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Money magazine disses Evanston
Money magazine thinks Naperville is the third best small city in America and that Evanston isn't even in the top 100.
The new report online appears to ding Evanston for having lower median income and home prices, dirtier air and a higher crime rate than its west-suburban darling.
Of course Forbes magazine didn't even mention Naperville when it described Evanston a few months back, along with Kenilworth and Winnetka as its three favorite Chicago suburbs. So, the Money conclusion isn't free from potential challenge.
What do you think? Is Naperville better than Evanston? Or how about Bollingbrook or Wheaton, other Illinois towns that made the Money Top 100?
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I live in Evanston, have raised several children here through various school (including ETHS), pay outrageously high taxes and live with a somewhat subdued crime threat (I live downtown in a single family dwelling).
Evanstonians are a unique lot and have a major complex about how great the town is. Yet, not a single comment discusses Northwestern University. Without NU, what would Evanston be? I wonder - perhaps the northern tack-on to Chicago.
In any event, this is a remarkably thriving community which thinks way too much of itself.
We moved to Evanston. We like it. I don't miss people who echo Fox News worldviews, at all. You can listen to angerhead talk radio for that. We have not been victims of crime, and only very rarely heard gunshots. Crimewise, given its proximity to Chicago,its not bad at all really.
These non-Evanstonians who come to this page to whine about how their Republican party lost the election. The comments are all dated in a time frame where the Democratic landslide was obvious. Strange place to spew sour grapes! Yes, Evanston is a very politically liberal community. It's a college town and most such towns are more liberal - read into that what you will. Regardless, petty sore loser griping is a waste of time.
As for this nonsense accusation that Evanston has no diversity and is intolerant, I can attest that that is absolutely not true. I moved to Evanston in 2003. Before that I lived in three other states so I have experience living in a variety of environments and cities of various sizes. I came to Evanston a complete stranger and very foreign to the culture here. However, I have found nothing but openness and tolerance and friendliness from the people of Evanston. There is great diversity here, racial, religious, ethnic, cultural, and political. More importantly there is acceptance of that diversity. To the person who claims they were "harassed and threatened" for their political beliefs I say this: I don't believe you. Anonymous posts are not worthy of being believed, especially when they are clearly election-time sour grapes.
Well, due to the fact you can't believe anything written by an anonymous author, I don't suspect you will believe this either but I will continue. The person that wrote about another who was harassed,threatened, even spit upon was talking about an individual who is very real and speaks the truth. If you spend anytime in the downtown area you surely have seen this person outside the Unicorn Cafe. However, I will not describe them any further because I am sure they would suffer more ridicule and harrassment if I did. So you have spent 5 long years hear in the 'Diverse Hamlet' of the Northshore and are now an expert on how tolerant all it's citzens are? That's remarkable. Perhaps next time you read of a citizen being robbed and beaten by a group of youths, you should ask the victim how they appreciate the tolerance of your beloved Evanston.
I love the way Evanstonians think their hamlet has "diversity" because of a variety of shades of skin color. All are very welcomed, as long as they all THINK alike. Personally, I much prefer communities where diversity also includes a spectrum of political and social opinions.
I couldn't agree with you more. Evanstonians live,eat, and breath "diversity" yet anyone outside of the box is treated as an alien or sometimes worse. As an outspoken and proud republican I welcome anyone to challenge and question me, but it rarely happens. I know, however,others in town who have been subject to the "liberal-welcome all crowd" harrassing, insulting, and threatening them simply due to their political choice. A simple McCain 2008 hat worn outside a coffee shop downtown has resulted in an elderly gentleman being called a "facist", "war-monger", and even spit on. This all coming from the diverse liberals. Additionally, there have been numerous criminal damage to property reports with the police department involving McCain yard signs being set on fire, damaged, or stolen. Nothing of this occurring with the Obama crowd. Keep it up Evanston! Soon you may make a different kind of list.
Thanks for raising the issue of vandalism to campaign signs. I asked Evanston Police about that this morning.
You can find out what they had to say here.
--Bill
Unfortunately, I must agree. Many liberals here who like to think of themselves as so tolerant are anything but. If you don't vote democratic you are stupid and pitiable to them. I had heard about this and thought it was just conservative whining, but it's turned out to be true in my experience as an Evanston resident for the last 8 years. It's pathetic. Plus, they politicize EVERYTHING! I can't wait to move out of here.
Maybe Money magazine looked at the obscenely high property taxes extorted from thousands of condo owners without children to pay for the "education" of other people's children. Does Money magazine's evaluation have a category called "Community Ethics?" If it does, it would show that Evanston's incompetent education bureaucracy as well as most of the family values types applaud this organized larceny. Maybe there is also a category called "The Hypocrisy Barometer" that would show that gun control Evanstonians are really in love with guns. After all how would the gentle liberals collect the taxes used to "educate" other people's children without the police power of the state?
Shhhhh! Don't tell the whole country what a great place Evanston is to live. If people start flocking here by the droves (like they did to Naperville), then we may start opening boring chain restaurants and shops (like they did in Naperville), and we may be overrun with TONS of NON-diversity (like they are in Naperville), and who wants to that? I'd rather see all the unique shops and restaurants, and rub shoulders with all walks of life. Face it, lots of us move to Evanston because we want to keep a shot of urban in our lives. Keep Evanston cool. Let Naperville have top billing. We like it that way...
I thought it was funny how you used the word 'shot'. Because that's what I seem to hear a lot of in Evanston; gunfire 'shots' and now at police. I'll gladly rub shoulders with the sterile people you are claiming live in Naperville, than walk among what you perceive as diversity.
It does seem from what you say that you would be much more comfortable in a place like Naperville. My husband and I lived in Chicago for 10 years, and find Evanston a wonderfully safe, quiet alternative, while still being more urban than suburban. Of course gunfire is not the kind of thing any community wants. But the reality of an all-inclusive city like Evanston means people of all walks of life, and socio-economic status, live here. Living in a diverse city should not include tolerance for violence, but it is a community where everyone is welcome. And a place where we work out our problems together, citizens and law enforcement. If the threats in Evanston are too frightening for you, then perhaps, as you suggest, this is not the right place for you. But if you are committed to your community, I would recommend getting involved in neighborhood watch programs. The police force in Evanston is top notch. They are committed, vigilant, and open to our cooperation.
If the crime section on this website alone doesn't answer your questions on how Naperville can be ranked higher than Evanston, I'm not sure what will.
Evidence: The failed development on Main and Chicago. Anyone know anything about this?
Evanston is not losing it. Main & Chicago, along with several other developments, is probably facing the realities of the housing market. Most lenders will not release money to the developer unless there are a certain number of units sold, usually 30 to 40%. Seems as if all except 708 Church are afflicted -- or are they glad that it is hung up in Council and Committees?
What's up with the haters? It's just a survey covering many different aspects of life from jobs to crime to home values and schools - nothing important.
Why do folks always take these surveys personally. There are dozens of cool places to live in the Chicago area and the nation. I have lived in Evanston and currently live in Naperville. I love Evanston - what a great and unique place to live. We definitely miss it.
We moved to Naperville for work location reasons and the public schools are good (and my wife is a teacher - so chill out). Naperville has the #1 library system in the country and one of the top school districts. Unless you work in the North Shore area or Loop - Evanston is tough to drive out of. Try driving from Evanston to any other county in the area - not easy - I have personally done it on a daily basis. Brutal.
Downtown Naperville is a very nice place. It's located on the west branch of the Du Page River and has a long Riverwalk area with cobblestone and paved paths, parks, bridges, and many high end restaurants. There is also North Central College - nothing like NU - but a nice private college in downtown. We miss LuLu's and Daves Italian, but Naperville has some very nice restaurants and bars(Hugo's, Catch 35, Heaven on 7, Ted's Montana Grill, Sullivan's, Rosebud and many more...).
Take a drive out here on a Saturday afternoon and walk around downtown Naperville. You will quickly realize it's not just downtown Naperville - it's almost downtown DuPage County - very busy. I know people who come from Hinsdale and Burr Ridge to eat dinner in Naperville.
Keep the hate down - people in Naperville are just trying to live. Speaking first hand from living in both places and enjoying both places - it is a nice place live.
As far as the dying breed speculation - I wouldn't bet on it. Naperville has been around since the 1800's and does have nonstop commuter trains to the Loop as well as a bus system. There are also millions of square feet of office buildings and corporate HQ's in the 88 corridor - which equal jobs. So, I think we'll survive somehow.
You better hope we survive - otherwise we're all moving back to Evanston to inflict our "pathetically limited scope" on you enlightened ones. By the way - whoever wrote that comment is truly a moron.
Ok, let's get real. Evanston is never going to make any "Best Cities to Live In" list. I love Evanston and have lived here for 2 decades, but we all know that there are real problems here - namely crime, high taxes, under-performing schools... We also have diversity and a University, a beautiful lake, and a great urban-suburban atmosphere.
I wouldn't want to live in Naperville, Winnetka, or Kenilworth, but most people would rather live in a homogeneous place like those suburbs - without all the problems that we have here....
This seems like a trivial conversation. Naperville is in a dying breed of municipalities - distant suburbs reliant on long commutes and automobilies. With rising gas prices, even the Atlantic monthly has gone so far as to say these are the next slums. On the other hand, cities such as Evanston & Oak Park, near to major metropolitan areas with access to public transit will only continue to increase in popularity and value. We'll see how things shake out in the coming years.
I guess I am not surprised that a magazine named "Money" would choose Naperville as the best small city in Chicagoland. I would definitely encourage anyone who cares about nothing else more than cold, hard cash to move to Naperville and enjoy the hours-long commute from your highly-paid yet otherwise unrewarding job to your ugly prefab tract home in the middle of nowhere, where you can eat, sleep, breed, watch TV, visit shoping malls and perform other brainless acts of consumerism. Best for people of that mindset to shut themselves off in communities such as Naperville, where they won't face any challenges to their worldviews and won't trouble other human beings with their pathetically limited scope.
Yes! Ha ha! Someone who sees clearly. Evanston is what it is because people like US live here. Naperville is what it is because people who care about Money magazine live there. My older brothers, parents, grandparents, and cousins grew up in Naperville. Back then it was a quaint, small town. I have an affinity for its roots. But today, it is very different. It is a place where people "won't face any challenges to their worldviews," as the writer above mentioned.
Bill - we all know we have a higher crime rate than Naperville - many times higher - is that a problem yes -
As I recall the schools test scores are also a factor - which lower Evanston - again. Although the school have high achievers and low achievers which creates a mid average with the test scores. HIgh taxes were also in the equation.
Then again Naperville is not by any means - as well located to Chicago and on the lake - and it also has traffic problems.
Another interesting issue is income - Evanston actually has more families making over $200,000 house hold income than Winnetka. Thus a large number of well to do people live here -
But I also think as with any survey - it has weighted variables - clearly quite a few people are buying the condos and homes here - so they may not feel the crime, school issues and high taxes are a problem. It has been my view for years if we corrected those three issues Evanston would quickly more into the top trier on all surveys.
Note: In the 1960's ETHS was rated the top high school in the county - by one of these surveys.
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