Montclare

Located along the western edge of Chicago, Montclare and Galewood once were home to many of Chicago’s mobsters. These small neighborhoods no longer have the tough-guy notoriety, and Galewood is often refered to as “a suburb in the city.” The community is mainly white, but there is a large Hispanic population living in the area, too. Montclare and Galewood are both solid, middle-class neighborhoods.

Montclare is located between Belmont Avenue, Harlem Avenue, and the Soo Line Railraod. This is a very popular area, with few homes appearing on the market, and houses tending to run larger than in other areas of the city. The homes themselves are well varied, including Victorians, English Tudors, Georgians, frame and brick constructions, bungalows, and ranches. The larger homes cost from $250,000 to $350,000, but the area also supports many apartments that rent for around $1,100 and some for even less. Residents are obviously concerned about the safety of their children and the area’s numerous speed bumps and traffic circles that slow down drivers attest to this.

There are a number of public and private schools in the area, including the Sayre Language Academy magnet school. Concordia University, Triton College, Dominican University, and Wright Junior College are all nearby. A Shriners Hospital for children is also in Montclare.

The Brickyard Shopping Center, the Mars Candy company, and the Radio Flyer company are major draws for tourists and consumers from all over Chicago.

Located west of Austin and Belmont Central, and south of Dunning, Montclare’s median home price is around $167,000. Galewood’s composition and housing property situation is similar to Montclare.

The CTA Blue line stops in the area and there are two stops for Metra trains.