Katherine Nylander always imagined living in New York City after college. Now, as she approaches graduation, the Weinberg senior said she plans to stay local.

“I really want to stay close to my friends,” she said. “I always wanted to live in New York City, but I have fallen in love with Chicago. I am in the Northwestern University Marching Band also, so I want to be able to attend a lot of the football games next fall and continue to support the band.”

Many current seniors and recent alumni said they prefer to stay in the Chicago area after graduation to maintain a proximity to friends and to deal with the availability of job opportunities.

About 75,000 NU alumni live in the Evanston and Chicago area, said Jonathan Cummings, program assistant at the Northwestern Alumni Association. On the Alumni Association’s Web site, about 1,000 people are identified as Evanston residents.

Cheryl Soohoo, originally from California, said she has lived in Evanston since completing her master’s degree at NU in 1986.

“My sister lived here, so I had a place to stay,” she said. “I went to Medill, and it’s known in the area, so I thought it might be easier to get a job. I never expected to stay here.”

Soohoo said she had originally planned on moving away from Evanston and would have preferred to move back to her native stomping grounds.

“Being from California, I always had stereotypes about the Midwest,” she said. “I thought Evanston was an OK place. It’s near the water, so it reminds me of California.”Soohoo said she would not return to the West Coast because it would be too difficult to uproot her life.

Annie Beserra, NU Communication professor and choreographer, said she lived in Chicago after graduating from NU until 2002. She then opted to move back to Evanston.

“I was teaching in a studio here in Chicago,” she said. “But my husband and I wanted to buy a house, so we moved out of the city into Evanston. It’s much more affordable to own (a house) here.”

During college, Beserra said she was deciding between New York City and Chicago.

“Chicago is more of a working-artist city than New York,” she said. “Here, you can make a living by playing or choreographing. You don’t have to wait tables on the side.”

As current seniors continue their job searches, many said they hope to either set up roots in Chicago or live there temporarily before graduate school.

Erin Staab, a Weinberg senior, said she does not want to move back home because her family recently relocated.

“If I moved near my parents, they would be the only two people I know,” she said. “I feel like here is where I know the most people.”

Staab said she is looking to find a temporary job before applying to graduate school.

“This is where my friends are,” she said. “I’m finally going into the real world. It’s a big move. I want to be around people who are supportive.” [email protected]