Gay Friendly Suburbs (Chicago, Waukegan, Evanston: cul-de-sac, middle-class, 2015)

[digital_rick]

Hi,

My boyfriend and I would like to buy a home in the suburbs of Chicago. We would like to live in a place where the community is accepting of gays. Oak Park has a great domestic partnership law, however is a little too urban. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you,
Rick

[Kitana_Matsuri]

Hm. I myself live in the northwest suburbs and there is a large amount of gays here. Heh, I love em' dearly! Some of the best I know.

But just know that unless you go to San Fransico, no where you move is going to be completely friendly due to everyday ignorance. It's particuarly fine around here from what I know.

Other than that, there is always downtown Chicago's boystown based around Clark st. and Belmont ave.

http://www.boystownchicago.com/

[Drover]

If Oak Park is too urban, I doubt Boystown is exactly what they're after...

[CBexp.]

My partner and I settled nicely in the Homewood- Flossmoor area. We have met other couples and have enjoyed meeting many accepting people through block parties and local taverns. Not much locally for single gays, but Chicago is not a bad trip by train. The couples we have met are 30's-40's, some with kids.

[Andrew T.]

Though I live in Minneapolis myself right now, I know that when my boyfriend & I were together, we always hung out in the trendier, cleaner part of Evanston, which seemed to be filled with a very progressive, neat crowd... Much like MPLS's Uptown neighborhood. But if you're looking for something quieter, that might be too urban. Its hard to find a good balance between quiet suburbia, and urban, without losing acceptance, because it seems as if the people you want to be around are going to be in those areas. What about Skokie?

[prairiestate]

Check out the southwest suburbs, around Oak Lawn. It's very diverse, and has quite a few singles, so it isn't dominated by families like some areas are. I don't know specifically how large the gay population is, but with the racial and ethnic diversity here, I think people are going to be fairly tolerant of anyone. It's a quiet and suburban community, in most neighborhoods, but with plenty of urban conveniences, like lots of shopping, dining, as well as sidewalks and street lights.

[SeanMark]

Check out OutInTheSuburbs.Com. It has a lot of information on the gay-friendly resources in the Chicago suburbs.

[trailerguy]

My partner and I live in Park City which is between Gurnee and Waukegan in the northeast corner of Lake County. The gay community up here is not large and is pretty quiet, but everyone has always been very nice to us. We get on well with our neighbors and belong to a local church which has been totally accepting of us. There is no "action" up here. You pretty much have to go to Milwaukee or Chicago if you want to go clubbing. There is one bar in Kenosha, but it's pretty awful. Overall the Chicagoland area is very accepting. If you are looking for a more robust gay community, try Buffalo Grove, Berwyn or La Grange.

[Chi2Midlands]

I would second the Skokie suggestion. I grew up there most of my life. There was a gay couple (complete with rainbow flag on their house) across the street from my parents' house for several years until recently. Good balance between suburban and urban. Clean and relatively safe. Excellent access to the city: via the Edens Expressway (I-94), Yellow Line/Skokie Swift "El" (Dempster Street station), and Metra commuter rail station in the adjacent suburb of Morton Grove. Skokie is the next suburb just west of Evanston - which offers its own small urban environment similar to Oak Park.

Skokie is a very tolerant suburb, and historically has been so. From the 1950s to 1970s, it was a largely Jewish middle-class suburb. From the 1980s through 1990s, it has transitioned to a more diverse community - with large Asian and Eastern European immigrant communities. There is an annual Festival of Cultures and a "Flag Park" showcasing the community's commitment to an integrated, diverse population. Public schools are very good (which regardless of having your own children, I believe are important as they are indicative of a broader, strong civic culture). The Library and Park District provide top-notch services by Chicagoland standards.

Typical housing ranges from 1950s ranches to 1970s split levels on lots that are larger than what you find in the city, but with a similar street grid pattern with narrow, long lots backing up to alleyways rather than sprawling cul-de-sac lots you might find in newer, post-1960s/70s suburbs.

I think you might want to look into Skokie - it may fit exactly what you are looking for.

[ThePianoMan]

I wanted to revive this thread. Anyone have more updated, 2015 information?