Evanston and outdoor activity/nature (Chicago, Wilmette: crime rate, house, magnet schools)

[california2]

My wife and i are thinking of moving to Evanston, Il. We have spent a lot of time there, and my wife grew up there. I love the quality of life, and attitudes compared to Los Angeles. Quiet streets, good schools (we have a 4 year old daughter), it seems cleaner, and you can do things by bike instead of car.

I have some concerns though. Growing up in Canada I love the outdoors, I surf and ride bikes (I like climbing hills), and ski. Obviously Chicago does not have these things. (I know people surf on the lake sometimes)

But Evanston has a wealth of other things, and access to some flat road riding, and the lake in the summer.

I was curious if anyone had any experience with moving to Chicago, and were able to have outdoor sports in there life in a good way. Or not, and this is a crazy move! thanks a lot

[Bogey]

Your reasons for moving to Evanston make sense to me. We live in Evanston and have friends and neighbors who are avid cyclists. The easiest rides are to head north, parallel to the lake on flat trails. They go to Wisconsin for some hills and enjoy that too. There's a lot of kayaking, sailing and windsurfing that happen at the waterfront here, so that may keep you happy!

[jigsaw]

Originally Posted by california2

My wife and i are thinking of moving to Evanston, Il. We have spent a lot of time there, and my wife grew up there. I love the quality of life, and attitudes compared to Los Angeles. Quiet streets, good schools (we have a 4 year old daughter), it seems cleaner, and you can do things by bike instead of car.

I have some concerns though. Growing up in Canada I love the outdoors, I surf and ride bikes (I like climbing hills), and ski. Obviously Chicago does not have these things. (I know people surf on the lake sometimes)

But Evanston has a wealth of other things, and access to some flat road riding, and the lake in the summer.

I was curious if anyone had any experience with moving to Chicago, and were able to have outdoor sports in there life in a good way. Or not, and this is a crazy move! thanks a lot

You'll find lots of forest preserves in the areas west and northwest of you. Great walking and bicking trails.

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[california2]

Thanks for your reply. I have ridden those trails. I am encouraged that it seems there is a lot of people in the area who seem to really enjoy biking and the outdoors.

[homewifeev]

Evanston has plenty of outdoor activity and various festivals from carnival style to cultural events. Evansto unlike other North Shore suburbs has much of its lakefront available for public use. Evanston has a steadily decresing crime rate but there are still some problems of gang activity spilling over from Rogers Park. Schools are good compared to most of the nation but there are problems. We have overcrowding at the high schools and both magnet schools but that should change with things like decreasing population, specifically minority population. Evanston has a traffic problem and parking problem so if you want nice quiet streets stay away from downtown. There are several nice areas in Evanston. Lake House where I currently live bounded by Northwesterns campus to the north, Chicago Avenue/The "el" to the west, Lake Michigan to the east, and Calvary Cemetary to the south. My house is across from a lakefront park so I have good views. Lake House is where Joan Cusack and the Crown Family live. Lake House is well patroled the last big thing I heard about was some grafity on a street light. We have nice quiet streets like Michigan Avenue, Forest Avenue south of Main Street, Judson Avenue, and Hinman Avenue. Sheridan Road is pretty quiet after 10PM. A really nice street with large homes with private beaches is Edgemere Court. But in the summer the lakefront can get pretty busy with all the urban people coming up. Northwest Evanston is nice except it is farther away from the lake and they have less parks but they are close to the Cook County Forest Preserves and Westmoreland Golf Club. Northwest Evanston is very quiet and more tight nit. The area around Central Street has nice shops and a nice park. Central Street is where the 4th of July parade takes place. Northwest Evanston is less expensive than Lake House but not much. Northeast Evanston/Wilmette is really nice. This area is where Jay Prizker live and other famous people. Many of these homes are either very large or small. Many of them have smaller lots. This area is pretty pricey as is everywhere. Sheridan Place, Lincoln Street, Milburn, Ingleside Park, and Isabella is nice. A new development by Red Seal called The Enclave at Sheridan Pointe surrounding Baker School is very nice parts of it are Evanston - Wilmette Post office so you have Wilmette Schools, Wilmette Address, New Trier but best of both worlds. But prices here are about $1.6+. Areas in Evanston based on your criterea to avoid would be Southwest Evanston and Howard, The downtown area, and the Asbury/Ridge area.

I hope this helps!

[dvictorson]

Coming from Upper Michigan where we did a lot of hiking/skiing and also having lived in Latin America/Europe where I did a lot of surfing, I was also nervous about coming to Evanston for fear that it wouldn't have access to the outdoors. Although it's no thriving wilderness, it is close to places to hike, camp, ski, etc. both in Illinois and Wisconsin. I've surfed in Evanston a couple times in the fall and found it tough without a longboard, but it was still fun to be in the water. I bike to work every day along the lake front and love that. Access to the water is probably Evanston's strength. Every weekend you see people kayaking along the shore. Hope this helps.

[Manigault]

I think you should run up that hill in the Evanston park a few times and then see how you feel about climbing hills as a pasttime. Actually that "Mount Trashmore" is kinda fun.