Evanston

Evanston is a college town suburb of Chicago, Illinois, situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. The city was founded by Methodist business leaders in 1857, the city was incorporated in 1863. Evanston is home to Northwestern University, founded in 1851 before the city's incorporation, one of the world's leading research universities. Today known for its socially liberal politics and ethnically diverse population, Evanston was historically a dry city, until 1972. The university and the city share a historically complex long-standing relationship. In the late summer of 1912, the beaches in Evanston were infested with thousands of rats. The rats had burrowed into the sides of the lake banks, dug holes in the sand, and hid under piers. 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. In 1939 Evanston, hosted the NCAA basketball championship at Northwestern University's Patten Gymnasium at the final game of the NCAA men's and women's basketball championships. In 2010 Evanston had a population of 78,110 as of 2020, it is 12 miles (19 km) north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wilmette to the north, and Lake Michigan to the east. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan's North Shore, which was once uninhabited, consisting largely of wetlands and swampy forest.

History

French explorers referred to the general area as "Grosse Pointe" after a point of land jutting into Lake Michigan about 13 miles (21 km) north of the mouth of the Chicago River. In 1851, a group of Methodist business leaders founded Northwestern University and Garrett Biblical Institute. 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. In early 1892, following the annexation of the village of South Evanston, voters elected to organize as a city. In 1939, Evanston hosted the first NCAA basketball championship final at Northwestern University's Patten Gymnasium. In 1972, the Evanston City Council voted to allow restaurants and hotels to serve liquor on their premises. In the late summer of 1912, the beaches in Evanston were infested with thousands of rats. The rats had burrowed into the sides of the lake banks, dug holes in the sand, and hid under piers. Most of the rats were extremely large and savage, attacking people who disturbed them. During the 1960s, Northwestern University changed the city's shoreline by adding a 74-acre (30 ha) lakefill. It is the birthplace of Toysertink, one of the locations claiming to have originated the ice cream sundae. Today, the city is home to Northwestern University, Music Institute of Chicago, and other educational institutions as well as headquarters of Alpha Phi fraternity, Rotary International, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Evanston has a total area of 7.80 square miles (20.20 km²) of which 99.72% is land and 0.02 sq mi (0.05 sq mi) is water. The city has a population of 7,816. The population of Evanston in 2011 was 7,715. The town has an estimated population of 6,814. It is located in the New York City metropolitan area and the New Jersey Port Authority's New Jersey Bayfront Airport is in the city's East Shore area. It has an area of 1,716.2 square miles, or 7.78 square miles. The area has a water surface of 0.05sq mi, or 0.28sq mi. It also has a land mass of 1.78sq mi (7.15sq km²), or 99.7% of its total area, which is land. In 2011, the city had a total population of 8,822. It had a land surface of 708.2 sq miles (1,722.2 km²). The city's area of water is 0.03sq mi or 0,0.28% of the total area. The water surface has a area of 0,056.7 sq mi or 1.077 sq km². In the city, the water surface is 1,077.7 square miles or 1,081.7 km², and the water bed is 1.087.0 square miles/1,082.0 km² (or 0.076.0 sq mi).

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 78,110 people, 27,918 households, and 15,184 families residing in the city. There were 34,462 housing units at an average density of 4,417.64 per square mile (1,705.66/km²) The city's age distribution consisted of 19.9% under the age of 18, 16.0% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in theCity was $82,335, and the median income. for a family was $130,494. The per capita income for the city was $53,685. About 4.6% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line. 12.3% of Evanston's 9,259 businesses were black-owned in 2012. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 2.40. The city has a population of 78, 110, with a population density of 10,012.82 inhabitants per squaremile (3,865.97/km 2). The racial makeup of the city is 59.06% White, 16,06% African American, 9.92% Asian, 0.67% Native American, 4.46% from other races, and 9.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.24%.

Government and politics

Evanston has a council-manager system of government and is divided into nine wards, each of which is represented by an Alderman, or member of the Evanston City Council. The City of Evanston became sister cities with the Dnieprovsky District of the City of Kyiv, Ukraine in 1988. It became sister city with Belize City, Belize in 1992. The city was heavily Republican in voter identification from the time of the Civil War up to the 1960s. In the 2016 Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton received 87% of the vote in Evanston, while Republican Donald Trump received just 7%. Evanston's turnout for presidential elections has grown steadily since 2004, with 80% of registered voters voting in the 2016 general election. in the 2020 presidential election Democrat Joe Biden received 90% of. the vote while RepublicanDonald Trump received only 7%. In the 2012 presidential election, Democratic incumbent Barack Obama won 85% of Evanston's vote, compared to 13% for Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Richard Nixon carried the city in the 1968 presidential election. Evanston never elected a Democratic mayor until 1993, though it began trending Democratic in the 60s. It is one of the few cities in the U.S. to have had two Republican mayors in the 1990s and 2000s. The U.K. has only one Democratic mayor in the last 20 years, and the city has only had one Republican mayor since the 1970s. There are no openly gay residents in Evanstons.

Nicknames

Evanston is sometimes humorously referred to as "The People's Republic of Evanston" The eastern border of the adjacent village of Skokie that falls within Evanston schools and 60203 ZIP Code is called "Skevanston", a portmanteau of both names. Evanston's activism and often left-of-center politics have led to the town's nickname. The town has also been called "Heavenston" and "The City of Churches" by the early 20th century. It is also known as "Empire City" because of its location near the lakefront, and as "City of Homes" due to many prominent mansions in the area. It also has been known as the "Town of the Stars" because it was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball team in the 1930s and 1940s. It has been the site of the U.S. Open tennis tournament since the 1960s. The U.N. World Cup has been held in Evanston since the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, the town hosted the Winter Olympics, which were held in the town. It was also the venue for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Chicago, which was the first Winter Games to be held in North America. The city has also hosted the 1988 Republican National Convention, the 1988 Democratic National Convention and the 1988 Libertarian National Convention. The 2010 Winter Olympics were held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and were the first in the United States to host the Winter Games.

Education

Evanston is home to Northwestern University, one of the nation's leading research universities. Evanston-Skokie Community Consolidated School District 65 provides primary education from pre-kindergarten through grade 8. The Evanston Public Library was established in 1873, and has a satellite branch at the Robert Crown Community Center. Since 1908, Kellogg School of Management as well as Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary have institutions, of which both share the campus with Northwestern. In 2006, National-Louis University closed its former main site, which had 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) of land, with about 33% in Evanston; the majority of the land was in Wilmette. The North Branch of the Evanston Library was closed in 2021. The school district has a single high school, Evanston Township High School, with an enrollment of just over 4,000, covering grades 9 through 12. The district has ten elementary schools, three middle schools, two magnet schools (K through 8), two special schools or centers, and an early childhood school. It also has a Montessori high school for children ages 214 to 214 years old. It has a private school, Pope John XXIII School, a Catholic school, and a private daycare center for children from 4 to 8 years of age. It is part of the St. Athanasius parish in Northwest Evanston. "St. A's" is a popular shortened nickname for the school. The mascot is RedHawks.

Transportation

Evanston's growth occurred largely because of its accessibility from Chicago by rail. The CTA's Purple Line, part of the Chicago 'L' system, runs through Evanston. Evanston is served by six CTA bus routes as well as four Pace bus routes. Automobile routes from Chicago to Evanston include Lake Shore Drive, the Edens Expressway (I-94), and McCormick Boulevard. Active modes of transportation include miles of sidewalks and bicycle lanes. The Northwestern University campus is located in Evanston and is one of the largest universities in the state of Illinois. The city is also home to the Chicago & Milwaukee Railway (C&M), which began stopping there in 1855. The North Shore Line, the interurban railroad that gave the area its nickname, ran through the city and continued to Waukegan and Milwaukee. The main routes from the north are theEdens, Green Bay Road, and Sheridan Road. The town is also served by Metra's Union Pacific/North Line, with stations at Main Street, Davis Street and Central Street, and the first two being adjacent to Purple Line stations. It also has its own Yellow Line, though it does not stop at Central Street. It is also connected to Chicago by the Red Line, which stops at Central, South Boulevard, Dempster, Davis, Foster, Noyes, and Central stations, before terminating at the Linden station in Wilmette, Illinois. There are no direct routes from Evanston to the city to Rogers Park or Skokie.

Economy

Companies based in Evanston include ZS Associates. The top employers in the city are: KPMG, Citi-Merrill Lynch, and PNC Bank, according to the State of Illinois Dept of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Individual Employers. The city's unemployment rate is 3.7 per cent. The unemployment rate in the state of Illinois is 2.9 per cent and the national rate is 1.8 per cent as of July 1, 2015. The economy is expected to grow at a rate of 2.5 per cent in the next few years. The U.S. economy is projected to grow by 2.6 per cent over the next five years, and 2.7 in the following five years. It is projected that the economy will grow by 3.5 percent in the year ahead. The state of the state is expected for the economy to grow 2.8 percent in 2016. The national growth rate is forecast to be 2.4 per cent, and the global growth rate will be 1.9 percent. The United States is projected for 2.2 per cent growth in the coming years, which is the highest in the world. The growth rate in 2015 is expected at 2.3 per cent; it is the lowest in the past decade. The rate of growth in 2016 is projected at 1.7 percent; it was 2.1 per cent the year before. The number of jobs created in the last year was the highest since 2008. The largest employers in 2015 were KPMg, KPMM Lynch, PCC, and CIT.

Commercial districts

Once the home of one of the first Marshall Field's and Sears stores in suburbia, Evanston has several shopping areas. There are over 300 businesses, several high-rise office and residential buildings, three traditional low-rise shopping areas and over 85 restaurants. Evanston's downtown adjoins Northwestern University and is roughly bordered by Emerson Street, Dempster Street, Ridge Avenue, and the Lake to the east. The city is home to the Evanston Arts Depot, which is also home to a number of restaurants and galleries. The Evanston River runs through the center of the city, running through the heart of the downtown area. It is also the source of the Chicago River, which runs north and south through the city. The river is a major tourist attraction, attracting visitors from all over the U.S. and the world to Evanston and its surrounding areas. It was also the site of the world's first ice-skating rink, which was built in the early 1900s. The lake is a popular destination for sledders and snowboarders, and is also used as a training ground for the Chicago Cubs football team. The Chicago River is a main source of water for the city's residents, with the Chicago Marathon taking place there every year. The Lake is also a popular tourist destination, with many restaurants and other activities taking place in and around the Lake. The town's downtown area is centered around the Davis Street Metra and "L" stops, as well as the Noyes Street CTA station.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Evanston, Cook County, Illinois = 6.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 31. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Evanston = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 78,110 individuals with a median age of 35.2 age the population grows by 3.49% in Evanston, Cook County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 10,041.14 residents per square mile of area (3,876.66/km²). There are average 2.26 people per household in the 30,692 households with an average household income of $64,633 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.70% of the available work force and has dropped -4.37% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 20.46%. The number of physicians in Evanston per 100,000 population = 255.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Evanston = 32 inches and the annual snowfall = 23.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 124. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 189. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 18.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Evanston, Cook County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 48.74%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 60 years with median home cost = $267,600 and home appreciation of -10.17%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $16.10 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,795 per student. There are 16.4 students for each teacher in the school, 930 students for each Librarian and 1718 students for each Counselor. 3.49% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 29.27% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 33.10% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).