The city's North Side is densely populated, and is the more commercially active section of the city. It lies along Lake Michigan (in a northerly direction from downtown) with many public beaches and parks. Many highrises that start downtown also continue on to the North Side along the lakefront.

Some North Side neighborhoods reaped the benefits of an economic boom which began in the 1990s. For example, the River North area, just north of the Loop, has undergone a transition from a warehouse district to an active commercial, residential, and entertainment hub, featuring the city's largest concentration of contemporary art galleries. Just west of River North's galleries and bistros, demolition of the CHA's Cabrini-Green housing project began in 2003[19], and other North Side neighborhoods were already built up to high density rates. The North Side is also the more diversed section of the city, encompassing many people of various races, nationalities, religions, and sexual orientations. The North Side is home to the Chicago Cubs of MLB. This area of the city is served by four CTA