When walking around your street, what do you see that makes you smile? Is it the bakery, your favorite restaurant or the local park? People want to live where they can take their children out, enjoy an evening out or simply enjoy good food. In other words, people want to live somewhere cool. Good news for those looking to live in Illinois, as the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago has been ranked the 16^th coolest neighborhood to live in the world.

Time Out magazine compiled the top 51 coolest neighborhoods in the world list by surveying 20,000 city dwellers around the globe to see what they love about their neighborhood. While “cool” can be a subjective term, the magazine chose its rankings based off of accessibility, culture, nightlife, diversity of affordable food and drink, and places were active street life and a strong community atmosphere are present.

Avondale was chosen for its ties to the Polish community, having some of Chicago’s best Mexican restaurants, and supporting a range of small businesses. Unique places can be found in Avondale, such as The Brewed, a horror-themed coffee shop, and The Insect Asylum, a bug museum. Walking through Avondale’s Milwaukee Avenue, one will find themselves smiling at the neighborhood’s trendy bars, plant stores and decades-old sausage shops of the Polish community. Avondale is a diverse community that welcomes families, as well as single young adults, with its vast range of businesses, restaurants and attractions. Anyone can find something cool to do in Avondale.    

To read more about Avondale and see the full list of 51 neighborhoods, click here.