In mid-November, 8th Ward resident Patrick Combs celebrated five years since moving to Evanston. Since the move, his family has lived in the 8th Ward.

He summed up their experience in four words: “We love it here.”

Evanston’s 8th Ward is the city’s southernmost area, stretching from its western border with Skokie to the Howard Street Chicago Transit Authority station in the east. Oakton Street marks the ward’s northern border, and Howard Street acts as the city’s southern border, adjacent to Chicago.

City Council redistricted the wards in 2023, and the changes went into effect in April 2025. The redistricting resulted in Oakton Elementary School moving to the 9th Ward and Dawes Elementary School standing completely in the 8th Ward.

The main features of the ward, including James Park, Howard Street and residential neighborhoods, however, didn’t change, according to Ald. Matt Rodgers (8th).

James Park, the largest park in the city, also just saw a renovation, converting its six tennis courts to 15 pickleball courts.

East of the park, a former 8th Ward neighborhood is now in the 9th Ward, and Rodgers said some residents have expressed unease about this transition.

“In those areas where they have smaller homes, people are concerned about what’s going to happen with new zoning,” Rodgers said. “They don’t want those neighborhoods to change, and they want the character of the neighborhood to be maintained.”

Having lived in the 8th Ward for over 20 years, Rodgers said he is well-acquainted with what the area has to offer.

Many of Rodgers’ favorite places are on Howard Street, in the 8th Ward’s commercial district. Evanston shares this area with Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, providing retail and restaurants to both communities.

“If you’re looking for a night out, I’m going to take you to someplace like Peckish Pig for dinner,” Rodgers said. “Go see a play at Theo and enjoy Evanston that way.”

Combs said he values the family-oriented lifestyle the ward provides.

His son attends Dawes Elementary School, and their family has enjoyed living in the neighborhood because of its “cohesive community,” he said.

“It’s very easy to have a family here. All the schools are nearby, there are dogs everywhere,” Combs said. “It is a very comfortable place to live.”

The one thing Combs said he would love to see for the 8th Ward is more development on Howard Street to increase the walkability of the neighborhood. Specifically, he said he wants to be able to walk to a coffee shop to get his morning cup.

Redeveloping Howard Street is not just on Combs’s mind. Rodgers said he has Howard Street high on his list of priorities.

“Howard Street is a place that we’re trying to create a destination space for people to come,” Rodgers said. “We have a couple of great restaurants, we have the theater and we’re really working on trying to strengthen it.”

In action, Evanston and the Rogers Park Business Alliance teamed up to create the One Howard Street Economic Recovery Plan, which details the cities’ strategies to improve the public spaces on the street.

Eric Oropeza, co-owner of Sweet Temptations Bake Shop, has run his Howard Street storefront for almost a decade. He said he has watched an influx of businesses come and go, but hopes the commercial district continues to grow.

“I think we need more funding for storefronts, because we see some businesses open, and then they close in a year or so,” Oropeza said. “It’s kind of tough to open a business here. You have to either have a lot of money to stay open for a while, or just hope it takes off.”

Howard Street businesses took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the area is still recovering from vacant storefronts and less traffic in those areas, according to Rodgers.

When Rodgers moved into the neighborhood, however, the street looked a little different. Since he’s lived in the area, he said he has witnessed the development of Howard Street with the addition of restaurants, retail and a theater that bring residents to the 8th Ward’s commercial district.

Another point of pride for Rodgers is the diversity in his ward. According to the Housing Gap Analysis conducted by the city using census data, the 8th Ward has some of the most diverse neighborhoods in Evanston in terms of housing types, racial makeup, socioeconomic status and age.

The diversity was another selling point for Combs and his family.

“It’s a diverse area of town, and I grew up in a diverse community,” he said. “We wanted our son to have that experience as well.”