Evanston is a city in the Chicagoland area. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is 12 miles north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wilmette to the north, and Lake Michigan to the east. Incorporated in 1863, Evanston had a population of 78,110 as of 2020. Evanston is home to Northwestern University, founded before the city's incorporation in 1855, and is one of the world's leading research universities. Known for its socially liberal politics and ethnically diverse population, Evanston nears 90% support for Democratic presidential candidates and became one of the first cities to institute a reparations program, which offers housing subsidies for Black residents who faced housing discrimination prior to 1960.