A lakefront city about 12 miles north of the Chicago Loop, home to Northwestern University.
01 — At a Glance
Evanston was founded by Methodist business leaders in 1857 and incorporated in 1863. Northwestern University, founded in 1851, came first. The 2020 census counted 78,110 residents. The city sits on Lake Michigan, bordered by Wilmette to the north, Skokie to the west and Chicago to the south. ZIP codes run from 60201 to 60209.
02 — History
Evanston started with a university looking for a home on the lake. A few chapters from the city’s past.
1836
French explorers called this stretch of shore Grosse Pointe, after a point of land that jutted into the lake. The first settlers arrived in 1836, farming the high ground along the old ridge trails.
Source: Wikipedia: Evanston, Illinois
1850
A township called Ridgeville was organized, running from Graceland Cemetery to what’s now Central Street. A post office opened in one of the ridge-road taverns.
Source: Wikipedia: Evanston, Illinois
1851
Methodist business leaders founded Northwestern University. Orrington Lunt pushed for one more look at a wooded bluff on the lake, and that’s where the campus went.
Source: Wikipedia: Evanston, Illinois
1857–1863
The town was named for John Evans, one of the university’s founders, and it incorporated in 1863.
Source: Wikipedia: Evanston, Illinois
03 — Education
All of Evanston is in Evanston-Skokie School District 65 for grade school and District 202 for high school, which runs a single high school of just over 4,000 students.
Boundaries follow the address. Confirm school assignment for each address with the district before you buy.
Search HomesPublic · PreK–8
Ten elementary schools, three middle schools, two magnet schools and an early childhood school.
Public · Grades 9–12
One high school for the whole city.
Independent
A range of Montessori and parish schools.
Higher Education
One of the world’s leading research universities, founded in 1851.
Source: Wikipedia: Evanston, Illinois
04 — Lifestyle
The lake, the campus and a lively downtown fill most weekends in Evanston.
The beach below the Grosse Point Lighthouse.
Green space along the North Shore Channel.
A trail that runs along the channel through the city.
Classes and exhibitions for the community.
The historic home of the reformer Frances Willard.
A lakefront mansion next to the lighthouse.
Union Pacific North trains stop in Evanston on the way to Ogilvie.
The ‘L’ runs through the city into Chicago.
The lakefront road leads south into Chicago.
Source: Wikipedia: Evanston, Illinois
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