The Loop real estate

As Chicagos official downtown area, the Loop is the citys hub for business, transportation, retail, and culture, and its central location provides

The Loop is Chicagos hub. Home to City Hall and the Cook County seat and with destination retail and cultural attractions, it draws visitors from across the country. Known for its iconic skyline and array of world-class museums, the Loop is also centrally located, making it an ideal place to live, work, and play. Millennium Park offers outdoor green space where concerts and picnics can be enjoyed, and the neighborhoods are full of cafs, Michelin-starred restaurants, and shopping, particularly along State Street.

The Loop is home to the new, beautifully designed Chicago Riverwalk, a pedestrian waterfront on the southern bank of the Chicago River. The Riverwalk runs from Lake Shore Drive to Franklin Street, and is home to an array of comfortable outdoor seating areas, restaurants, and boat rentals. Its current expansion is underway, with completion expected in 2016.

History

The Loop is believed to have earned its nickname from the patterns the cable cars made as they circled in loops downtown when they ran in the late 19th century. The area became a center for business due to the skyscrapers that housed large companies from its earliest days, and today it boasts important buildings designed by the likes of Louis Sullivan and Mies van der Rohe. The Loop is also home to the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), currently the second-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

Demographic

Always a bustling enclave, the Loop includes several smaller neighborhoods such as the New Eastside, Printers Row, South Loop, and the Historic Michigan Boulevard District. The area is known for Beaux-Arts architecture and for some of the most well-designed new luxury condos in Chicago.

Landmarks and Institutions

The Loop is home to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Joffrey Ballet. Millennium Park is the site of the world-famous Cloud Gate, the silver Anish Kapoor sculpture that resembles a giant kidney bean, as well as an amphitheater designed by Frank Gehry.