Seeking input before committing to buy a house - Evanston

[damba]

Yes, all of that describes some of the great offerings
of Evanston. I agree there's a lot to enjoy.

Where does the tradeoff with personal safety begin?
My guess is you didn't live right by the high school where the OP
and crux of this thread is addressing. You likely lived
in the more 'gentrified' parts of Evanston like I did.
Walk around much at night in parts of west Evanston?
I doubt you went out much in that part of town
during the summer. My friends who grew up in rougher parts
of Chicago aren't jumping on those discounted homes
for valid reasons unfortunately ;(

Originally Posted by nana053

I lived in Evanston for 35 years. The only gunshot I heard was when animal control killed a deer that had been hit by the el train.

The only nuisance was Northwestern students walking by our house when they went to football games and that was not really bad.

I could walk to lots of restaurants, bike on the NU bike path or walk on the walking path. I could watch the fireworks from the lakefront. The *el* train provided transportation from one end of Evanston to the other if you did not want to bike or walk. The buses ran relatively frequently as well. The metra has 3 stops in Evanston so getting downtown is easy with either the *el* or the metra trains.

There are tons of activities for adults and for families and for kids.
Theatre - Arts & Culture | City of Evanston
Noyes Cultural Arts Center offers many different classes and activities
Noyes Cultural Arts Center - Arts & Culture | City of Evanston
For Ice Skating, we had Robert Crown Center
There are lots of interesting museums
Museums - Arts & Culture | City of Evanston
There are a ton of restaurants of many varieties.
The 10 Best Evanston Restaurants 2015 - TripAdvisor
The best Evanston restaurants from burgers to classic dining
Evanston's Library is one of the best (and you have branch libraries for convenience within walking distance if you are not going downtown. My daughter used our library when home from college at Carnegie Mellon because of the huge selection of books.
https://www.epl.org/index.php?option...d=87&Itemid=51
We had neighborhood parties in the summer on our block in a nearby park or on the cul de sac.
The beaches in Evanston are well kept and enjoyable. The fee for residents is pretty inexpensive. My daughter loved to go to the beach even when it was not *officially* open (after 6 pm). She never had any problems with anyone there.
The YMCA and YWCA had many great activities and good swimming when you did not want to swim in the lake.
Shopping is excellent although I miss Marshall Fields (been a long time since that was here).

[nana053]

Originally Posted by damba

Yes, all of that describes some of the great offerings
of Evanston. I agree there's a lot to enjoy.

Where does the tradeoff with personal safety begin?
My guess is you didn't live right by the high school where the OP
and crux of this thread is addressing. You likely lived
in the more 'gentrified' parts of Evanston like I did.
Walk around much at night in parts of west Evanston?
I doubt you went out much in that part of town
during the summer. My friends who grew up in rougher parts
of Chicago aren't jumping on those discounted homes
for valid reasons unfortunately ;(

No, I did not live right by the high school. I lived in south Evanston on Hinman and then near Central Street and the lake. I would not suggest that anyone jump on a house near the high school, but that was NOT what you talked about in the post I answered.

Most of Evanston is fine and safe. There are areas to stay away from, but you were trying to say that you would stay away from Evanston all together in the post I answered.

[WilmetteViaEvanston]

I no longer live in Evanston but lived there for a decade with kids one mile east
of this location. I might recommend you talk with police and you can find out about
The history of incidents in that area. Outside of that I don't think I should share general
Perceptions. It's so hard to find affordable housing so I empathize with your
Trying to balance all factors! Good luck.