Albany Park - gay-friendly/unfriendly/nobody cares? (Montrose: crime, homes)

[green_babuschka]

Hello all -

This is my first post on what I am finding to be a very helpful site! I currently live in Edgewater but I'm looking at some homes in Albany Park with my GF. We're checking out other areas as well, but are a little uncertain about the neighborhood of Albany Park. I like the diverse mix of the area, its proximity to the L system, and the architecture, but I'm not sure if my GF and I would be welcomed/tolerated/viewed with hostility. We're not expecting Edgewater, but we also don't want to have to be on the defensive in the area that we decide to call home.

We're not flag-wavers and I don't own a single item of clothing with a rainbow on it, but we are a lesbian couple that would be living in an area with lots of families and newer immigrants. Any opinions? Any gays/lesbians living in this neighborhood?

Thanks to anyone who can provide some insight.

[Venom]

No one gives a ..... there.
I seen a decent amount of gays there.
Not a lot, but they weren't too rare.

What part you moving to, btw?

[green_babuschka]

Thank for the response.

We're looking at a couple different places. I've read that most folks say it is a block-to-block neighborhood, but one of the places is a few blocks west of Drake, just south of Lawrence. Not too far from Jensen Park. It seemed that folks took care of their places quite nicely, but I also thought I saw a bit of graffiti on a sign that could've been a gang tag but wasn't sure. Another property was near Lawrence and Lawndale.

[surlycue]

I know a lesbian couple with children that live around Montrose and Kedzie and they have never been harassed. They are friendly with their neighbors and no one seems to notice or raise an eyebrow. It is different than Andersonville and Boystown obviously but you will be fine in your day to day life. I would just avoid PDA in some of the Middle-Eastern/Arab owned businesses as they seem to be more conservative then the Asian and Latino businesses.

Albany Park is a great area and the diversity and variety of cuisines and businesses can't be beat.

[Venom]

Well those exact streets are a gang's "turf"
But it's nothing to worry about...
Like you said mostly good people and families... they outnumber anything gangs do.

[Venom]

Originally Posted by surlycue

I know a lesbian couple with children that live around Montrose and Kedzie and they have never been harassed. They are friendly with their neighbors and no one seems to notice or raise an eyebrow. It is different than Andersonville and Boystown obviously but you will be fine in your day to day life. I would just avoid PDA in some of the Middle-Eastern/Arab owned businesses as they seem to be more conservative then the Asian and Latino businesses.

Albany Park is a great area and the diversity and variety of cuisines and businesses can't be beat.

Quit stealing my thunder.
This is my neighborhood

[surlycue]

Green, you might want to ask Venom if there is a lot of noise near the Kimball stop. I know end of the line locations tend to be noisier than the other stops because trains switch tracks there and are also stored but because the brown line isn't 24 hours any noise would quiet down after 12:20 or whenever the last line is.

[surlycue]

Originally Posted by Venom

Quit stealing my thunder.
This is my neighborhood

I paid you homage in my last comment. No woman, no cry.

[Thepreacherswife]

Originally Posted by surlycue

Green, you might want to ask Venom if there is a lot of noise near the Kimball stop. I know end of the line locations tend to be noisier than the other stops because trains switch tracks there and are also stored but because the brown line isn't 24 hours any noise would quiet down after 12:20 or whenever the last line is.

It's technically not 24 hours, but even after the last trains leave to the loop after midnight, they run a shuttle from Kimball to Belmont until around 2, and then service to the loop starts up again at 4.

[green_babuschka]

Thanks Surlycue - it's at least six blocks from the Kimball stop so I wouldn't think this would be an issue but, Venom, do you think noise might be a concern?

We had a good feeling in this neighborhood. I did an everyblock.com search on the areas and the type of crime was what you see in almost all city neighborhoods, a few car vandalisms, simple assault, drug possession. Didn't seem to be that many occurrences though. Would it be okay to walk your dogs (small ones and both more defenseless than I) in the evening? I'm not talking past 10 or anything. Opinions?