Evanston, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Evanston is a suburban municipality
in Cook County
, Illinois
12 miles north of downtown Chicago
, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie
to the west, and Wilmette
to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore
communities that adjoin Lake Michigan
. The boundaries of the city
of Evanston are coterminous with those of Evanston Township
– although school districts 65 and 202 take in a small portion of eastern Skokie. Evanston is the home of Northwestern University
.
Indians used trails along higher-lying prehistoric ridges that ran in a general north-south direction through the area, and had at least some semi-permanent settlements along the trails.
French explorers referred to the general area as "Grosse Pointe" after a point of land jutting into Lake Michigan about 13 miles (20.9 km) north of the mouth of the Chicago River. After the first non-native Americans settled in the area in 1836, the names "Grosse Point Territory" and "Gross Point voting district" were used through the 1830s and 1840s, although the territory had no defined boundaries. The area remained only sparsely settled, supporting some farming and lumber activity on some of the higher ground, as well as a number of taverns or "hotels" along the ridge roads.
In 1850, a township
called Ridgeville
was organized, extending from Graceland Cemetery in Chicago to the southern edge of the Ouilmette Reservation
, along what is now Central Street, and from Lake Michigan to Western Avenue
in Chicago. The 1850 census shows a few hundred settlers in this township, and a post office with the name of Ridgeville was established at one of the taverns. However, no municipality yet existed.
In 1851, a group of Methodist business leaders founded Northwestern University
and Garrett Biblical Institute. They chose a bluffed and wooded site along the lake as Northwestern's home, purchasing several hundred acres of land from Dr. John Foster, a Chicago farm owner. In 1854, the founders of Northwestern submitted to the county judge their plans for a city to be named Evanston after John Evans
, one of their leaders. In 1857, the request was granted. The township of Evanston was split off from Ridgeville Township; at approximately the same time, that portion of Ridgeville south of Devon Avenue was organized as Lake View Township.
Evanston was formally incorporated as a town on December 29, 1863, but declined in 1869 to become a city
despite the Illinois legislature passing a bill for that purpose. Evanston expanded after the Civil War
with the annexation of the village of North Evanston. Finally, in early 1892, following the annexation of the Village of South Evanston, voters elected to organize as a city. The 1892 boundaries are largely those that exist today.
During the 1960s, Northwestern University changed the city's shoreline by adding a 74-acre (300,000 m²) lakefill
.
In 1939, Evanston hosted the first NCAA basketball championship final
at Northwestern University
's Patten Gymnasium.http://www.ncaa.com/basketball-mens/article.aspx?id=92520
In August 1954, Evanston hosted the second assembly of the World Council of Churches
, still the only WCC assembly to have been held in the United States. President Dwight Eisenhower welcomed the delegates and Dag Hammarskjöld
, secretary-general of the United Nations
, delivered an important address entitled "An instrument of faith."
Today, the city is home to Northwestern University and other educational institutions as well as headquarters of Alpha Phi
International women's fraternity
, Rotary International
, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the National Lekotek
Center, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity, the Sigma Chi
Fraternity and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
.
Evanston is the birthplace of Tinkertoy
s, and Evanston, along with Ithaca, New York
, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
and Plainfield, Illinois
also lays claim to having originated the ice cream sundae
.
Evanston was a dry community from 1858 until 1972, when the City Council voted to allow restaurants and hotels to serve liquor on their premises. In 1984, the Council voted to allow retail liquor outlets within the city limits.
of 600 ft.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²), of which, 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.26%) is water.
In August 2004, there was some confusion as to the size of Evanston. Evanston is often locally listed as being 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²), but this number appears to be incorrect. The 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²) listed by the United States Census Bureau
is more accurate.
of 2010, there were 74,486 people, 33,181 households, and 15,952 families residing in the city. The population density
was 9,575.3 people per square mile (3,698.6/km²). There were 30,817 housing units at an average density of 3,978.4 per square mile (1,535.3/km²). The 2010 census showed that Evanston is ethnically mixed with the following breakdown in population: 61.2% white, 18.1% black or African American, 8.6% Asian, and 3.8% from other races. 9.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 29,651 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.03.
The median age was 32 years, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 16.4% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
Evanston is economically diverse. According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $69,303, and the median income for a family was $102,258. Males had a median income of $51,726 versus $39,767 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $33,645. About 5.1% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
system of government and is divided into nine wards, each of which is represented by an Alderman, or member of the Evanston City Council. Its current mayor is Elizabeth Tisdahl, replacing longtime mayor Lorraine H. Morton
.
In the April 2009, municipal elections, Ald. Elizabeth Tisdahl won a landslide victory in the race for mayor over three opponents in a low-turnout election.
Evanston was heavily Republican in voter identification from the time of the Civil War up to the 1960s. Nixon carried Evanston in the 1968 presidential election. Then it began trending Democrat and now almost exclusively identifies with candidates affiliated with the Democratic party in elections on all levels of government.
In the 2004 presidential election, Democratic candidate John Kerry won 82% of Evanston's vote. His Republican opponent and the nationwide winner, President George W. Bush, only won 17% of the vote in Evanston. In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama won approximately 87% of the vote in Evanston over Republican Senator John McCain..
) is within the boundaries of Evanston Township High School District 202. The district
has a single high school
, Evanston Township High School
(ETHS) with an enrollment of just over 3000, covering grades 9 through 12. The school's mascot is Willie the Wildkit (a diminutive of Northwestern's Wildcats) and the school's colors are orange and blue. Its biggest rival is New Trier High School
in Winnetka
. Its superintendent is Dr. Eric Witherspoon.
from pre-kindergarten
through grade 8. The district has ten elementary schools (through fifth grade), three middle school
s (grades 6 through 8), two magnet school
s (K through 8) and three special schools or centers.
s. The North Shore Line
which gave the area its nickname
started at Church Street in Evanston and continued up to Waukegan.
Transit continues to make Evanston attractive today. The CTA
's Purple Line
, part of the Chicago 'L'
system, runs through Evanston. From its terminal at Howard
in Chicago, the line heads north to the South Boulevard, Main
, Dempster
, Davis
, Foster
, Noyes
, and Central
stations, before terminating at Linden
in Wilmette. Metra
's Union Pacific/North Line
also serves Evanston, with stations at Main Street
, Davis Street
and Central Street
, the first two being adjacent to Purple Line stations. The CTA's Yellow Line
also runs through the city, though it only stops at Howard.
Evanston is also served by six CTA bus routes as well as four Pace
bus routes.
Active modes of transportation include miles of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
The largest automobile routes from Chicago to Evanston include Lake Shore Drive, the Edens Expressway (I-94), and McCormick Boulevard, although the first twp of those do not extend to Evanston itself and require driving through Rogers Park (via Sheridan Road or Ridge Avenue) and Skokie, respectively. The principal routes from the north are the Edens, Green Bay Road, and Sheridan Road.
and Sears stores in suburbia, Evanston remains an important shopping destination for the north suburbs and North Side of Chicago, with numerous commercial centers throughout the city. The principal ones are as follows:
Recently (as of 2006) there was concern with Evanston's low-income population being able to find affordable housing. Evanston's west side, a formerly strong middle-class African American
community, has been undergoing a redevelopment process, which has led to a steadily decreasing minority population in Evanston. The city's former mayor Lorraine H. Morton
has tried to persuade builders to build less expensive medium sized homes under $350,000, but none of her attempts were successful.
A perennial debate in Evanston is the issue of Northwestern University's status as a tax-exempt institution. In the founding charter of Northwestern University, signed in 1851, the state granted the school an exemption from paying property taxes, and unlike other well-off private universities with statutory exemptions, it provides its own police services, but not firefighter/paramedic services. It pays water, sewer, communications, real property transfer taxes, building permit fees, but not property taxes. Northwestern does not make Payments in Lieu of Taxes for the real estate it removes from property tax rolls.
Northwestern's critics allege that it consumes far more from the city than it contributes. However, its backers contend that the benefits of having an elite research institution justify Northwestern's tax status. This controversy was revived in 2003 when the university purchased an eight-story office building downtown, removing it from the tax rolls. An advisory referendum put on the April elections ballot, dubbed by supporters as a "Fair Share Initiative," received a majority, but was not passed into ordinance by the City Council.
In September 2009, Northwestern purchased a fire truck for the city of Evanston at a cost of $550,000. Northwestern President Morton Schapiro stated "We are pleased to fund the purchase of this new fire engine, which was the top priority of the City in our discussions with how we might assist the City financially."
was filmed in and around Evanston, as was Home Alone 3
. Although not filmed there, the 2004 film Mean Girls
is also set in the Evanston suburbs, and makes several references to the area.
Climate Protection Agreement, and a number of citizen taskforces convened to develop a plan to reduce the city's carbon footprint
. The Evanston Climate Action Plan ("ECAP") accepted by the City Council in November 2008, suggested over 200 strategies to make Evanston more sustainable, principally by reducing carbon emissions associated with transportation, buildings, energy sources, waste, and food production. In June, 2011, the United States Conference of Mayors awarded Evanston first place in the small city category of the Mayors' Climate Protection Awards, based largely on the City's use of the ECAP, which the City asserts has reduced emissions by 24,000 metric tons per year. On Sept. 15, 2011, Wal-Mart presented Mayor Tisdahl with a $15,000 award in recognition of the honor, which the mayor donated to Citizens' Greener Evanston.
wind farm
(in Lake Michigan), gained widespread attention. In April 2010, Evanston's City Council voted to authorize issuing a Request for Information (RFI) so that interested parties could provide information on developing a wind energy facility 4 miles (6.4 km) off the coast of Lake Michigan. Following the receipt of responses, the Mayor appointed a committee to evaluate the information received. The committee's report was accepted in spring, 2011, and the City Council voted to move forward with exploration of the concept. In the meantime, Evanston legislators introduced legislation, signed into law in summer, 2011, creating a state offshore wind council to propose how to regulate possible development of such projects.
Silver certified building and the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation has built a LEED Platinum certified synagogue. Not-for-profit groups active on environmental issues include Citizens' Greener Evanston, an outgrowth of the hundreds of citizens who participated in the creation of the Climate Action Plan, the Business Alliance for a Sustainable Evanston, a coalition of local businesses committed to advancing environmental sustainability and economic progress in Evanston's commercial sector, and the Evanston Environmental Association, who organizes an annual "Green Living Festival" and other events.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
12 miles north of downtown Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
to the west, and Wilmette
Wilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore
North Shore (Chicago)
The North Shore is a term that refers to the generally affluent suburbs north of Chicago, Illinois bordering the shore of Lake Michigan.- History :Europeans settled the area sparsely after an 1833 treaty with local Native Americans...
communities that adjoin Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. The boundaries of the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Evanston are coterminous with those of Evanston Township
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
– although school districts 65 and 202 take in a small portion of eastern Skokie. Evanston is the home of Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
.
History
Prior to the 1830s, the area now occupied by Evanston was mainly uninhabited, consisting largely of wetlands and swampy forest. However, PotawatomiPotawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
Indians used trails along higher-lying prehistoric ridges that ran in a general north-south direction through the area, and had at least some semi-permanent settlements along the trails.
French explorers referred to the general area as "Grosse Pointe" after a point of land jutting into Lake Michigan about 13 miles (20.9 km) north of the mouth of the Chicago River. After the first non-native Americans settled in the area in 1836, the names "Grosse Point Territory" and "Gross Point voting district" were used through the 1830s and 1840s, although the territory had no defined boundaries. The area remained only sparsely settled, supporting some farming and lumber activity on some of the higher ground, as well as a number of taverns or "hotels" along the ridge roads.
In 1850, a township
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
called Ridgeville
Ridgeville Township, Illinois
Ridgeville Township, Illinois was a civil township in Illinois, United States, comprising approximately what are now the Lakeview, Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park neighborhoods of Chicago, and also part of what is now Evanston...
was organized, extending from Graceland Cemetery in Chicago to the southern edge of the Ouilmette Reservation
Antoine Ouilmette
Antoine Ouilmette was a fur trader and early resident of what is now Chicago, Illinois. He was of French Canadian and possibly Native American ancestry. The village of Wilmette, Illinois is named in his honor....
, along what is now Central Street, and from Lake Michigan to Western Avenue
Western Avenue (Chicago)
Western Avenue is the longest continuous street within the city of Chicago at in length. Western Avenue extends south as a continuous road to the Dixie Highway at Sibley Boulevard in Dixmoor, giving the road a total length of . However, Western Avenue extends intermittently through the...
in Chicago. The 1850 census shows a few hundred settlers in this township, and a post office with the name of Ridgeville was established at one of the taverns. However, no municipality yet existed.
In 1851, a group of Methodist business leaders founded Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and Garrett Biblical Institute. They chose a bluffed and wooded site along the lake as Northwestern's home, purchasing several hundred acres of land from Dr. John Foster, a Chicago farm owner. In 1854, the founders of Northwestern submitted to the county judge their plans for a city to be named Evanston after John Evans
John Evans (governor)
John Evans was a U.S. politician, physician, railroad promoter, Governor of the Territory of Colorado, and namesake of Evanston, Illinois; Evans, Colorado; and Mount Evans, Colorado...
, one of their leaders. In 1857, the request was granted. The township of Evanston was split off from Ridgeville Township; at approximately the same time, that portion of Ridgeville south of Devon Avenue was organized as Lake View Township.
Evanston was formally incorporated as a town on December 29, 1863, but declined in 1869 to become a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
despite the Illinois legislature passing a bill for that purpose. Evanston expanded after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
with the annexation of the village of North Evanston. Finally, in early 1892, following the annexation of the Village of South Evanston, voters elected to organize as a city. The 1892 boundaries are largely those that exist today.
During the 1960s, Northwestern University changed the city's shoreline by adding a 74-acre (300,000 m²) lakefill
Northwestern University Lakefill
The Northwestern University Lakefill is an area of land that was reclaimed from Lake Michigan in 1964-1969 from landfill materials made available by the construction of the Port of Indiana. The Lakefill resulted from the university's need to expand the campus's physical footprint; Northwestern...
.
In 1939, Evanston hosted the first NCAA basketball championship final
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
's Patten Gymnasium.http://www.ncaa.com/basketball-mens/article.aspx?id=92520
In August 1954, Evanston hosted the second assembly of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
, still the only WCC assembly to have been held in the United States. President Dwight Eisenhower welcomed the delegates and Dag Hammarskjöld
Dag Hammarskjöld
Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was a Swedish diplomat, economist, and author. An early Secretary-General of the United Nations, he served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. He is the only person to have been awarded a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize. Hammarskjöld...
, secretary-general of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, delivered an important address entitled "An instrument of faith."
Today, the city is home to Northwestern University and other educational institutions as well as headquarters of Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...
International women's fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
, Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the National Lekotek
Lekotek
Lekotek, Swedish for "play library" is an international program to lend Assistive Technology, toys and expertise to disabled children. The first lekotek opened in 1963 in Stockholm, Sweden. From there the concept spread to other Scandinavian countries, Europe and the rest of the world. For example,...
Center, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
fraternity, the Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
Fraternity and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was the first mass organization among women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far-reaching reform strategies based on applied Christianity." Originally organized on December 23, 1873, in...
.
Evanston is the birthplace of Tinkertoy
Tinkertoy
The Tinkertoy Construction Set was created in 1914—one year after the A. C. Gilbert Company's Erector Set—by Charles H. Pajeau and Robert Pettit in Evanston, Illinois. Pajeau, a stonemason, designed the toy after seeing children play with pencils and empty spools of thread. He and...
s, and Evanston, along with Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,712 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae...
and Plainfield, Illinois
Plainfield, Illinois
Plainfield is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2007 special census, the population is 37,334.The Village includes land in Plainfield and Wheatland townships. Part of Plainfield is located in Kendall County...
also lays claim to having originated the ice cream sundae
Sundae
The sundae is an ice cream dessert. It typically consists of a scoop of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup, and in some cases other toppings including chopped nuts, sprinkles, whipped cream, or maraschino cherries.-History:...
.
Evanston was a dry community from 1858 until 1972, when the City Council voted to allow restaurants and hotels to serve liquor on their premises. In 1984, the Council voted to allow retail liquor outlets within the city limits.
Geography
Evanston is located at 42°2′47"N 87°41′41"W (42.046380, -87.694608) and is at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 600 ft.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²), of which, 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.26%) is water.
In August 2004, there was some confusion as to the size of Evanston. Evanston is often locally listed as being 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²), but this number appears to be incorrect. The 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²) listed by the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
is more accurate.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 74,486 people, 33,181 households, and 15,952 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 9,575.3 people per square mile (3,698.6/km²). There were 30,817 housing units at an average density of 3,978.4 per square mile (1,535.3/km²). The 2010 census showed that Evanston is ethnically mixed with the following breakdown in population: 61.2% white, 18.1% black or African American, 8.6% Asian, and 3.8% from other races. 9.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 29,651 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.03.
The median age was 32 years, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 16.4% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
Evanston is economically diverse. According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $69,303, and the median income for a family was $102,258. Males had a median income of $51,726 versus $39,767 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $33,645. About 5.1% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Evanston has a council-managerCouncil-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
system of government and is divided into nine wards, each of which is represented by an Alderman, or member of the Evanston City Council. Its current mayor is Elizabeth Tisdahl, replacing longtime mayor Lorraine H. Morton
Lorraine H. Morton
Lorraine H. Morton was mayor of Evanston, Illinois, from 1993 to 2009.She was born in Winston-Salem North Carolina and moved to Evanston in 1953. She has one daughter and two grandchildren.Morton was re-elected in 1997, 2001 and 2005...
.
In the April 2009, municipal elections, Ald. Elizabeth Tisdahl won a landslide victory in the race for mayor over three opponents in a low-turnout election.
Evanston was heavily Republican in voter identification from the time of the Civil War up to the 1960s. Nixon carried Evanston in the 1968 presidential election. Then it began trending Democrat and now almost exclusively identifies with candidates affiliated with the Democratic party in elections on all levels of government.
In the 2004 presidential election, Democratic candidate John Kerry won 82% of Evanston's vote. His Republican opponent and the nationwide winner, President George W. Bush, only won 17% of the vote in Evanston. In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama won approximately 87% of the vote in Evanston over Republican Senator John McCain..
Nicknames
- Early after its founding Evanston, because of its strong Methodist influence, and its attempt to impose moral rigor, was called "Heavenston."
- In the early 20th century Evanston was called "The City of Churches."
- The varied works of numerous prominent architects, and many prominent mansions, especially near the lakefront, gave the town by the 1920s the sobriquet "The City of Homes," a fact often touted by local real estate agents. Use of the phrase has been attributed to a 1924 speech at the local Kiwanis club.
- Since the late 20th century, because of Evanston's activism and often left-of-center politics, it is sometimes humorously (or sarcastically) referred to as "The People's Republic of Evanston."
- "E-Town" is a nickname used often by Evanston's youth populace, and is especially common among students and even faculty at Evanston Twp. High School, as well as Northwestern students.
High school
Most of Evanston (and a small part of the village of SkokieSkokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
) is within the boundaries of Evanston Township High School District 202. The district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
has a single high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Evanston Township High School
Evanston Township High School
Evanston Township High School District 202, is a four-year, comprehensive high school occupying a campus in Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS serves the multiracial city of Evanston and a small portion of the neighboring village of Skokie, for a total...
(ETHS) with an enrollment of just over 3000, covering grades 9 through 12. The school's mascot is Willie the Wildkit (a diminutive of Northwestern's Wildcats) and the school's colors are orange and blue. Its biggest rival is New Trier High School
New Trier High School
New Trier High School is a public four-year high school , with its major campus located in Winnetka, Illinois, USA, and a second campus in Northfield, Illinois, with freshman classes and district administration...
in Winnetka
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka is an affluent North Shore village located approximately north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Winnetka was featured on the list of America's 25 top-earning towns and "one of the best places to live" by CNN Money in 2011...
. Its superintendent is Dr. Eric Witherspoon.
Primary schools
Evanston-Skokie Community Consolidated School District 65, covering all of Evanston and part of Skokie, provides primary educationPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
from pre-kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through grade 8. The district has ten elementary schools (through fifth grade), three middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s (grades 6 through 8), two magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
s (K through 8) and three special schools or centers.
Transportation
Evanston's growth occurred largely because of its accessibility from Chicago by rail. The Northwestern founders did not finalize their commitment to siting the university there until they were assured the Chicago & Milwaukee railroad line would run there. C&M trains began stopping in Evanston in 1855. Evanston later experienced rapid growth as one of the first streetcar suburbStreetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
s. The North Shore Line
Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad
The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, often called the North Shore Line, was an interurban railroad line that operated between Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, until its abandonment in 1963.- Early history :...
which gave the area its nickname
North Shore (Chicago)
The North Shore is a term that refers to the generally affluent suburbs north of Chicago, Illinois bordering the shore of Lake Michigan.- History :Europeans settled the area sparsely after an 1833 treaty with local Native Americans...
started at Church Street in Evanston and continued up to Waukegan.
Transit continues to make Evanston attractive today. The CTA
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
's Purple Line
Purple Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Purple Line of the Chicago Transit Authority is a branch line on the northernmost section of the Chicago 'L' rapid transit network. Normally, it extends south from the Wilmette terminal at Linden Avenue, passing through Evanston to Howard Street, on Chicago's northern city limits...
, part of the Chicago 'L'
Chicago 'L'
The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...
system, runs through Evanston. From its terminal at Howard
Howard (CTA)
Howard is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system in Chicago, Illinois. It is the northern terminus of the Red Line and the southeastern terminus of the Yellow Line; it also serves the Purple Line, for which it is the southern terminus outside of weekday rush hours...
in Chicago, the line heads north to the South Boulevard, Main
Main (CTA)
Main is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, on the Purple Line at 836 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, Illinois...
, Dempster
Dempster (CTA Purple Line)
Dempster is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, on the Purple Line at 1316 Sherman Avenue in Evanston, Illinois .The current station has been in place since 1910...
, Davis
Davis (CTA)
Davis is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, on the Purple Line in Evanston, Illinois. It is located at 1612 Benson Avenue , in the middle of downtown Evanston, and next to the Davis Street stop of Metra's Union Pacific/North Line...
, Foster
Foster (CTA)
Foster is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, on the Purple Line in Evanston, Illinois. It is located at 900 Foster Street , just a few blocks west of Northwestern University's Evanston campus....
, Noyes
Noyes (CTA)
Noyes is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, on the Purple Line in Evanston, Illinois. It is located at 909 Noyes Street , just a few blocks west of the north end of Northwestern University's Evanston campus. The Noyes Cultural Center is also nearby...
, and Central
Central (CTA Purple Line)
Central is a Purple Line station of the Chicago Transit Authority 'L' system. Located at 1024 Central Street in Evanston, Illinois , the elevated platform sits above Central Street, half a block west of Ridge Avenue...
stations, before terminating at Linden
Linden (CTA)
Linden is an 'L' station and the northern terminus of CTA's Purple Line. It is the only 'L' stop in Wilmette, Illinois, and is located at 349 Linden Avenue...
in Wilmette. Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's Union Pacific/North Line
Union Pacific/North Line
The Union Pacific/North is a commuter rail line in the Chicago metropolitan area that runs between Chicago and Waukegan, Illinois, with some trains continuing to Kenosha, Wisconsin. It is part of the Metra system, but it is operated by the Union Pacific Railroad...
also serves Evanston, with stations at Main Street
Evanston Main Street (Metra)
Evanston Main Street is the southernmost of the three commuter railroad stations in Evanston, Illinois, USA. It is served solely by Metra's Union Pacific/North trains, which go south to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and as far north as Kenosha, Wisconsin. Travel time to Ogilvie is...
, Davis Street
Evanston Davis Street (Metra)
Evanston Davis Street is a commuter railroad station in downtown Evanston, Illinois, USA. It is served solely by Metra's Union Pacific/North Line with trains going south to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and as far north as Kenosha, Wisconsin. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Davis...
and Central Street
Evanston Central Street (Metra)
Evanston Central Street is the northernmost of the three commuter railroad stations in Evanston, Illinois, USA. It is an elevated station at Green Bay Road and Central Street, surrounded by a neighborhood of stores, restaurants and multi-story apartment buildings...
, the first two being adjacent to Purple Line stations. The CTA's Yellow Line
Yellow Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Yellow Line, formerly known as the Skokie Swift, is part of the Chicago Transit Authority's Chicago 'L' heavy rail rapid transit system in Chicago, Illinois...
also runs through the city, though it only stops at Howard.
Evanston is also served by six CTA bus routes as well as four Pace
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...
bus routes.
Active modes of transportation include miles of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
The largest automobile routes from Chicago to Evanston include Lake Shore Drive, the Edens Expressway (I-94), and McCormick Boulevard, although the first twp of those do not extend to Evanston itself and require driving through Rogers Park (via Sheridan Road or Ridge Avenue) and Skokie, respectively. The principal routes from the north are the Edens, Green Bay Road, and Sheridan Road.
Top employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern University Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees.... |
5,325 |
| 2 | NorthShore University HealthSystem NorthShore University HealthSystem NorthShore University HealthSystem is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving patients throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.... |
3,780 |
| 3 | Saint Francis Hospital Saint Francis Hospital of Evanston Saint Francis Hospital of Evanston is a hospital in Evanston, Illinois. It is part of Resurrection Health Care. It Level 1 Trauma and Heart Center in North suburban Chicago.It has 550 general Acute care beds.-External links:... |
1,649 |
| 4 | City of Evanston | 1,000 |
| 5 | Evanston-Skokie Community Consolidated School District 65 | 700 |
| 6 | Evanston Township High School District 202 | 566 |
| 7 | Presbyterian Homes | 533 |
| 8 | Rotary International Rotary International Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help... |
460 |
| 9 | Jewel Jewel (supermarket) Jewel-Osco is a supermarket chain headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Jewel-Osco has 182 stores across northern, central, and western Illinois; eastern Iowa; and portions of northwest Indiana.Jewel-Osco and Jewel are currently wholly owned subsidiaries of Eden Prairie,... /Osco Osco Drug Osco Drug is a chain of pharmacy stores which today operate as in-store pharmacies under SuperValu Pharmacies. Osco Pharmacy is found in Jewel-Osco, Albertsons, Shaw's and Star Market, while Sav-on Pharmacy is found in Acme and Albertsons. Since 2006, Osco is a wholly owned subsidiary of... |
455 |
| 10 | C.E. Niehoff & Co. | 450 |
Commercial districts
Once the home of one of the first Marshall Field'sMarshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
and Sears stores in suburbia, Evanston remains an important shopping destination for the north suburbs and North Side of Chicago, with numerous commercial centers throughout the city. The principal ones are as follows:
- Downtown - centered around the Davis St. Metra and "L" stops, Evanston's downtown adjoins Northwestern University. Over 300 businesses, several highrise office and residential buildings, three traditional low-rise shopping areas, an 18-screen movie theatre, and over 85 restaurants
- Central StreetCentral Street (Evanston, IL)Central Street is the principal east-west artery in the far north of Evanston, Illinois and is a major thoroughfare in other northern and northwest suburbs of Chicago...
- actually several shopping districts linked along the northernmost of the city's principal east-west arteries, with the most active clustered around the Central Street Metra station and characterized by specialty shops and restaurants in a walkable environment with an eclectic, vintage "small-town feel" strongly protected by the community - Dempster Street - just off the Dempster "L" stop; over 60 shops, many of them small and hip, including Bagel Art, the vegetarian Blind Faith Cafe, The Mexican Shop, 2nd Hand Tunes, lollie (children’s boutique), FolkWorks Gallery, Union Pizzeria and SPACEEvanston S.P.A.C.E.Evanston S.P.A.C.E. is a concert hall and venue for music, visual arts and literary events located at 1245 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, Illinois. S.P.A.C.E was first opened in spring 2008, along with Union Pizzeria, an affiliated restaurant in the same building.S.P.A.C.E...
, a music venue and recording studio. - Main Street Station - approximately 3 blocks of small, interesting shops abutting both a CTA and Metra stopEvanston Main Street (Metra)Evanston Main Street is the southernmost of the three commuter railroad stations in Evanston, Illinois, USA. It is served solely by Metra's Union Pacific/North trains, which go south to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and as far north as Kenosha, Wisconsin. Travel time to Ogilvie is...
, in a gentrifying neighborhood. Since 1917, the neighborhood has been home to the South Branch of the Evanston Public Library, which closed in 2011. It also is home to the Evanston Arts Depot. - Howard StreetHoward Street (Chicago)Howard Street, alternately known as Sibley Avenue in Park Ridge, is a major east-west thoroughfare in the Chicago metropolitan area. At Paulina Street, it houses the Howard CTA Station, the northern terminus of the Red Line, and, between Paulina Street and Kedzie Avenue, serves as the border...
- many small shops line the city's border with Chicago; at the west end of the avenue, near the border with Skokie, Howard Center, a small thriving shopping mall, was built in the 1990s after some controversy. - Chicago Avenue - not a separate shopping district per se, this extension of what is called Clark StreetClark Street (Chicago)Clark Street is a north-south street in Chicago, Illinois that runs close to the shore of Lake Michigan from the northern city boundary with Evanston, to 2200 South in the city street numbering system...
in Chicago runs parallel to the rail lines and is the principal north-south artery in Evanston from Howard Street north to its terminus at Northwestern University. Chicago Avenue connects the Main Street, Dempster Street, and Downtown shopping districts. Once home to a great number of auto dealerships, it has attracted numerous restaurants and a growing number of multi-unit residential structures and is lined with interesting businesses.
Health care
Two hospitals are located within Evanston's city limits:- Evanston Hospital, part of NorthShore University HealthSystemNorthShore University HealthSystemNorthShore University HealthSystem is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving patients throughout the Chicago metropolitan area....
- St. Francis HospitalSaint Francis Hospital of EvanstonSaint Francis Hospital of Evanston is a hospital in Evanston, Illinois. It is part of Resurrection Health Care. It Level 1 Trauma and Heart Center in North suburban Chicago.It has 550 general Acute care beds.-External links:...
, part of Resurrection Health CareResurrection Health CareResurrection Health Care is a not-for-profit Catholic health care organization which operates six hospitals and many other health care facilities in the Chicago metropolitan area. The organization was incorporated in 1981, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth and the...
Controversy
Beginning in the late 1990s, there has been considerable controversy over an explosion in high-rise development, especially in the downtown district. Detractors contend that the development has taken away what they call a "unique Evanston identity." They cite a growing number of local businesses that have gone out of business to be replaced with chain stores as its worst offense. In contrast proponents claim that the high-rises have brought much-needed life to what was a dying suburban downtown, and much-needed revenues to chronically underfunded city coffers.Recently (as of 2006) there was concern with Evanston's low-income population being able to find affordable housing. Evanston's west side, a formerly strong middle-class African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community, has been undergoing a redevelopment process, which has led to a steadily decreasing minority population in Evanston. The city's former mayor Lorraine H. Morton
Lorraine H. Morton
Lorraine H. Morton was mayor of Evanston, Illinois, from 1993 to 2009.She was born in Winston-Salem North Carolina and moved to Evanston in 1953. She has one daughter and two grandchildren.Morton was re-elected in 1997, 2001 and 2005...
has tried to persuade builders to build less expensive medium sized homes under $350,000, but none of her attempts were successful.
University-City Relations
Northwestern's critics allege that it consumes far more from the city than it contributes. However, its backers contend that the benefits of having an elite research institution justify Northwestern's tax status. This controversy was revived in 2003 when the university purchased an eight-story office building downtown, removing it from the tax rolls. An advisory referendum put on the April elections ballot, dubbed by supporters as a "Fair Share Initiative," received a majority, but was not passed into ordinance by the City Council.
In September 2009, Northwestern purchased a fire truck for the city of Evanston at a cost of $550,000. Northwestern President Morton Schapiro stated "We are pleased to fund the purchase of this new fire engine, which was the top priority of the City in our discussions with how we might assist the City financially."
Local media
- The Daily NorthwesternThe Daily NorthwesternThe Daily Northwestern is a student newspaper at Northwestern University that is published on weekdays during the academic year. Established in 1881 and published in Evanston, Illinois, it is run entirely by undergraduates, many of whom are students at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.The...
- the student newspaper at Northwestern University. - The Evanston Review - subscription weekly newspaper
- The Evanston Roundtable - free biweekly newspaper
Use as film location
Evanston's variety of housing and commercial districts, combined with easy access to Chicago, make it a popular filming location. Evanston as of December 2008 is listed as a filming location for 65 different films, notably those of John Hughes. Much of the 1984 film Sixteen CandlesSixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
was filmed in and around Evanston, as was Home Alone 3
Home Alone 3
Home Alone 3 is a 1997 family comedy film written and produced by John Hughes. It is the third film in the Home Alone series and the first not to feature actor Macaulay Culkin or director Chris Columbus. The film is directed by Raja Gosnell, who served as the editor of both original films, and...
. Although not filmed there, the 2004 film Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
is also set in the Evanston suburbs, and makes several references to the area.
Sustainability
Evanston has gained recognition and reputation for efforts related to sustainability, including those by government, citizens, and institutions.Climate Action Plan
In October 2006, the City voted to sign the United States Conference of MayorsUnited States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors, sometimes referred to as the United States Council of Mayors, is the official non-partisan organization for cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayor or other chief elected official...
Climate Protection Agreement, and a number of citizen taskforces convened to develop a plan to reduce the city's carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
. The Evanston Climate Action Plan ("ECAP") accepted by the City Council in November 2008, suggested over 200 strategies to make Evanston more sustainable, principally by reducing carbon emissions associated with transportation, buildings, energy sources, waste, and food production. In June, 2011, the United States Conference of Mayors awarded Evanston first place in the small city category of the Mayors' Climate Protection Awards, based largely on the City's use of the ECAP, which the City asserts has reduced emissions by 24,000 metric tons per year. On Sept. 15, 2011, Wal-Mart presented Mayor Tisdahl with a $15,000 award in recognition of the honor, which the mayor donated to Citizens' Greener Evanston.
Other municipal efforts
An Evanston Strategic Plan passed on March 27, 2006 aspired to create the most livable city in America and to promote the highest quality of life for all residents. One goal is to create and maintain functionally appropriate, sustainable, accessible high quality infrastructure and facilities. This includes continual development of an environmentally sensitive lakefront and implementation of a comprehensive long-range infrastructure plan. Another goal is to protect the city’s natural resources and to build environment, not destroy it. The city also wants to improve its transportation resources to be more safe, integrated, accessible, responsive, and energy-efficient. Evanston has an environment board and an office of sustainability.Offshore wind farm
The single largest carbon-reducing strategy identified in the ECAP, the development of an offshoreOffshore wind power
Offshore wind power refers to the construction of wind farms in bodies of water to generate electricity from wind. Better wind speeds are available offshore compared to on land, so offshore wind power’s contribution in terms of electricity supplied is higher....
wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
(in Lake Michigan), gained widespread attention. In April 2010, Evanston's City Council voted to authorize issuing a Request for Information (RFI) so that interested parties could provide information on developing a wind energy facility 4 miles (6.4 km) off the coast of Lake Michigan. Following the receipt of responses, the Mayor appointed a committee to evaluate the information received. The committee's report was accepted in spring, 2011, and the City Council voted to move forward with exploration of the concept. In the meantime, Evanston legislators introduced legislation, signed into law in summer, 2011, creating a state offshore wind council to propose how to regulate possible development of such projects.
Citizen and institutional efforts
Northwestern University’s Ford Engineering Design Center is a LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
Silver certified building and the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation has built a LEED Platinum certified synagogue. Not-for-profit groups active on environmental issues include Citizens' Greener Evanston, an outgrowth of the hundreds of citizens who participated in the creation of the Climate Action Plan, the Business Alliance for a Sustainable Evanston, a coalition of local businesses committed to advancing environmental sustainability and economic progress in Evanston's commercial sector, and the Evanston Environmental Association, who organizes an annual "Green Living Festival" and other events.
Points of interest
- Frances Willard House
- Free School of EvanstonFree School of EvanstonThe Free School of Evanston was an alternative school that existed in Evanston, Illinois,USA from 1971 to 1976, for five school years.-Influences:The Free School was influenced by Summerhill School....
- Grosse Point LightGrosse Point LightThe historic Grosse Point Light is located in Evanston, Illinois. Following several shipping disasters near Evanston, residents successfully lobbied the federal government for a lighthouse. Construction was completed in 1873. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on...
house - Ladd ArboretumLadd ArboretumThe Edward R. Ladd Arboretum is an arboretum located at 2024 McCormick Boulevard, Evanston, Illinois, occupying 23 acres in a narrow three-quarter mile stretch between McCormick Boulevard and the North Shore Channel on land leased from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater...
- Mount TrashmoreMount Trashmore (Evanston)Mount Trashmore is a 65 ft. hill located in Robert E. James Park in Evanston, Illinois. Mount Trashmore is an example of landfill reuse as it was a solid waste landfill that was closed and converted into a park in 1965....
- Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
- Fountain Square TowerFountain Square TowerFountain Square Tower is a 35 story and 385 ft. tall skyscraper set for construction on Church Street in Evanston, Illinois. The building, if completed as originally proposed, would have been the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago. After protest, the building's height was...
See also
- List of people from Evanston, Illinois
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Evanston, IllinoisNational Register of Historic Places listings in Evanston, IllinoisThis is a list of the 61 National Register of Historic Places listings in Evanston, Illinois.-Current listings:...