Albany Park, Chicago

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.[4]

The developers added electric streetcars in 1896 and the Northwestern Elevated Railroad extended the Ravenswood branch to the Kimball terminal on December 14, 1907.[5] This led to a building boom in the area.[4] 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.[6]

Intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Kedzie Avenue in 1915.

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.[7] 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 (mainly Korea) 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.[8]

The traditional neighborhoods within the official community are (including rough boundaries):

• Albany Park: North: North Branch of the Chicago River (about 5100 N); South: Montrose Avenue (4400 N): East: North Branch of the River (about 3000 W); West: Pulaski Road (4000 W).
• Mayfair: Lawrence Avenue (4800 N), Montrose Avenue (4400 N), Pulaski Road (4000 W), and Cicero Avenue (4800 W).
• North Mayfair: Bryn Mawr Avenue (5600 N), Lawrence Avenue (4800 N), Pulaski Road (4000 W), and Cicero Avenue (4800 W).

Immediately to the north, in North Park, lie Northeastern Illinois University, North Park University, and the Bohemian National Cemetery.

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.[7] 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 (largely from the state of Michoacán), Ecuador, and Colombia.[10] 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.[11]

Rebuilt Kedzie Station House

The Chicago Transit Authority's Brown Line terminates at Lawrence and Kimball Avenues. Albany Park is accessible through the Kimball, Kedzie and Francisco stations of the Brown Line, the nearby Montrose Blue Line station, as well as by the Edens expressway (Interstate 94). 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.

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.[12] Four years earlier, Albany Park cast 9,304 votes for Barack Obama and 1,950 votes for Mitt Romney.[13]

Public Schools - Chicago Public Schools operates public schools

Private Schools

• North Shore Junior Academy
• Little Angels
• Telshe Yeshiva
• Gateway to Learning
• St. Matthias Transfiguration
• St. Edward School
• Eagle's Wings Urban Academy

Universities

• Northeastern Illinois University
• North Park University

The Chicago Shimpo previously had its offices in Albany Park.[14] It is now headquartered in Arlington Heights.[15]

Libraries

• Albany Park Branch: 3401 W. Foster Avenue
• Mayfair Branch: 4400 W. Lawrence Avenue

Police Department

• 4650 N. Pulaski Road - 17th District

Fire Department

• Engine Co. 110: 2322 West Foster Avenue
• Engine Co. 124: 4426 North Kedzie Avenue
• Engine Co. 69: 4017 North Tripp Avenue

Marine Corps

• U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 2nd Battalion 24th Marines: 3034-60 W. Foster Avenue

• Jensen Community Gardens
• Drake Community Garden
• Turtle Park Community Garden
• Global Gardens Community Garden and Urban Farm

• Rod Blagojevich (born 1956), 40th Governor of Illinois (2003–2009). He resides on West Sunnyside Avenue in the community area and has done so, with the exception of his eight year incarceration, since 1999.[16][17]
• Patti Blagojevich (born 1965), First Lady of Illinois (2003–2009). She resides on West Sunnyside Avenue in the community area and has done so since 1999.[16][17]
• Cecil Heftel, member of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii's 1st congressional district (1977-1986). He was raised in Albany Park and attended Roosevelt High School.[18]
• Jerry Krause, general manager of the Chicago Bulls from 1985 until his retirement in 2003. He was raised in Albany Park.[19]
• Bob Sirott, broadcaster. As of September 2017, he is a midday radio host at WLS-AM.[20][21]
• Sam Zell, billionaire and founder and chairman of Equity International. He lived in Albany Park until his family moved to suburban Highland Park, Illinois when he was twelve.[22]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albany Park, Chicago.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Chicago/Albany Park.

• Albany Park Neighborhood Guide on ExploreChicago.org
• Official City of Chicago Albany Park Community Map
• Albany Park Living Map
• Healthy Albany Park
• Albany Park Community Center
• Albany Park Theater Project
• Albany Park Chamber of Commerce
• Albany Park Autonomous Center
• http://www.northmayfair.org
• Albany Park art, culture, housing, gentrification, immigration articles
• Albany Park Issues