Chinese New Year in Evanston is one of the biggest events of the year, in honor of the historic importance of the Chinese laborers who came to help build the railroads. A Parade of the Dragon winds in and out of the historic railroad buildings downtown. Rickshaw races careen down the old streets past the Joss Temple Museum and traditional fireworks explode in the night sky.
Nestled in Bear River Valley, Evanston owes its soul to the Railroad
Chinese New Year in Evanston is one of the biggest events of the year, in honor of the historic importance of the Chinese laborers who came to help build the railroads. A Parade of the Dragon winds in and out of the historic railroad buildings downtown. Rickshaw races careen down the old streets past the Joss Temple Museum and traditional fireworks explode in the night sky.
Nestled in Bear River Valley, Evanston owes its soul to the Railroad. The first tent was pitched here in November of 1868 as crews building the Union Pacific Railroad approached from the east. Coal mines opened in nearby Almy to fuel the steam engines. As you can tell Evanston is a hardworking city, but it offers plenty in the way of shopping and entertainment to help you relax once the day is over.
Moving to Evanston
When you're ready to rent an apartment, you'll need your credit score, a letter verifying employment and salary and a copy of your last paycheck stub to secure your dream place. When it gets serious, you'll need cash in the form of a cashier's or bank check. Prepare for first month's rent and security deposit. Bringing your pet? Bring more money for a deposit.
How Much Will it Cost?
Average rates for rental housing in Evanston are lower than the average for Wyoming and for the nation as a whole. Evanston offers many different types of apartment rentals in varied apartment buildings but you won't find many condos for rent. Winters are long and cold here, so be prepared for a larger heating bill.
When Should I Start Looking?
If you want to live here, start your apartment search now. It may take a while because apartments are in demand. Six weeks or longer out from your proposed move-in date isn't too early to find a place to hang your hat. You'll probably have better luck at securing something if you start searching towards the end of the spring semester or during the summer before the fall semester.
Neighborhoods in Evanston
With a Liveability score of 77, Evanston ranks 5th in Wyoming for quality of life. Almost every area of town has comfortable rental housing available. Since Evanston's WalkScore varies around town, you'll need to decide if that's an important consideration for you.
South Valley: This is a favorite area for apartment complexes. It' s just a short distance south of Evanston's town center. Most are pet-friendly apartments where a small dog or cat may be allowed.
Main Street: This area has a score of 62 very walkable so you should have no problems getting to nearby services and restaurants. West Sage Street 's WalkScore is 68 with shopping and services very close to rental properties. Gage Avenue has only a 23, so you will be very car-dependent if you move to this neighborhood. Do remember that in winter, walkable or not, it will be a lot more difficult and slippery to get around.
Evanston Life
Culture
Evanston treasures its historical ties to the railroad and has preserved many of the original buildings in its downtown National Historic District. The Union Pacific Passenger Depot, built in 1900, is a short walk from the historic Roundhouse and Railyards. A 1915 steam engine is the main attraction in Railroad Park, in north Evanston. Although there's nothing left of Chinatown, an archaeological dig is underway in a field across the street from Joss House Museum, a replica of the Chinese temple that once stood on the site.
Shopping
Downtown offers a variety of shopping, dining, special services and entertainment including
Depot Square, the historic heart of Evanston. Antares Fossils and Minerals "rocks" with a big collection that specialists come from all over the world to buy as teaching tools. And the talking dinosaurs are fun, too.
Dine Out
You have to go to Suds Brothers for the root beer. Homemade care and goodness make this a special treat. It's also the place for munching on calamari, sweet potato fries, beer soup, a great hummus wrap and steak sandwich. Meanwhile, Legal Tender's interior is sort of hunting lodge-ish with all booths and the food is delicious. Steaks are perfectly prepared, served with tasty shrimp, and baked potatoes. The salad bar is included, and the service is pleasant, with no hurries.
Get Outdoors
Wyoming life is all about the great outdoors. Walking, running, biking, picnicking, fishing, kayaking, wildlife watching; you'll find it all at the Bear River Greenway and Bear River State Park.
Spend a day on the links of Evanston's professionally designed Purple Sage Golf Course.
Getting Around
Evanston is just east of the Utah border. Scenic Interstate 80 connects Evanston with national highways so you can get wherever you need to go in the surrounding areas easily. The average travel time to work in Evanston is 5.3 percent less than the Wyoming average and 30.8 percent less than the National average. Ninety-four percent of the 12,358 residents drive and carpool with colleagues for an 18-minute commute to work.
The closest Amtrak Station is more than 30 miles east from Evanston. In this part of the country, Greyhound buses are the long distance travel mode of choice. The closest passenger airport is Salt Lake City International, 62 miles west.
