Evanston’s downtown growth offset by neighborhood losses

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Updated: March 10, 2012 8:25AM

A demographic snapshot of Evanston during the 2010 census found more residents living in the downtown area and fewer living in one-half of all neighborhoods throughout the city.

The census captured higher headcounts in southeast and northwest Evanston than were recorded during the last official count in 2000.

Meanwhile, areas of northeast, south and west Evanston showed population losses, according to an Evanston Review analysis of demographic changes in the city’s 18 census areas.

Two west side neighborhoods that have been predominantly African-American, including an area once known as the Black Triangle, lost black residents during the past decade. The neighborhoods now are generally more diverse, and home to a growing number of residents of Hispanic origin as well as non-Hispanic whites.

In 2000, the “5th Ward” neighborhood between Church Street, McCormick Boulevard and Green Bay Road was 82 percent black, 8 percent Hispanic and 6 percent white.

But the area, known as the “Black Triangle” when Evanston was largely segregated, lost more than 1,100 black residents during the last decade.

When the 2010 tally was taken, the area was 64 percent black, 20 percent Hispanic and 10 percent white.

More diverse area

A second area of west Evanston, north of Dempster and south of Church streets, similarly became more diverse during the past decade, with the black population dropping from 54 to 41 percent, the Hispanic population nearly doubling from 9 to 17 percent and the white population growing from 28 to 33 percent.

Other areas that lost significant numbers of black residents were in south and southwest Evanston.

Though persons of Hispanic origin can be of any race, the Review analysis focused on a particular set of figures from the U.S. Census Bureau that count Hispanics separately and exclude them from racial categories.

Across Evanston, the Hispanic population swelled by 48 percent during the decade, to 6,739 persons.

Meanwhile, the number of non-Hispanic black residents identifying themselves by a single race dropped by 20 percent, to 13,139 residents.

Asian tally grows

The city’s Asian population, which is concentrated in neighborhoods around Northwestern University, grew by 41 percent, to 6,355 residents.

Evanston’s multifamily housing boom of the past decade drew more people to condominiums and apartments in Evanston’s downtown district, as well as a stretch of Chicago Avenue. One downtown area east of the Metra train tracks saw a 29-percent growth spurt, fueled by a spate of new condominium and rental buildings, including Sherman Plaza, the Reserve and three Optima buildings. The added headcount came on top of a 34 percent increase during the 1990s.

High growth also was seen in southeast Evanston, where new multifamily buildings have sprouted in the Chicago Avenue corridor.

But population gains in those areas were offset largely by declines elsewhere in the City. The total population inched up by only 247 people, or three-tenths of 1 percent.

Many of the losses were seen in neighborhoods hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis. Across the city, nearly one in 10 housing units was vacant when the census tally was taken. The vacancy rate was as high as 15 and 16 percent in three neighborhoods, including areas in south and west Evanston that have been targeted for a turnaround using federal Neighborhood Stabilization funds. The city and Brinshore Development are using $18 million in federal funds to purchase, rehab and reoccupy bank-owned foreclosed properties in those areas.