One of Chicago's oldest surviving residential neighbourhoods, preserved when the Great Fire of 1871 stopped just south of Fullerton Avenue. Old Town is compact, walkable, and anchored by the comedy world: The Second City club on North Wells Street has launched more careers in American comedy than any other venue on earth — Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Tina Fey, and Steve Carell all did their early work here.
Wells Street is the main commercial spine, lined with restaurants, bars, and old theatres. The neighbourhood's streets of Victorian brick rowhouses and German-revival cottages are among the best-preserved in the city. The Old Town Art House is an institution. Every June the Old Town Art Fair transforms the neighbourhood into one of the country's best outdoor art markets.