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Boystown, Chicago is situated
within the formal neighborhood of Lakeview, it was the first officially
recognized gay village in the United States, as well as the cultural center
of one of the largest lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender communities in the
USA. Boystown has grown into a cultural haven for the nearly 300,000 LGBT
residents estimated to live within the Chicago metropolitan area today.
The sector's informal boundaries
are generally considered to be Addison Street on the north, Lake Shore
Drive on the east, Belmont Avenue on the south, and Clark Street on the
west. These streets correspond to the Chicago grid between blocks 3200
and 3600 North and to the east of 1100 West, which places Boystown approximately
6 km (4 miles) north-northwest of the Chicago Loop.
North Halsted Street, also
known as "Northalsted", is the central hub of this bustling district. It
sports Chicago's highest concentration of LGBT-friendly establishments
- an eclectic mix of bars, coffeehouses, and restaurants in accord with
the equally eclectic population of local hipsters and open-minded progressives.
City planners have designated Northalsted an official pedestrian and bike
route following a 1998 community project that resulted in the erection
of 11 pairs of rainbow-colored abstract Art Deco pylons along the strip.
Coupled with the ever-present rainbow flag that is posted upon nearly every
entrance encountered on the Northalsted strip, these pillars also denote
the many respectable gay-owned and operated venues that have become hotspots
for weekenders throughout the city as well as residents of Boystown.
Chicago Gay Pride - Web
site
Center on Halsted - Chicago's
LGBT Community Center - Web site
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
- Web site
International Ms Leather
- Web site |
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