Chicago’s Albany Park is located about 8 miles northwest of the Loop. It grew from a farming community to a dynamic urban area in one generation. It was annexed by Chicago in 1899 along with the rest of Jefferson Township during a time of great growth and annexations by the city. In 1893, a group of investors bought some of the farmland for development. One of the investors was from Albany, New York and he named the development accordingly. Once they established streetcar service along Lawrence avenue and extended the Ravenswood Elevated train to Kimball and Lawrence Avenues by 1907, the area really began growing rapidly. Beginning in 1904, the Chicago Sanitary District widened and straightened the meandering North Branch of the Chicago River from Belmont to Lawrence Avenues and this defined property lines and improved sewage disposal in Albany Park. By the 1920’s, Albany Park was almost completely developed.German and Swedish immigrants initially settled the area, followed by a large number of Russian Jews. After World War II, many Jewish families moved north to Lincolnwood and Skokie, and started a decline which continued until the 1970’s. In the 70’s immigrants from Korea, the Philippines, and Guatemala reinvigorated the area.Albany Park contains several smaller neighborhoods – Albany Park North, Mayfair, and North Mayfair. The area had 52,930 residents as of 2014, down from 1930 when it had 55.000.Albany Park is one of the most ethnically diverse communities in the United States and the most diverse community in Chicago. It has one of highest percentages of foreign-born residents of neighborhoods in Chicago with the majority from Mexico.
