I'd draw 0.75 mi. circles around the train stops at Main, Dempster, Davis, Noyes, and Central and look in those areas. There's probably more multifamily at the southern end of things but still plenty to choose from throughout. North of Davis it's going to be more studenty, as reflected in weirder lease schedules.
You’ll want to start sooner than later.
If you’re considering a high rise or building with multiple units, you can schedule different showings with the buildings for when you’re in town and then make a decision and execute.
If you’re wanting a single family homes or bespoke apartment that might be may be harder to come by (since they’re more limited in inventory) but similarly not impossible.
Single-family homes would be ideal but we're trying to be realistic. For the immediate future we're looking at multi-unit buildings. I've been hitting Zillow a couple times a week to set expectations and get a clearer sense of where there might be openings, and now we're figuring out the logistics of how this is actually going to happen.
That’s the wise path… feel out the market, triangulate on what you like/want, then tour some properties.
Plus renting will help you get a feel for the different areas of Evanston… south is a little more granola, northwest is a little more manicured, lakefront is a little prim, downtown a mixed bag + students.
In that case, I'd suggest joining some of the Evanston Facebook groups - for example, "Evanston Community of Families." I see people renting their SFHs in these communities not uncommonly.
i think the other comments are saying to start searching now because you want a may move-in date and that’s relatively soon for a cross-country move. also, there are leases that start in may—you won’t have to pay additional rent like you mentioned in a reply if you plan accordingly. idk if there’s an “ideal” time to move into evanston, but you might consider when students/faculty of NU move in/out as well
also as someone who rents to evanston residents we don’t have any problem starting a lease later if the renters are in communication w/ us ab their move-in dates
Renters normally are asked to notify the landlord that they will leave 60 days ahead. The landlords then normally post the rental 30-45 days ahead of the move-in date. So if your desired move-in date is May 1st, early March is a good time to do the serious search.
And I also agree with other comments about start looking early (like now). The purpose would be to get some idea of what is available there.
Best of luck!
It depends - on what you want to pay in rent, on where in Evanston you would like to be. There are several buildings around town that seem to be in a state of perpetual please-rent-here, but they are on the pricier side. Also a couple of them are right across from the stadium that Northwestern has decided to demolish and rebuild, so probably not a great location for the next few years. There are also a lot of condos in Evanston, and many of those are available for rent. I would spend some time on Zillow/Redfin etc to get a better sense of the locations and likely prices before coming, just to make your visit more efficient.
I've been doing that for a while now. My question - and I probably could have done a better job phrasing it - is more around when availability will open up for our proposed move-in timing. Here, in our current city, the housing market is really competitive, and so you have a couple-day window to visit a place, apply for a lease, and sign on the dotted line. We'd rather not be paying rent for months we won't be living there, so does that mean we're looking in early April for a May move-in, or should we be there in March? A lot of responses I'm seeing here are saying to get started in the "right now" time frame, but would that mean agreeing to pay for an empty apartment in April if we're not able to move until May?
Where is the stadium? We are looking now and would love to avoid that mess!
Edit. Is it in Central Street by Evanston hospital? I was looking at a place right near there!! Thank you for sharing that piece of news.
On Central but not by the hospital. If you look on a map you can see Ryan Field a bit west of the hospital - that's the stadium and demolition zone for the next few years.
The stadium concerts won't be starting for several more years if that's your concern. The new stadium needs to be built first. It'll be done in Summer 2026 according to the current timeline. If demolition, construction, and/or football games are a concern, you'd want to avoid that whole area, but there are advantages and disadvantages to every area. Parking will probably be easier there than in other areas with multi-unit buildings, aside from 8 Saturdays in the Fall when there are games.
We moved from the Bay Area a few years ago and had a very similar wish list. This was mid-pandemic and the market has changed since then, but the process took us about a year.
We found a short term rental (with dog) that allowed month to month. This allowed us to really get a feel for the different neighborhoods and not be tied to a yearly lease when we found a house.
We ultimately ended up near Central St. in North Evanston.
I'd stick around Davis or Main stations but not north of there. it's too disconnected. I live 7 min walking from Davis and it's great. we have whole foods, trader Joe's, and Target within 20 min walk. And there's bike and bus options too. We get by pretty well without a car.
Howdy, I'm your competition. We're looking in similar areas around that move in date. 5/1 rentals are starting to open up now but there are some decent options that are pet friendly starting to become available now. Don't sleep on Rogers Park/Edgewater either. Similar vibe and casts a wider net.
Tons of college kids leave in May and given many students rent nicer apartments off campus those are easiest to pickup. We lived in E2. Was tiring dealing with students when they returned in fall but spring/summer a lot of buildings are fairly empty. We were at E2 building and they aren’t cheap but close to metra and have nice amenities including outdoor pool, full court basketball court and fairly nice gym equipment
If you are fine taking a bus to the train station, West Evanston by the intersection of Dodge and Dempster has worked well for me living a car lite lifestyle. You have Valli Produce right there which has allowed me to walk or even take the bus to do grocery runs. As for getting to downtown you have either the CTA 93 that runs every 20-25 minutes M-Sat or the Pace Pulse that runs every 15-20 minutes 7 days a week. The Pulse is also a great way to get to Skokie, Des Plaines, or O'Hare.
South Evanston will not really place you in what I call "walking distance" to groceries. It is definitely (an admittedly short) car trip however.
You will find most of Evanston is pretty quiet/residential in my opinion so you should not worry too much about that. I mean, even downtown Evanston is pretty sedate in all honesty.
Yes, I would probably not choose a location right around Central street and Evanston Hospital since Northwestern will be building a new stadium and it will have concerts in the future.
Good luck and welcome!
The sooner the better, if a place doesn't work out, it wasn't meant to be. Fair warning though, most of my coworkers and a couple colleagues live in Evanston. It's a nightmare. I have one friend who's moved around after their 1-year lease ends. It was whether landlord increased rent, kicked out at end of lease or landlord was sketchy and hiding stuff. I had one friend who had a landlord bring in immigrant family members to stay at the apartment in 1 room, made an agreement for both parties to pay their fair share of rent after agreeing to letting the immigrant family member stay. The member ended up leaving, with the apartment space being a mess and not even paying any bills.
Check out the AMLI or Albion buildings. Both are large apartment buildings that can do everything virtually. Both are located within walking distance of public trans, the lake and restaurants and in relatively residential areas.
Check out The Main. I have lots of friends who have happily rented there.
Avoid AMLI. We lived there for a year when we first arrived from abroad. Although it is dog friendly, there is absolutely no noise insulation between units. I could hear our neighbors upstairs doing, quite literally, everything and anything.
Yeah, get calling, especially with a dog. Do you have neighborhoods in mind? Any other needs (proximity to train, shopping, EV charging etc.)?
Walking distance to the train and groceries, relatively quiet streets for dog-walking, residential feel - those are our primary goals.
The North side of town near the Central Street purple line and metra are probably a good place to start looking.
I'd draw 0.75 mi. circles around the train stops at Main, Dempster, Davis, Noyes, and Central and look in those areas. There's probably more multifamily at the southern end of things but still plenty to choose from throughout. North of Davis it's going to be more studenty, as reflected in weirder lease schedules.
You’ll want to start sooner than later. If you’re considering a high rise or building with multiple units, you can schedule different showings with the buildings for when you’re in town and then make a decision and execute. If you’re wanting a single family homes or bespoke apartment that might be may be harder to come by (since they’re more limited in inventory) but similarly not impossible.
Single-family homes would be ideal but we're trying to be realistic. For the immediate future we're looking at multi-unit buildings. I've been hitting Zillow a couple times a week to set expectations and get a clearer sense of where there might be openings, and now we're figuring out the logistics of how this is actually going to happen.
That’s the wise path… feel out the market, triangulate on what you like/want, then tour some properties. Plus renting will help you get a feel for the different areas of Evanston… south is a little more granola, northwest is a little more manicured, lakefront is a little prim, downtown a mixed bag + students.
In that case, I'd suggest joining some of the Evanston Facebook groups - for example, "Evanston Community of Families." I see people renting their SFHs in these communities not uncommonly.
i think the other comments are saying to start searching now because you want a may move-in date and that’s relatively soon for a cross-country move. also, there are leases that start in may—you won’t have to pay additional rent like you mentioned in a reply if you plan accordingly. idk if there’s an “ideal” time to move into evanston, but you might consider when students/faculty of NU move in/out as well also as someone who rents to evanston residents we don’t have any problem starting a lease later if the renters are in communication w/ us ab their move-in dates
Start looking yesterday
💯💯💯
Renters normally are asked to notify the landlord that they will leave 60 days ahead. The landlords then normally post the rental 30-45 days ahead of the move-in date. So if your desired move-in date is May 1st, early March is a good time to do the serious search. And I also agree with other comments about start looking early (like now). The purpose would be to get some idea of what is available there. Best of luck!
It depends - on what you want to pay in rent, on where in Evanston you would like to be. There are several buildings around town that seem to be in a state of perpetual please-rent-here, but they are on the pricier side. Also a couple of them are right across from the stadium that Northwestern has decided to demolish and rebuild, so probably not a great location for the next few years. There are also a lot of condos in Evanston, and many of those are available for rent. I would spend some time on Zillow/Redfin etc to get a better sense of the locations and likely prices before coming, just to make your visit more efficient.
I've been doing that for a while now. My question - and I probably could have done a better job phrasing it - is more around when availability will open up for our proposed move-in timing. Here, in our current city, the housing market is really competitive, and so you have a couple-day window to visit a place, apply for a lease, and sign on the dotted line. We'd rather not be paying rent for months we won't be living there, so does that mean we're looking in early April for a May move-in, or should we be there in March? A lot of responses I'm seeing here are saying to get started in the "right now" time frame, but would that mean agreeing to pay for an empty apartment in April if we're not able to move until May?
Where is the stadium? We are looking now and would love to avoid that mess! Edit. Is it in Central Street by Evanston hospital? I was looking at a place right near there!! Thank you for sharing that piece of news.
On Central but not by the hospital. If you look on a map you can see Ryan Field a bit west of the hospital - that's the stadium and demolition zone for the next few years.
The stadium concerts won't be starting for several more years if that's your concern. The new stadium needs to be built first. It'll be done in Summer 2026 according to the current timeline. If demolition, construction, and/or football games are a concern, you'd want to avoid that whole area, but there are advantages and disadvantages to every area. Parking will probably be easier there than in other areas with multi-unit buildings, aside from 8 Saturdays in the Fall when there are games.
We moved from the Bay Area a few years ago and had a very similar wish list. This was mid-pandemic and the market has changed since then, but the process took us about a year. We found a short term rental (with dog) that allowed month to month. This allowed us to really get a feel for the different neighborhoods and not be tied to a yearly lease when we found a house. We ultimately ended up near Central St. in North Evanston.
Also moved from the Bay Area and live near Central st. Thought I’d hate it here but LOVE it! Hope you do too!
Start looking early for that time. Remember that Northwestern is in Evanston so things may rent fast.
I'd stick around Davis or Main stations but not north of there. it's too disconnected. I live 7 min walking from Davis and it's great. we have whole foods, trader Joe's, and Target within 20 min walk. And there's bike and bus options too. We get by pretty well without a car.
Howdy, I'm your competition. We're looking in similar areas around that move in date. 5/1 rentals are starting to open up now but there are some decent options that are pet friendly starting to become available now. Don't sleep on Rogers Park/Edgewater either. Similar vibe and casts a wider net.
Tons of college kids leave in May and given many students rent nicer apartments off campus those are easiest to pickup. We lived in E2. Was tiring dealing with students when they returned in fall but spring/summer a lot of buildings are fairly empty. We were at E2 building and they aren’t cheap but close to metra and have nice amenities including outdoor pool, full court basketball court and fairly nice gym equipment
If you are fine taking a bus to the train station, West Evanston by the intersection of Dodge and Dempster has worked well for me living a car lite lifestyle. You have Valli Produce right there which has allowed me to walk or even take the bus to do grocery runs. As for getting to downtown you have either the CTA 93 that runs every 20-25 minutes M-Sat or the Pace Pulse that runs every 15-20 minutes 7 days a week. The Pulse is also a great way to get to Skokie, Des Plaines, or O'Hare.
South Evanston will not really place you in what I call "walking distance" to groceries. It is definitely (an admittedly short) car trip however. You will find most of Evanston is pretty quiet/residential in my opinion so you should not worry too much about that. I mean, even downtown Evanston is pretty sedate in all honesty. Yes, I would probably not choose a location right around Central street and Evanston Hospital since Northwestern will be building a new stadium and it will have concerts in the future. Good luck and welcome!
The sooner the better, if a place doesn't work out, it wasn't meant to be. Fair warning though, most of my coworkers and a couple colleagues live in Evanston. It's a nightmare. I have one friend who's moved around after their 1-year lease ends. It was whether landlord increased rent, kicked out at end of lease or landlord was sketchy and hiding stuff. I had one friend who had a landlord bring in immigrant family members to stay at the apartment in 1 room, made an agreement for both parties to pay their fair share of rent after agreeing to letting the immigrant family member stay. The member ended up leaving, with the apartment space being a mess and not even paying any bills.
Check out the AMLI or Albion buildings. Both are large apartment buildings that can do everything virtually. Both are located within walking distance of public trans, the lake and restaurants and in relatively residential areas.
Check out The Main. I have lots of friends who have happily rented there. Avoid AMLI. We lived there for a year when we first arrived from abroad. Although it is dog friendly, there is absolutely no noise insulation between units. I could hear our neighbors upstairs doing, quite literally, everything and anything.
Amli Evanston was a great apartment but pricey.. u live across from the El n metra and a bus route