Evanston Illinois Real Estate

Evanston, Illinois
by Julie Farby

Situated just 12 miles north of the Chicago Loop, Evanston is a city on Lake Michigan located in Cook County, Illinois, directly north of Chicago, east of Skokie, and south of Wilmette. The city of Evanston was first settled in 1836, and after being chosen as the home for Northwestern University, the city was incorporated in 1863, and named after University founder John Evans. According to the 2000 census, Evanston has a total population of 74,239, and is considered part of Chicago’s affluent “North Shore” region.

According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, the “Chicago Fire of 1871 led thousands of well-to-do Chicagoans, fearing another fire, to build homes in Evanston; To meet their needs an influx of servants and tradesmen swelled Evanston's population.” In fact, between 1860 and 1870, Evanston saw its population quadruple in a single decade. During the first two decades of the twentieth century, rapid transit access to Chicago's Loop stimulated a building boom of large apartments. In the 1920s, a real-estate boom led to the development of northwest Evanston as a wealthy enclave. According to the City of Evanston, “there was a 70 percent population increase between 1920 and 1930.”

By the 1940s, Evanston had become the home of numerous national organizations and nationally known firms, and today is the current headquarters of “Alpha Phi International women's fraternity, Rotary International, the National Lekotek Center, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, the Sigma Chi Fraternity and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.”

Evanston offers diverse range of housing styles and architectural influences—such as Victorian, Georgian, Prairie, bungalow, farmhouse, Tudor and American foursquare. According to a 1998 profile in the Chicago Tribune, “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.”

Today, Evanston is dynamic and vibrant community, with an eclectic mix of residents and a staunch refusal to be overshadowed by Chicago. According to Evanston’s website, the city is comprised of “many strong neighborhoods, races, religions and levels of income, and boats one of the largest and most diverse arts communities in the state.” Evanston offers an abundance of opportunities to get involved in the arts—for example, “Arts Week Evanston, held every October, celebrates the local cultural arts community by staging special performances and activities that highlight the various visual and performing arts disciplines.”

With a boat launch, rentals, and miles of sandy beaches, Evanston's lakefront & beaches are a popular attraction, and the City offers access to five public swimming beaches from June 11 until Labor Day, 2005. Evanston is also the birthplace of tinkertoys, automobile racing, and (allegedly) the ice cream sundae, as well as such notables as actors Charlton Heston, John and Joan Cusack, and current Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

2000 Census Demographics:
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