Albany Park, Chicago


Albany Park is one of 77 well-defined community areas of Chicago. Located on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago with the North Branch of the Chicago River forming its east and north boundaries, it includes the ethnically diverse Albany Park neighborhood, with one of the highest percentages of foreign-born residents of any Chicago neighborhood.
Although the majority of those foreign-born residents are from Latin America, mostly from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador, substantial numbers are from the Philippines, India, Korea, Cambodia, Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Pakistan and the Middle East. Over 40 different languages are spoken in its public schools.
Due to the diverse population and immigrant population attraction, the population of the neighborhood increased by 16.5% during the 1990s. It is part of the 60625 ZIP code, which is known as one of the most diverse areas in the entire country.

History

The area was settled in 1893 when several investors purchased land in the area as areas closer to downtown became more heavily populated. DeLancy Louderback from Albany, New York was one of the investors and chose the name.
The developers added electric streetcars in 1896 and the Northwestern Elevated Railroad extended the Ravenswood branch to the Kimball terminal on December 14, 1907. This led to a building boom in the area. At this point in development, the north branch of the Chicago River meandered greatly, and therefore the Chicago Sanitary District straightened the river. This expanded and defined property lines and sewage in Albany Park.
By 1930, the population of the neighborhood reached 55,000, and many schools, religious institutions, and parks opened. Haugan Elementary School became the biggest elementary school in the city and Roosevelt High School's overcrowding led to Von Steuben Elementary being converted into a high school. Resident began moving to northern suburbs after World War II and the population declined quickly, leaving many stores uninhabited and properties empty. It wasn't until the 1970s, when a new immigration wave from Asia and Central America began to increase the population again. Today, Albany Park is the most diverse neighborhood in the city, and one of the most diverse in the entire country.

Neighborhoods

The traditional neighborhoods within the official community are :
Immediately to the north, in North Park, lie Northeastern Illinois University, North Park University, and the Bohemian National Cemetery.

Korean commercial district

The neighborhood was once known as the "Koreatown" of Chicago, beginning in the 1980s. The majority of Korean shops in Albany Park were found on Lawrence Avenue between Kedzie Avenue and Pulaski Road, and many are still there. This particular section of Lawrence Avenue has been officially nicknamed "Seoul Drive" by the city of Chicago because of the multitude of Korean-owned enterprises on the street. Although many of the Korean Americans in the neighborhood have been moving to the north suburbs in recent years, it still retains its Korean flavor. Every year there is a Korean festival, and the neighborhood is home to a Korean radio station as well as two Korean-language newspapers. There are still many Korean businesses interspersed among the newer Mexican bakeries and Middle Eastern grocery stores. Approximately 45% of the businesses on this particular stretch of Lawrence Avenue are owned by Korean-Americans.

Demographics

After Jefferson Township was purchased and annexed by the city of Chicago and development began in the area that became Albany Park, immigrant German and Swedish farmers flocked to land. Many built their own homes. At the beginning of the 20th century, more upwardly mobile Russian Jews arrived in Albany Park to escape the crowded conditions of the very-heavily Jewish Near West Side/Maxwell Street area. This pattern continued as other residents in other Jewish-populated neighborhoods such as Lawndale and parts of West Town followed suit. These families began moving to northern suburbs such as Skokie after World War II. Starting in the 1970s, immigrants from Asia and Latin America, mainly Korea and Guatemala, began moving into the neighborhood's largely vacant properties and storefronts. Immigration continued from all around the world, and by the 1990s, there were large populations from the Philippines, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Poland, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia. Since the 1992-1995 war in Yugoslavia, roughly 1,200 Serbians who lived in Croatia resettled in Albany Park along with more than 4,000 Bosnians of all three backgrounds. Into the 2000s, the western part of the neighborhood became home to a substantial number of Indian and East African immigrants.
As of 2018, the community area has 50,343 residents. The racial makeup of the community area is 45.66% Hispanic/Latino, 32.03% White/non-Hispanic, 14.31% Asian/non-Hispanic, 4.97% Black/non-Hispanic, and 3.03% other.

Transportation

The Chicago Transit Authority's Brown Line terminates at Lawrence and Kimball Avenues. Albany Park is accessible through the, and stations of the Brown Line, the nearby Blue Line station, as well as by the Edens expressway. The name "Albany Park" refers both to one of Chicago's 77 official community areas and the traditional name of a neighborhood within that community.
The official community is bounded very approximately by Foster Avenue and the North Branch of the Chicago River on the north, Montrose Avenue on the south, Elston Avenue on the southwest, and the North Branch of the Chicago River on the east. It is in Jefferson Township, which was annexed into Chicago in 1889.
CTA bus routes in Albany Park include: 53 Pulaski, 78 Montrose, 81 Lawrence, 82 Kimball-Homan, 92 Foster, and 93 California/Dodge.

Politics

Albany Park is divided between 3 wards; the 33rd, the 35th and the 39th. The wards are represented by Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez in the 33rd ward, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa in the 35th ward and Samantha Nugent in the 39th ward.
It is similarly divided in the state legislature. In the Illinois Senate it is represented by John Cullerton, Iris Y. Martinez, Ira Silverstein and Heather Steans. In the Illinois House of Representatives it is represented by Jaime Andrade Jr., Ann Williams, John C. D'Amico and Greg Harris. On the Cook County Board of Commissioners, it is represented by Luis Arroyo, Jr..
In 2016, Albany Park cast 10,590 votes for Hillary Clinton and 1,558 votes for Donald Trump. Four years earlier, Albany Park cast 9,304 votes for Barack Obama and 1,950 votes for Mitt Romney.

Schools

; Public Schools - Chicago Public Schools operates public schools
; Private Schools
; Universities
The Chicago Shimpo previously had its offices in Albany Park. It is now headquartered in Arlington Heights.

Government agencies

Libraries
Police Department
Fire Department
Marine Corps