick bungalows while the attached homes range from newer condos to historic multi-unit buildings.

River West

River West breaks the mold made by many other small Chicago neighborhoods. Instead of feeling quaint and suburban, this formerly industrial neighborhood is bursting at the seams with slick, urban charm. Situated on the North Branch of the Chicago River and along the Kennedy Expressway, River West is so close to downtown you can practically catch a whiff of the chocolate scent that sometimes fills the Loop and West Loop. 

Instead of brick bungalows and two-flats, River West has industrial warehouses converted into chic lofts and modern condo buildings. As an up-and-coming trendy neighborhood, it’s no surprise that buying a home here is fairly pricey. The median home sale price in River West is in the high $400s, according to Neighborhoods.com data. 

The Villa

The Villa is a North Side neighborhood that may actually earn the distinction of the smallest Chicago neighborhood. Triangular in shape, the Villa is bordered by Pulaski Road, Addison Street, and I-90/I-94. In addition to being a neighborhood, The Villa is also a historic district thanks to its architecture.

Unlike many of the city’s other tiny neighborhoods, the Villa doesn’t have any shops or restaurants interspersed among the condos and houses. Instead, the Villa is solely made up of single-family homes. Each of these homes has a yard, many of which boast impressive gardens.

If you’re in the market to buy a home in this historic neighborhood, the median sale price is in the high $500s. The towering trees and one-way streets of the Villa make it easy to shut out the city, but the restaurants and shopping of Avondale are easily within reach.