A Chicago neighborhood has been named among the “coolest” in the world in a new ranking from TimeOut, one of only five U.S. neighborhoods to make the cut.
Dubbing what it described as the 39 coolest neighborhoods “on the planet” right now, the publication said it used its “network of writers and editors across a breadth of cities” to determine its annual list, which once again featured a Chicago spot — this time in the top 10.
Using the list from its writers, TimeOut said it then ranked each suggestion using criteria like culture, community, livability, nightlife, food and drink, street life and “that hard-to-define sense of ‘nowness.'”
Despite the ranking featuring neighborhoods in cities across all corners of the globe, Chicago’s Avondale ranked at No. 5 on the list, the highest of any U.S. neighborhoods to make the cut. Last year’s list featured nearby Logan Square at No. 34.
But the 2025 ranking claims Logan Square “has become a mere fever dream for affordable living,” sending locals northwest.
Citing its surge in business, yet still noticeable industrial side, the publication described Avondale as “unmistakably Chicago.”
Avondale was previously named No. 16 by the publication’s 51 coolest neighborhoods released in 2022.
Local
The following American neighborhoods were also named as among the coolest in the world on the 2025 list:
No. 14 – Red Hook, New York
No. 27 – Little River, Miami
No. 32 – Clarksville, Austin
No. 35 – Glen Park, San Francisco