Lake View, Chicago in the context of "Edgewater, Chicago"

The Near North Side is one of Chicago's 77 community areas. It is the northernmost of the three areas that constitute central Chicago, the others being the Loop and the Near South Side. The community area is located north and east of the Chicago River. To its east is the shore of Lake Michigan, and its northern boundary is the early 19th-century city limit of Chicago, North Avenue. In 2020 the Near North Side had 105,481 residents, surpassing Lake View as the largest Chicago community area by population. It is also the most densely populated community area and has the second most skyscrapers, after the Loop. With the exception of areas near Goose Island in the northwest (which is undergoing development), the Near North Side is known for its affluence, typified by the Gold Coast, Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and residential skyscrapers.

The Near North Side is arguably the oldest part of Chicago. In the 1780s, in what is now the Near North Side, on the northern banks of the Chicago River near today's Michigan Avenue Bridge, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable built the first known permanent settlement in what was called "Eschecagou." Today, this is marked by Pioneer Court.

There were 178 official neighborhoods in 1993 in Chicago, although the current list contains more than 240 due to the ever changing complexities of the cities neighborhoods names and identities that evolve due to real estate development and changing culture. Chicago is also divided into 77 community areas which were drawn by University of Chicago researchers in the late 1920s to track demographics. Chicago's community areas are well-defined, generally contain multiple neighborhoods, and depending on the neighborhood, less commonly used by residents.

Broadway is a major street in Chicago's Lake View, Uptown, and Edgewater community areas on the city's North Side, running from Diversey Parkway (2800 North) to Devon Avenue (6400 North). Originally called Evanston Avenue, the name of the street was changed to Broadway on August 15, 1913, as part of 467 road name changes enacted on that date. The new name was taken from New York City's famous theater district.

The street runs at a mostly southeast-to-northwest diagonal direction between Diversey Parkway and Lawrence Avenue (4800 North). Between Lawrence Avenue and Devon Avenue, Broadway runs in a north-to-south direction and becomes 1200 West in place of Racine Avenue. Broadway carries U.S. Route 14 from its terminus at Foster Avenue to the intersection of Ridge and Bryn Mawr Avenues. Broadway is the only street in the city of Chicago that does not have a suffix. It is not a Street, Avenue, Road, Boulevard nor Parkway; it is known simply as Broadway.