21 Reasons You Need To Move To Evanston

1. Northwestern University Has the Most Beautiful College Campus in the Midwest

With so much of their school’s property placed along scenic Lake Michigan, Northwestern students are treated to one of the greatest views available at any American university each and every day.

2. The University Doesn’t Pay Property Taxes

Northwestern University received tax exempt status from the state when its charter was signed in 1851. This means that Northwestern doesn’t pay a dime of property taxes on any of its 240 acres of prime Evanston lakefront real estate. Not a bad deal if you can get it.

3. Evanston Gives You the Best View of Chicago

While the view from the skyscrapers of Chicago provides an unmatched vantage point for admiring the North Shore cities, the view from the coastline of Evanston turns the tables by providing the best glimpse of the Chicago skyline from outside the Windy City.

4. Dillo Day Shuts Down the City

The annual Dillo Day event on Northwestern’s campus attracts music fans from all over the Chicagoland area, as well as some from well outside the state of Illinois. The roster of musical talent performing on the stage facing Lake Michigan each year is jam packed with past and present headliners from several genres. It’s one of the few events in the country where you wouldn’t be surprised to see Big Boi from the legendary hip-hop duo Outkast hand the stage over to electro house legend Steve Aoki.

5. It’s Actually Quite the Beach Town

Most of Evanston’s waterfront takes the form of sandy beaches, and almost all if it is available to the public during the spring and summer months.

6. The Keg of Evanston Was a Great Place to Get Drunk

Until it was shut down in 2013, The Keg of Evanston was the late night hot spot of choice for Northwestern students and other Evanston residents and visitors in the same age bracket. The fact that The Keg was either fairly or unfairly associated with underage drinking probably had as much to do with its popularity as it did with its forced closure.

7. Burger King Is the Hangover Cure of Choice

At four in the morning, no place in Evanston is more well attended than Burger King. This is where students gather to ingest Whoppers and fries to soak up the alcohol in their systems before they make the long, awkward, and unsteady journey home.

8. You Can Meet The Girl You Saw On Television At Nevin’s Pub

The world famous Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern has made Friday night hangout sessions at Tommy Nevin’s Pub a longstanding tradition. This means that if you think the girl anchoring the newscast on public television is cute, there’s an even-money chance you can let her know about it face-to-face by paying a visit to Nevin’s.

9. The Evanston Vs. New Trier Rivalry Is a Big Deal

No matter how you evaluate it, Evanston High School and New Trier High School of Winnetka have one of the greatest rivalries in all of high school sports. The football teams have been hooking up regularly for more than 100 years, and their basketball games are moved to Northwestern University’s Welsh-Ryan Arena in order to contain all of the fans that attend. Overall, however, the advantage has to go to New Trier which has the edge in IHSA state championships (more than 120 to 35) and is ranked as the 12th best high school sports program in the country by Sports Illustrated.

10. Prepare To Be Outnumbered At Football Games

Almost every Big 10 school has a larger alumni association in Chicago than Northwestern University, which churns out a small number of graduates every year compared with its Big 10 Conference peers. This makes it quite common for both the Evanston streets and the Ryan Field stands to get hijacked by opposing fans during Northwestern’s intra-league games.

11. Cool People Are From Here

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder called Evanston home during most of his formative years which elevates the city’s coolness profile. Also, famous sibling actors John and Joan Cusack were born and raised in Evanston, and possibly the coolest actor of all time, Marlon Brando, spent a portion of his early life in Evanston. Sadly, one of the movies most famous for establishing the cool aesthetic associated with Evanston, “Mean Girls”, was actually not filmed in Evanston at all despite being set there.

12. It’s a Great Place to Start a Business

Bloomberg labeled Evanston as the best city in Illinois to start a business in due to its high number of entrepreneurs, easy access to high-level college graduates, and access to an adjacent large city.

13. The Purple Line Stops Running at 2:15 a.m.

If you’re coming back from a late night in Chicago and find yourself at the Howard CTA station, hop off, and either get a taxi or start walking. Otherwise, you’ll join the long list of people who have been stuck waiting alone on that platform for a long, long time.

14. Koi’s Sushi Is as Good as any in Chicago

Located on Davis Street, Koi Fine Asian Cuisine and Lounge has some of the best sushi in the Chicagoland area at a price that makes it far more affordable than some of the more expensive joints you’ll find in the big city.

15. Chicagoland’s Best Art Is On Display

For nearly four decades, the Fountain Square Art Festival has been a top local attraction. Hundreds of artists display their creations in this artistic showcase while musicians and food vendors line the streets to make the event fun for everyone whether you’re there for the art, food, or entertainment.

16. The Stained Glass Bistro Is to Die For

If you are looking to pair the best wine in town with the best food in town, you’ll want to go to The Stained Glass. It’s honestly the best and most complete dining experience available anywhere on the North Shore.

17. The Grosse Point Lighthouse Is Historic

Originally completed in 1873 to prevent further shipwrecks along the third coast shoreline, Grosse Point Light is one of the most famous landmarks associated with Evanston. One of the events prompting the lighthouse’s construction was the 1860 wreck of the Lady Elgin that resulted in the deaths of 300 people, which is an unfathomable event to modern North Shore residents.

18. It’s Extremely Diverse

While not as diverse as Chicago proper, Evanston’s population is still a colorful crowd. One third of the city’s population is black, Hispanic or Asian, and this is without taking into account the even more ethnically diverse student body of Northwestern University where more than 50 percent of the undergraduate and graduate students are nonwhite and/or international students.

19. Tinkertoys Were Born Here

Few toys can claim to have been responsible for more architectural innovation than Tinkertoys, which were created by Gordon Tinker, Charles Pajeau, and Robert Petit in 1914. Eighty four years and millions of play set sales later, Tinkertoys were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, which is just more proof that there’s a hall of fame for practically everything.

20. We Have the Best American Indian Museum in the Midwest

All things considered, the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian is arguably the best and most culturally sensitive American Indian museum in the United States. Its exhibits reveal details about a wide variety of Native American peoples while frequent exhibit changes provide new opportunities for learning about America’s original inhabitants.

21. It Contains a Monument to Women’s Suffrage

Famous women’s rights advocate Frances Willard called Evanston home for many years while laying the foundation for constitutional amendments that were both popular (the 19th—a woman’s right to vote) and unpopular (the 18th—prohibition). Her Evanston home has been turned into the Frances Willard House Museum, which celebrates her achievements and preserves her legacy.