Evanston, Illinois | |
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City | |
Nickname(s): Heavenston, E-Town | |
Location in Cook County and the state of Illinois. |
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Location of Illinois in the United States |
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Coordinates: 42°02′47″N 87°41′41″W / 42.04639°N 87.69472°WCoordinates: 42°02′47″N 87°41′41″W / 42.04639°N 87.69472°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | Cook |
Incorporated | 1872 |
Government | |
• Type | Council-manager |
• Mayor | Elizabeth Tisdahl (D) |
• Budget | $304,494,806 (fiscal year: 2016) |
Area | |
• Total | 7.80 sq mi (20.2 km2) |
• Land | 7.78 sq mi (20.2 km2) |
• Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) 0.26% |
Population (2012) | |
• Total | 75,430 |
• Density | 9,695/sq mi (3,743/km2) |
0.33% increase from 2000 | |
Demonym(s) | Evanstonian |
Standard of living (2011) | |
• Per capita income | $40,732 |
• Median home value | $340,700 |
Demographics (2010) | |
• White | 65.6% |
• Black | 18.1% |
• Asian | 8.6% |
• Other | 7.6% |
• Hispanic (any race) | 9.0% |
ZIP code(s) | 60201, 60202, 60203, 60204, 60208, 60209 |
Area code(s) | 847, 224 |
Geocode | 17-24582 |
GNIS ID | 2394709 |
Website | cityofevanston |
Evanston /ˈɛvənˌstən/ is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, 12 miles (19 km) north of downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with a population of 74,486 as of 2010[update]. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan and is the home of Northwestern University. The boundaries of the city of Evanston are coterminous with those of the former Evanston Township, which was dissolved in 2014 by voters with its functions being absorbed by the city of Evanston.
Prior to the 1830s, the area now occupied by Evanston was mainly uninhabited, consisting largely of wetlands and swampy forest. However, Potawatomi Indians used trails along higher lying 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 (21 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.