Drawing the Lines: Bucktown, Wicker Park Borders

The boundaries between Chicago's neighborhoods can be difficult to define, and the nebulous nature of these dividing lines is particularly contested in the Bucktown-Wicker Park area.

While the city is divided into 77 distinct community areas, individual neighborhoods within these community areas are not defined in any official capacity. Wicker Park is part of the West Town area while Bucktown is part of Logan Square, but the two neighborhoods have a special relationship with one another, often blurring together or overlapping—depending on who you ask.

Patch asked local leaders and longtime residents how they view the Bucktown and Wicker Park neighborhoods. Where does one end and the other begin? How do they define the neighborhoods in which they live and serve?

Matt Bailey, Press Secretary for 1st Ward Ald. Proco Joe Moreno:

"It's kind of subjective. If I'm speaking from personal opinion, I'd probably say Bucktown-Wicker Park, to the west it would end around Western. North, it would end, probably around Armitage. But like I said, everything's kind of subjective. I know a lot of offices around our offices call this area West Bucktown, which is kind of a recent invention of real estate agents, similar to what Wrigleyville was in the '80s. I think that's one of the things that enhances the charm of Chicago's neighborhoods—the porous boundaries and how the neighborhoods kind of bleed into each other.

"From an aldermanic perspective, it doesn't really complicate our job any more, it's more of a labeling kind of thing. We'd like to think that the ward itself is a community, we try to create a sense of community, create a sense of pride in being the 1st Ward. That's kind of one of our broader missions, so hopefully we're succeeding in that."

Doug Wood, Wicker Park Advisory Council Secretary:

"To me, the boundaries don't mean anything since we (WPGarden-WPAC) all work together with people from all over the city and suburbs to create a great park and get along well and create events/programming with all of them.  The same is true of the gardens, design training, and workshops - everyone works together and does not think of where they are from - they just do it!

"To my knowledge historically Wicker Park Extended from Division to Armitage and from Ashland to Western. Then a gentlemen's agreement was made in '80s to move the Northern Boundary of Wicker Park South to Bloomingdale - that then created limits of Division to Bloomingdale and Ashland to Western."

Teddy Varndell, Wicker Park Committee President:

"The boundaries of Wicker Park, as relates to the Wicker Park Committee, are Bloomingdale to Division, Ashland to Western. And those are fairly historic boundaries, as well, although at one point, the general consensus was Wicker Park ran from Armitage to Augusta, with the same east-west parameters.

"The reason that Bloomingdale was retreated to was, it was a logical division point between the historic neighborhoods of Logan Square and West Town. Bucktown exists within the Logan Square neighborhood, and Wicker Park—and when I say neighborhood, it's the neighborhoods that were recognized by the city—and Wicker Park is in West Town. And that runs right along Bloomingdale, that division."

Leah Viands, Wicker Park Committee Secretary:

"In the '90s, the two community organizations, so the Wicker Park Committee and the Bucktown Community Organization, scheduled a meeting to settle the boundary. Because originally, and if you look in the history and whatnot, Wicker Park is Division, Western, Armitage and Ashland.

"Armitage was the line, and everyone says that development just really happened in Bucktown, and it was all like a real estate agent/developer thing, where they were trying to push the boundary farther south.

"So I guess they set up this meeting to meet and settle the boundary, and no one from the BCO showed up, so Wicker Park conceded to using Bloomingdale Trail as the boundary between the two as a compromise, since Bucktown contends, and (WPC Vice President Bob Mantsch) says, 'with no basis,' that the boundary is North Avenue."

Elaine Coorens, Editor of Our Urban Times

Coorens is also the author of Wicker Park from 1673 thru 1929 and Walking Tour Guide.

"In the late 1970s, the Ukrainian Village Association and the Wicker Park Committee got together and agreed that the Wicker Park Committee would bring its boundary up to Division (from Augusta). Ukrainian Village would start at Division, go south. Throughout all of that time, the northern boundary was Armitage.

"...In the meantime, people in Bucktown decided they wanted to take more territory, so at some point, I think it was the late '80s, I don't remember the timeframe, there was an agreement between the Wicker Park Committee and the BCO that Wicker Park would bring its boundaries to Bloomingdale. After that, there were other people in the BCO that decided now they wanted to take everything down to North Avenue. So at the moment, both organizations have bylaws.

"In the case of BCO, theirs state that they go down to North Avenue, and the Wicker Park goes up to Bloomingdale. So what more can I say? As far as I'm personally concerned, it's Bloomingdale, and that makes sense because if you look at the communities as defined by the City of Chicago, West Town stops at Bloomingdale and Logan Square starts at Bloomingdale. So in that case, as far as I'm concerned, Wicker Park goes to that boundary of West Town."

Now it's your turn. Where does Wicker Park end and Bucktown begin? Tell us in the comments.