Bridgeport

Once known as Hardscrabble, Bridgeport was established to house the workers who built the 1848 Illinois and Michigan Canal. Five Chicago mayors have called Bridgeport home, including Edward Joseph Kelly in the 1930s and '40s and both Daleys, father and son. Today, Bridgeport boasts a vibrant arts community and numerous cafes and restaurants.

The neighborhood is a melting pot and one of the most diverse areas of Chicago, with descendants of the early Irish, Italian and Lithuanian communities mingling with first and second-generation Mexican- and Chinese-Americans.