Liberal Place: Evanston, IL

The city itself has a fairly diverse population of whites, blacks, and a sprinkling of other minorities. While it is unfortunate that there is some city of Chicago-like segregation, it is nowhere near as harshly defined as the city. Whites tend to live on the north side and near th lake, and blacks in the south side and away from the lake (in case you haven't figured it out, Evanston and Northwestern are on the lake, a huge plus for the city). But along Emerson Road on the north side, for example, the area is a stable middle-class black neighborhood, with many residents from the Caribbean.

Evanston has a tradition of civic-mindedness and tempered activism. There are both white and blacks who are very involved in making Evanston a better place to live, and will not hesitate to protest a policy or proposal in the proper forum. I'm particularly impressed by a strong, educated African-American voice that is very different from the more acrimonious debates found in the city of Chicago.

The city's school district has tried harder than any other in Chicagoland to narrow the academic performance gap between blacks and whites. Evanston Township High School does very well in academic tests and competitions, but unfortunately the black students have lagged behind. Without resorting to overly controversial or radical proposals, all groups have worked together to see what can be done and implemented.

Evanston is well connected to the region's mass transit system and has never shunned public transportation. The Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) Purple Line reaches as far north as the Wilmette border, and there are several station, such as Central, Noyes, Foster, Davis, Dempster, and Main. During rush hour on weekdays there are express trains into Chicago's Loop. There is also the commuter rail, Metra, that runs through the city and all the way up the North Shore. Several bus lines also serve the city, Chicago, and adjacent suburbs.

Evanston is part of Illinois' 9th congressional district, by far the most liberal white-majority district in the state. The district stretches from the Chicago's lakefront wards near Wrigley Field (including the city's most prominent gay and lesbian areas), up through Uptown, Rogers Park, and Evanston, then heading west into more moderate Democratic suburbs like Skokie, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove (famous for outlawing ownership of handguns in 1983), and ending up back into the city in comfortable neighborhoods like Norwood Park. It was represented for nearly a half a century by one of Congress' staunchest and most respected liberals, Sidney Yates. He was most famous as a champion of the National Endowment for the Arts, and has vigorously promoted pro-labor and pro-environment causes. Now in his late 80's, he will retire in January, 1999. The new representative will be Jan Schakowsky, an Evanston resident, who will follow in Yates' strong liberal tradition. She began as consumer activist trying to get freshness labels printed on foods, and eventually became a liberal voice in the state House of Representatives.

There are, of course, lingering signs of past conservatism, such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union (which is why the city still has strict alcohol laws and other quirky health rules), and a small number of long-established residents that are vestiges of cultural conservatism. But overall Evanston is well-suited to be placed in the liberal-friendly column.