Lake View, North Side neighborhood and gay village in Chicago, US.
Lake View is a North Side neighborhood in Chicago, United States, that combines residential streets, theaters, restaurants, and direct access to Lake Michigan. The streets follow a grid pattern lined with trees and low brick houses that alternate with multi-story buildings.
The area served initially as a camp for indigenous groups before becoming a separate township in 1857. Annexation into the city of Chicago followed in 1889 during a real estate boom that pushed the city northward.
The stretch along North Halsted Street known as Boystown became the first officially recognized LGBTQ neighborhood in the United States in 1997. Rainbow pylons mark the district entrances, and many shops and bars openly display their connection to the queer community.
Several city train lines, including the Red, Brown, and Purple lines, connect the neighborhood to downtown and other parts of Chicago. Bus stops along main avenues make it easy to move around locally within the neighborhood.
The Belmont Theater District contains about thirty stages within a radius of roughly one mile, making it one of the highest concentrations of theaters outside downtown. Many of these venues are small houses presenting experimental and local productions.
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