How the Neighborhoods got their Names!

This is a fantastic article that was really well written by "Chicago Quirk".

Some neighborhood names were given to them for obvious reasons, i.e. Lakeview, South Loop, River North, but if you've ever wondered why other neighborhoods were given their particular names read on to find out!

Pilsen
This one always confused me. What exactly is Pilsen? In the late 1800s, this neighborhood was actually inhabited by Czech immigrants who named it after a large city back home, called Plzeň.

Wicker Park
Land developers Charles and Joel Wicker bought tons of land in the 1870s with plans to build a neighborhood, and kindly donated four acres to the city to build a public park. That park was named Wicker Park, and the name stuck for the entire neighborhood.

Bucktown
You've probably heard that Chicago has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw, and it has been that way for over 100 years. During the early 20th century, this area was known as the Polish downtown and many Poles resided here. The Poles had a tendancy to keep goats in their homes, and since a male goat is called a "buck," the area became known as Bucktown.

Logan Square
Not surprising, Logan Square is named as such for the square in the middle of the neighborhood. The actual Logan Square was named after Civil War hero and former Congressman General John A. Logan.

Andersonville
Before it was the eco-friendly neighborhood it is today, Andersonville was just a distant suburb of Chicago. Swedish immigrants began arriving after the Great Chicago Fire and by the 1900s the area was dominated by Swedes. The name Andersonville comes from the popular Swedish surname, Anderson.

Bronzeville
This area was known as the "Black Metropolis" in the early 1900s, its development credited to such famous African Americans as Louis Armstrong, Marla Gibbs, Lou Rawls and Ida B. Wells. In the 1930s the local newspaper was the first to call the neighborhood Bronzeville for the color of the residents' skin.