Fulton River District

Fulton River District is a Chicago neighborhood located on the edge of Chicago's downtown, northwest of the Loop. The district is bounded by the Chicago River to the east, the Kennedy Expressway to the west, Ohio Street to the north and Madison Street to the south, making it part of the Near West Side and West Town community areas of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Just across the expressway to the west is the Fulton Market District (Fulton Market). Money magazine ranked the neighborhood as #4 best place to live in the United States in 2019.

James Thompson's original 1830 play of Chicago that was centered on Wolf Point at the fork of the Chicago River included much of the area that is today the Fulton River District. The street grid and block layout imposed on this small area defined the pattern of Chicago's development as the city grew. Commerce dominated the district for much of its history. Lumber and grain were shipped through the district, and Sears and Roebuck's first mail order warehouse was located at Fulton and Des Plaines. Randolph Street became the center of wholesale produce distribution in the late 19th century and was the site of the Haymarket Square labor riots of 1886 on Des Plaines Street.