Are you and your family big sports fans and wondering where to live in Chicago? Here are some of Chicago’s best stadiums and how you can live next to one.
The city of Chicago is home to many professional sports teams. This ranges from a variety of sports to major league and minor league teams. In fact, Chicago is one of ten cities in the U.S. to have a sports team for the five major American professional team sports. This includes baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and soccer. Additionally, Chicago was also named as the “Best Sports City” by Sporting News in 2010.
Chicago has also hosted plenty of large scale sporting events and games. This includes the Special World Olympics Summer World Games in 1968 and 1970. The 2017 Warrior Games was also hosted in the city. Fun fact, Chicago was a candidate city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but ultimately lost to Rio de Janeiro.
Chicago’s favorite sports teams
If you have a favorite sport to watch or play, you may be interested in what Chicago has to offer. Let’s check out the sports teams based in the city.
1. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears is a professional American football team based in Chicago. They are a part of the National Football League (NFL) North division. They were originally founded in 1920 and moved to Chicago 1921. In fact, the Chicago Bears are only one of the two original franchises from the founding of the NFL in 1920. The team currently plays at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The Bears have won a total of nine NFL Championships, one Super Bowl, and has the record of the most players within the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Additionally, this football team has the most recorded victories than any other NFL franchise. Some notable players from this team are George Halas, Bronko Nagurski, and Ed Sprinkle.
2. Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team that competes in Major League Baseball (MLB). They are also a part of the National League (NL) Central division. They currently play their home games at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs are a founding member of the NL in 1876 and their original name was the White Stockings.
The baseball team has played in eleven World Series and was the first major league team to win the World Series twice in 1907 and 1908. Most recently, they won the 2016 National League Championship Series and the 2016 World Series. A few notable players from the team are Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, and Greg Maddux.
3. Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team that competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) within the Central Division of the Western Conference. They were founded in 1926 and are one of the original six NHL teams. Currently, the Chicago Blackhawks’s home is at the United Center but previously played for 65 years at Chicago Stadium.
Since their founding, they have won six Stanley Cup Championships. They won three of those championships between 2010 and 2015. Some notable players on the hockey team include Keith Magnuson, Stanley Mikita, and Robert Gordon Orr.
4. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team that competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They are a member of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Central Division. Currently, they play all their home games at the United Center arena.
The Bulls were founded in 1966 and played their first game during the 1966-67 season. They had their largest success during the 1990s and won six NBA Championships between 1991 and 1998.
Additionally, they are the only NBA franchise to win more than one championship while not losing an NBA Finals series. A few notable players from the team include Michael JOran, Derrick Rose, and Nate Thurmond.
5. Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox is the other major league baseball team based in Chicago. However, they are a part of the American League (AL) Central division. They currently play their home games at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Chicago White Sox was established in 1901 and was originally named “Chicago White Stockings” before the name was shortened.
The team has won a total of three World Series titles, six American League Pennants, and three Central Division titles. In fact, from 1901 to 2019, the Chicago White Sox has an overall record of 9,283 to 9,215. This is a winning percentage of 0.502. A few notable players from the team are Early Wynn, Nellie Fox, and Jermaine Dye.
6. Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky is a professional basketball team that competes in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) within the Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 2005 and since then have had four playoff appearances and played in the 2014 WNBA Finals.
Unlike other WNBA teams, they are not affiliated with a NBA franchise. Although, the Chicago Bulls does play in that market. A few notable players on the team include Allie Quigley, Sydney Colson, and Stefanie Dolson.
7. Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars is a women’s professional soccer club that competes in the National Women’s Soccer League. They currently play their home games in the SeatGeek Stadium. The team was founded in 2007 and is the only team to make the NWSL playoffs for five years in a row.
Additionally, in 2019 they won runners-up during the playoffs and placed second during the regular season. A few notable players from the team include Whitney Engen, Maribel Dominguez, and Cristiane Rozeira de Souza Silva.
Chicago stadiums and sports venues
With all these diverse sports teams based in the city, what stadiums are in Chicago? Here are just four stadiums you can find here as well as listings nearby you might want to check out.
1. Soldier Field
Soldier Field is an American football and soccer stadium in South Loop, Chicago. It opened in 1924 and is home to the NFL team, Chicago Bears. Additionally, the professional soccer team, Chicago Fire FC is starting to play at the stadium in 2020. It is the oldest stadium in the NFL and its football capacity is 61,500 people.
The stadium was home to various games such as the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the first Special Olympics in 1958. It is also home to historical events such as large rallies and speeches that included Martin Luther King Jr, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Listings near Soldier Field:
- 233 East 13 Street, #1908 South Loop, Chicago ($335,000) – 1 bed, 1 bath, 850 sqft
- 1335 South Prairie Avenue, #1105 South Loop, Chicago ($869,000) – 3 beds, 3 baths, 2,076 sqft
2. Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball park in Lakeview, Chicago and is in a mostly residential neighborhood. It first opened in 1914 and is home to the Chicago Cubs.
It is the oldest field in the National League and has a seating capacity of 41,649. The baseball park is best known for its ivy covered brick outfield wall, hand-turned scoreboard, and the red canopy over the main entrance.
Listings near Wrigley Field:
- 3633 North Wilton Avenue, #3 Lakeview, Chicago ($495,000) – 3 beds, 2 baths, 1,650 sqft
- 3525 North Sheffield Avenue, #2 Lakeview, Chicago ($509,000) – 3 beds, 2 baths, 1,800 sqft
3. Guaranteed Rate Field
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball park in the South Side of Chicago within the Bridgeport neighborhood. The stadium opened in 1991 and is home to MLB’s Chicago White Sox. It was originally named Comiskey Park but later changed to the U.S. Cellular Park in 2003.
It wasn’t until 2016 where the name was changed once again to Guaranteed Rate Field. The park is also a venue for other events such as the 2016 Chance The Rapper Concert and hosted the World Series Game 2 in 2005.
Listings near Guaranteed Rate Field:
- 456 West 37 Place, #1 Bridgeport, Chicago ($360,000) – 4 beds, 2 baths, 3,132 sqft
- 3511 South Union Avenue Bridgeport, Chicago ($675,000) – 4 beds, 3.5 baths, 3,000 sqft
4. United Center
United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, it is home to NBA’s Chicago Bulls and NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. The arena opened in 1994 and is the replacement for the Chicago Stadium. Currently, it is the largest arena by capacity in the National Basketball Association. Additionally, the space can also be used for concerts.
The arena is home to the iconic Michael Jordan statue, Bobby Hull statue, and Stan Mikita statue.
Listings near United Center:
- 2159 West Warren Boulevard, #1 Near West Side, Chicago ($199,990) – 2 beds, 2 baths, 1,100 sqft
- 2 South Leavitt Street, #210 Near West Side, Chicago ($349,900) – 3 beds, 2 baths, 1,628 sqft
With Chicago being a central city for sports, which stadium would you like to live next to? Localize has insights for all listings so you can find your perfect space next to your favorite sports team’s home base.
