Living in Glendale as an Azeri/Turk

I’m half Azeri and half Turk, is it a good idea for me to move to Glendale, California where the Armenian population is large?

Glendale has about 200K population. Armenians make up the single largest ethnic community accounting for 40% of the city population. So, that means you statistically have a higher chance of encountering a non-Armenian than an Armenian but clearly you will inevitably stumble upon them.

Of course, not all Armenians hate Azerbaijanis and Turks. I have heard some Azerbaijanis and Armenians making friends or at least maintaining good relationship in LA though such cases are much fewer and rarer than in Moscow, for example. Yet, generally, the Armenian diaspora in the US is known for harboring more animosity towards Azerbaijanis&Turks than other groups of Armenians. Therefore, chances are very high that your car dealer, servant in the restaurant, cashier in the mall, agent at DMV might raise his/her eyebrows as soon as he/she knows you are an Azerbaijani/Turk. Especially, given the war of the last year, within both Azerbaijani and Armenian communities, emotions still run very high. (In July of 2020, Armenians protesting in front of the Azerbaijani consulate in LA had attacked a small group of Azerbaijanis having gathered for a counterprotest. In the same period, some Azerbaijanis living in LA had received threatening messages in their socmed accounts).

If you are a single person, you can still overlook these things and live even though you might find yourself in a row with some locals esp if you are a man. Glendale is considered one of the safest, cleanest places to live in the LA area. However, if you have a family and your kid should attend a local school, then, I would be very worried. The youth branch of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Armenian Youth Foundation is quite active within the Armenian-American diaspora. Through their activities, they help channel ethnic hatred to the young Armenians (though they are not the only channel of hatred transmission). That might mean most likely bullying for your kid at school. I would no way take that risk.

All in all, I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing I am surrounded by some people who don’t like me just because of my ethnicity. LA is gigantic. Sure, there are many other districts to settle in.

Toghrul Bakuvi