Berwyn shares features with but nonetheless sets itself apart from nearby Oak Park, Cicero, and Riverside. Neither an exclusive Western Suburb nor a gritty west side neighborhood, Berwyn seems akin to Chicago's Archer Heights neighborhood a bit to its southeast, although with a much smaller percentage of Polish-speakers. Although architecturally quite different, Berwyn's sprawl of eclectic businesses and semisuburban commerce recalls the surface-street sprawl of Los Angeles, and its arguably most notable landmark, the Cermak Plaza (pictured), might just as well find a home in the San Fernando Valley.
