The Near North Side is one of 77 well-defined community areas of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located north and east of the Chicago River, just north of the central business district (the Loop). To its east is Lake Michigan and its northern boundary is the 19th-century city limit of Chicago, North Avenue. With the exception of Goose Island and Cabrini–Green on the west, the Near North Side is known for its extreme affluence, typified by the Magnificent Mile and the Gold Coast. Navy Pier, a popular visitor destination, is also here.
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 "Eschecagou." Today this is marked by Pioneer Court.
Cabrini–Green was a notorious public housing project. Although a small part of it is still located in Chicago's Near Northside, near the North/Clybourn Red Line stop along with the Chicago and Sedgwick Brown Line stops, most of the project was torn down between 1997 and 2010. It was made up primarily of mid- and high-rise apartment buildings. Though Chicago has had many housing projects with crime problems, this one was very noticeable because it is surrounded by wealthy neighborhoods, notably the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park just blocks away.