Evanston is once again gaining national recognition as a great place to live.
Last week the city was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 18th best town to “live well” in.
The rankings are based on data from ZoomProspector.com, a San Francisco-based consulting firm that evaluates regions of the country with populations of less than 100,000 people.
Characteristics considered in the rankings included cultural and entertainment attractions and indicative measures of a “favorable business environment.” These business evaluations included patents, venture capital funding, start-ups and small businesses per capita. Evanston’s median income of $70,274 was also considered.
Mayor Lorraine Morton said numerous organizations in the community and opportunities to get involved are attractions of the city.
“Of course (Evanston) deserves this,” she said. “This is a very benevolent community, and we have more organizations here that support people who are in need or have new ideas of doing something. People who come here actually like it because they can do something. They don’t want to be passive.”
Evanston has won several similar awards in the past, including being named one of the top-50 best small U.S. cities for start-ups by BusinessWeek magazine last month.
Students were divided on whether they agreed with the most recent ranking.
Weinberg sophomore Cameron Lee said he enjoys a lot of what the city has to offer.
“It’s a very eclectic town between the university and the town itself,” he said. “It’s a good town, and there’s good food.”
The article praises Evanston for its proximity to both Northwestern and Chicago and its “world-class businesses.”
Weinberg freshman Rachel Elwood said Evanston deserves its ranking, especially for its various boutiques.
“I think it’s really cool because for a college town, it’s really safe,” she said. “I really like that it’s quiet, but it’s still close to a big city.”
However, some students said they do not agree with this ranking.
“I think it’s a little exaggerated, put nicely,” McCormick freshman Trisha Bakshi said. “I mean, it’s a nice place, but really, 18? I would have given it 50.”
Bakshi said there is little diversity in the town compared to where she grew up.
“Obviously, it’s safe and the location is good, but I just feel I wouldn’t want to grow up here personally,” she said. “There’s not that much to do.”
