K-town
June 20, 2007
K-town / KAY-town/ 1. n. What West Siders often call the stretch of the city between Pulaski and Cicero. So named because more than 30 north-south streets there begin with the letter "K." Among them: Kedvale, Kenneth, Kenton, Kilpatrick, Knox and Kostner. A plan adopted in 1913, but only partially fulfilled, called for Chicago's street names to be alphabetized from the Indiana border going west: The first mile would be "A" streets, the second mile "B" streets, etc. Eleven miles out, that gave Chicago the "K" streets. After L, M, N and O streets, the scheme ended on the city's western edge with the "P" streets, such as Pontiac, Plainfield, Panama, Page and Pacific.
