Bowmanville

A small neighborhood located in Lincoln Square and one of the 77 defined community areas in the City of Chicago, Bowmanville is an up-and-coming area on Chicago’s North Side.

The area was first developed in the 1850s by Jesse Bowman, a local innkeeper. Bowman laid claim to the area by building cart paths on land that wasn’t in fact his own. Adding to the confusion, Bowman proceeded to sell the land which, once again, was not his. Needless to say, this created much confusion for the new “owners” who realized that they did not own the land they had purchased.

Centered around a bustling shopping and dining district at the intersection of Lawrence, Western and Lincoln Avenues on Chicago's North Side, Lincoln Square became one of Chicago's first commuter suburbs when the Ravenswood elevated train line was completed in 1907. Today, this Chicago neighborhood still gives residents convenient access to public transportation including the CTA Brown Line and the Metra Union Pacific North Line. Likewise, the community effortlessly blends trendy hot spots with its century-old German heritage.

Lincoln Square's German heritage lives on in a number of German restaurants including the Chicago Brauhaus and Lutz Continental Café; however, Lincoln Avenue also serves up an eclectic mix of sophisticated eateries, corner cafes and favorite neighborhood hangouts such as Jury's and Pizza D.O.C. A lively cultural scene is fueled by the Old Town School of Folk Music as well as annual festivals like the Chicago Folk & Roots music festival and the German-American Fest, which draw crowds from throughout Chicago and the Midwest.