Evanston’s four miles of public beaches and the historical Grosse Point Lighthouse charmed editors at Travel + Leisure magazine this summer. The magazine ranked the city third in a list of the coolest U.S. suburbs worth visiting in August.
Suburbs were evaluated based on their uniqueness and ability to break out of the boring, conformist suburban stereotype, according to the article.
The story, written by Daniel Derouchie, highlighted not only Evanston’s lakefront view, but also its intellectual environment and sidewalk cafe scene.
The magazine also cited Northwestern as a big part of the decision to include Evanston in the list, which had 25 cities total.
“I think it’s entirely true and very exciting that we are getting wide recognition for the wonderful place in which we live,” said Lucile Krasnow, the special assistant for community relations at NU.
Krasnow said she especially enjoys the diversity of people and opinions Evanston has to offer.
“I love Evanston,” she said. “I love my community. I have lived here for 33 years. Same house. Same place. I’m 100 percent committed to being and remaining an Evanston resident.”
Evanston breaks the stereotype of the staid suburb even more successfully than some cities on the list, said Alison Decker, a Medill freshman from Mt. Lebanon, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh that was also included in the article.
“Quite honestly, compared to Evanston, (Mt. Lebanon) wasn’t that exciting,” Decker said. “Evanston is definitely preferable.”
Decker said Mt. Lebanon has a satirical website that pokes fun at the suburb called “Fake Lebo.” The website recently published jokes about the fact that Mt. Lebanon was even included in the list.
Other suburbs compare more favorably to Evanston, students said. Weinberg junior Sam Gutelle said that Montclair, N.J. is like the Evanston of New York City. Both suburbs are about the same distance from major cities. Both have thriving arts scenes. But according to Gutelle, the Travel + Leisure article was not entirely accurate about his hometown.
“I feel like what it said about Montclair hit its strengths while ignoring its weaknesses,” Gutelle said. “It talked a lot about the art culture and the indie vibe, which is omnipresent in a lot of the neighborhoods, but some of us can’t stand this high culture. Personally I have taken a liking to the more urban-esque parts of the town center which offer the same great culture without as much obnoxiousness.”
Gutelle said he thought Evanston’s description in the article was spot on. So did Weinberg freshman Alex Jakubowski, an Evanston native. Jakubowski said he was glad the article acknowledged what he said he believes to be the most important part about Evanston: NU.
“Without the university as a backdrop, the city itself really wouldn’t exist,” Jakubowski said.
Still, Evanston has a lot to offer because of its expansive community involvement and culture. Krasnow noted the town has more than 300 not-for-profit organizations.
“People move here for a purpose,” Krasnow said. “They want a wonderful town that is that mix of urban and suburban. The reason that you move specifically to Evanston is that you find this diverse mixture very appealing.”
Evanston’s Highlights:
- A “diverse sidewalk cafe scene” along Dempster Street
- The Grosse Point Lighthouse, which once guided ships to Chicago
- The Stained Glass Bistro, 1735 Benson Ave., which serves 32 varieties of wine
- A “wide, sandy public beach” that stretches for four miles
