Evanston

Many Evanston residents enjoy the sunrise along Lake Michigan on bike & running paths. There are over 263 parks and 5 beaches, an indoor ice rink, and 34 tennis courts. The historic charm is preserved and revered. The city is home to numerous theater groups, a symphony orchestra, five museums and numerous art galleries. There are five universities, the most prominent being Northwestern. Single family homes range from 70,000 to over 1 million. Median price is 348,000. Median income is 41,115. Median age is 32.

Stretching for nearly a mile along Lake Michigan, the Northwestern University Evanston campus is located in the first suburb north of Chicago. The campus includes a mixture of historic and modern buildings in a beautifully landscaped setting. Approximately 11,850 full-time students are enrolled on the Evanston campus in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education and Social Policy, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Graduate School, Medill School of Journalism, J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, School of Music, and School of Speech.

Northwestern University was established in 1851 to serve the people of the Northwest Territory, an area that now embraces the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. In 1853 the founders purchased a 379-acre tract of land on the shore of Lake Michigan 12 miles north of Chicago. The town that grew up around the University was named Evanston in honor of one of the University's founders, John Evans.

After completing its first building in 1855, Northwestern began classes that fall with 2 faculty members and 10 students. By 1900, the University had grown to include seven undergraduate and graduate schools with 2,700 students and an annual budget of more than $200,000.