Density of Chicago Loop

Generally, the closer one is to the Loop, the older the housing, but there are numerous exceptions to this generalization. The desirable North Side Lakefront neighborhoods have been undergoing redevelopment since the 1920s; many poorer neighborhoods were subjected to "urban renewal" in the 1950s and 1960s; and the formerly non-residential areas around the Loop have all obtained new housing since the early 1980s. Also, the older central places in the suburbs such as Elgin, Joliet, and Aurora all have much older housing than the newer suburbs around them, so do the corridors along major commuter rail lines.

High per-capita income is found both in certain northern and western suburbs--and along the North Side Lakefront. Low per-capita income is found on the West and South Sides--and in certain pockets in the suburbs