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The Near North Side is one of 77 well defined community areas of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located north of the Chicago River and the downtown central business district (the Loop). With the exception of Cabrini-Green, the Near North Side is known for its extreme affluence. The Gold Coast is the wealthiest neighborhood in Chicago. Chicago's Gold Coast Beaches The Gold Coast consists mostly of high-rise apartment buildings on Lake Shore Drive, facing Lake Michigan, but also includes low-rise residential blocks, inland. As with many neighborhoods, its exact borders are subject to dispute; but, generally they extend from North Avenue, south, to Division Street and west to Clark Street; and, it also includes the areas east of State Street, south, to Oak Street and east of Michigan Avenue, south, to Walton Place.

The Palmer Mansion, built by businessman Potter Palmer. It was demolished in 1951. The Gold Coast was an unexceptional neighborhood until 1885, when Potter Palmer, former dry goods merchant and owner of the Palmer House hotel, built a fanciful castle on Lake Shore Drive. Over the next few decades, Chicago's elite gradually migrated from Prairie Avenue to their new homes north of the Loop. Along almost every boulevard of the Gold Coast, upscale boutiques and shops have opened up. Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Hermès, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Cartier SA, Van Cleef & Arpels, Yves Saint Laurent, Harry Winston, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Stuart Weitzman, Rolex, Max Mara, Vera Wang, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Paul Stuart, Betsey Johnson, and Lilly Pulitzer are just a few of the dozens of designers that have locations in the exclusive neighborhood. Also, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche, and Bugatti have dealership locations in the Gold Coast.