Evanston, IL, Website

Evanston, Illinois.Known also as the North Shore, Evanston is located just north of Chicago, between the shores of Lake Michigan, and I-94. The North Shore is the home of sandy beaches, historic homes, world-class dining and five star shopping. Evanston has a stunning natural setting on Lake Michigan with unique business districts, attractive homes on tree-lined streets, and pleasant public parks. The bicycle paths along the lakefront in addition to the North Shore Sculpture Park make the area a perfect place for a weekend vacation.

The area is known for dining. From award-winning Mediterranean cuisine and Japanese sushi to French, Asian and Regional specialties; the North Shore's unique and well-known restaurants offer quality food to satisfy the most sophisticated palate with some of the best dining in the area.

The range in architecture for homes is as great as the range in prices. most of the housing stock is old. Many homes date to the last century. They include Victorian, Georgian, Prairie, bungalow, farmhouse, Tudor and American foursquare. Two-story homes dominate in Evanston, but ranches can be found throughout the town. Some homes bear a Mediterranean influence, others French Provincial and others Colonial. You can find everything from a narrow, teensy-weensy two-bedroom house on the northwest end of town to a three-story mansion to the southeast along the lake. A number of new condos are cropping up downtown and beyond, catering to singles and empty-nesters.

Evanston today is a vibrant and diverse community, with many varied activities and cultural interests. It is the city which gave the world Tinkertoys (invented there in 1914), and originated the name for the ice cream sundae. The World's Largest Garage Sale takes place here once a year, as does the Fountain Square Arts Festival, blocking off one of the busiest streets to display hundreds of arts and crafts. With a healthy offering of arts events, a lakefront devoted to public recreation, and a thriving business environment, Evanston's future has never looked better.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Profile: Evanston

By Deborah Leigh Wood
Tribune staff reporter
Published September 24, 1998

Lyn and Bill Deans and their two young sons live in a quaint little house on a leafy, well-groomed street in northwest Evanston. The family has been renting for 17 years. They hope one day to buy a house in this historic city where they, their parents and their grandparents grew up.

The Deans are only too aware that home prices have been steadily escalating: So have their tax bills. More and more people have become aware of the town's many desirable attractions: Lake Michigan; Northwestern University; a yet-to-be built downtown entertainment center; good schools, shopping, transportation, hospitals and architecture; proximity to Chicago; and a rich diversity of culture.

The range in architecture is as great as the range in prices. Tash said you'd be hard-pressed to pick one or two styles that define housing in Evanston. But it's safe to say that most of the housing stock is old. Many homes date to the last century. They include Victorian, Georgian, Prairie, bungalow, farmhouse, Tudor and American foursquare.

New Prairie-influenced condos are in evidence in the central and north part of town, as are large, new single-family homes with a French twist, built on lots where smaller, more modest homes once existed. However, teardowns aren't as prevalent in Evanston as in other older suburbs, such as west suburban Hinsdale.

Two-story homes dominate in Evanston, but ranches can be found throughout the town. Some homes bear a Mediterranean influence, others French Provincial and others Colonial. You can find everything from a narrow, teensy-weensy two-bedroom house on the northwest end of town to a three-story mansion to the southeast along the lake. A number of new condos are cropping up downtown and beyond, catering to singles and empty-nesters.

A drive around Evanston shows that the stock is not only diverse, but also all mixed up: a ranch next to a Tudor next to a bungalow next to a farmhouse. You get the picture, and it's usually a pretty one.

Starter home buyers, Tash said, are looking for hardwood floors in good condition, an extra bath, good quality and condition in general, and a two-car garage. In higher-end homes, buyers are seeking updated baths and updated kitchens with all the conveniences (double ovens, cook's range, double sinks). Central air-conditioning is a plus, but isn't always found, even in pricier homes.

Rental properties, available throughout Evanston, run the gamut in price and size. Most apartments are strung along the eastern edge of town, from Northwestern on down to the city's southern edge, which borders Chicago.

Evanston blends the best of city and suburb. It's a true melting pot of ethnicities, ages, incomes and tastes. Although only a few neighborhoods could be called truly integrated, Evanston is known as the suburb of choice (in addition to west suburban Oak Park) in which to celebrate and embrace diversity. Cross Isabella Street at the northern edge, and you've crossed over into a much more homogeneous culture in Wilmette.

Although a number of Evanstonians continue to migrate north, a greater number consider such a move treasonous. Even within its own boundaries, a civil war simmers between more-affluent, less-integrated north-side neighborhoods and more middle-class, more integrated south-side neighborhoods.

Everyone mingles at the town's various recreation centers and parks; a seasonal farmer's market; and plentiful free concerts and art fairs. There are four commercial centers: upscale Central Street in north Evanston; the central downtown; Dempster Street and Chicago Avenue; and Main Street and Chicago Avenue.

All Evanston public schools are fully integrated and enjoy a good reputation for academic standards and arts programs. Still, a startling gap in test scores is bookended by students from higher- and lower-income homes. Involved community that Evanston is, District 65 (kindergarten to 8th grade) and District 202 (Evanston Township High School) constantly seek to narrow the gap.

Whatever your politics, religious beliefs or cultural preferences, there's something for you in Evanston. "Canceled due to lack of interest" is a rare happening in a town that truly is "happening."