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Greensboro, North Carolina – Urban Activism in a Historic Setting

Greensboro, North Carolina is part of what is known of the Piedmont Triad region that encompasses Greenboro, High Point and Winton-Salem as well as many smaller cities and towns. This is a huge sprawling area with a population of 723,801 with the core of Greensboro having a population of 273,423.  The city’s natural location is very beautiful, surrounded by rolling hills and situated halfway between the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains. 

This city was only established about the turn of the century so its oldest neighborhoods, Aycock and Fisher Park, were established in 1895 and 1901. This area of town is prized for its beautiful example of Craftsman, Colonial Revival and Foursquare architecture and it is also a very expensive area.

Another prominent and expensive neighborhood, established in the 1920s, is Manchester village. It has many examples of Art Deco and Victorian architectures mixed in with large glassy condos that were developed in the eighties.

If you like to golf, Irving Park is an older prestigious place to live with enormous homes and lots.  It borders the prestigious Greensboro Country Club and Golf Course.

Glenwood is the gayest of the Greenboro neighborhoods.  It consists mostly of small seventies ranch homes built from the 1950s to the 1970s. If you love mid-century modern architecture this is a great area however keep in mind that it has been in decline for the past few years.  The neighborhood is destined to improve thanks to a student and faculty relocation to the area adjacent to Lee Street. Even more rundown was the Warnersvile neighborhood which was hot in the 1950s but has been in decline ever since.

Greensboro is not one of those states that approves of gay marriage but it does have a very strong activist community that is challenging this.  A group called ART (Alternative Resources for the TRiAD) runs a program called “Greensboro, Out At the Movies” and funds a networking group known as QCYNT for GLBTQ college students.  Greensboro also has a PFLAG chapter, which stands for Parent, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; an organization aimed at enlightening an ill-informed public and providing support to gays who may be facing adverse workplaces and communities.

The downtown neighborhood, which is the home of most of Greensboro’s LGBT night life, is also quite economically depressed but it is home to many attractions including the Carolina Theater, Triad Stage, Center City Park, Greensboro Cultural Museum and the Greensboro Historical Museum.

If you are going to live in Greensboro it is best to have a car. Except for the downtown and college areas near the Eton University of Law there is very little café society.

This city is a huge place so it is best to consult a resident Greensboro gay realtor who can advise you on what are the most LGBT friendly and affordable neighborhoods. You can also find out more about the neighborhood by going to the city’s Chamber of Commerce website at www.greensboro.org.