What's Happening in Evanston, IL…

Evanston’s downtown area has been judged as one of the best in the U.S. by Livability.com, a site that reports on the unique qualities of cities, often in the form of top 10 lists.

In what will no doubt be seen as a boost to tourism, Evanston was No. 10 on Livability's Top 10 Best Downtown 2015 list. The attributes used to determine the rankings included walkability, daytime population, vacancy rate, and entertainment options.

The advantage of having a third party singing the praises of Evanston’s downtown cannot be overstated, with cities often looking to publicize their downtown in order to attract conventions and trade shows. These are the same qualities that any chamber of commerce would wish to brag about and have included by brochure printers in the city’s promotional materials.

Evanston was the only Illinois city that made it into the top 10. Topping the list were Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis.

At Livabilitie.com, each city on the list received a small write-up describing its finest aspects. For Evanston, mention was made of Northwestern University's proximity to downtown, as well as the view of Lake Michigan. The downtown area's skyline was praised as being atypical of Chicago suburbs, with post-modern office buildings interspersed with contemporary condo buildings. Mention was also made of the loads of entertainment options, cultural attractions, and thriving businesses.