Editing Evanston, Illinois (section)

===Transportation===
[[File:Evanston 1170.jpg|thumb|right|Shops along Davis Street, looking west, August 2006. The Davis Street [[Metra]] stop is visible in the lower half of the photograph.]]

Evanston's growth occurred largely because of its accessibility from Chicago by rail. The Northwestern founders did not finalize their commitment to siting the university there until they were assured the [[Chicago & Milwaukee Railway]] line would run there. C&M trains began stopping in Evanston in 1855.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.library.northwestern.edu/about/welcome/history-the-library-0 | title = History of Northwestern University Library | access-date = December 14, 2008 | date = March 3, 2001 | publisher = Northwestern University Library | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110709015418/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/about/welcome/history-the-library-0 | archive-date = July 9, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Evanston later experienced rapid growth as one of the first [[streetcar suburb]]s. The [[Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad|North Shore Line]], the interurban railroad that gave the area its [[North Shore (Chicago)|nickname]], ran through Evanston and continued to [[Waukegan, Illinois|Waukegan]] and [[Milwaukee]].

The city is still connected to Chicago by rail transit. The [[Chicago Transit Authority|CTA]]'s [[Purple Line (CTA)|Purple Line]], part of the [[Chicago 'L']] system, runs through Evanston. From its terminal at [[Howard (CTA station)|Howard]] in Chicago, the line heads north to the [[South Boulevard (CTA station)|South Boulevard]], [[Main (CTA station)|Main]], [[Dempster (CTA Purple Line station)|Dempster]], [[Davis (CTA station)|Davis]], [[Foster (CTA station)|Foster]], [[Noyes (CTA station)|Noyes]], and [[Central (CTA Purple Line station)|Central]] stations, before terminating at the [[Linden (CTA station)|Linden]] station in [[Wilmette, Illinois|Wilmette]]. During weekday rush hours, the Purple Line extends another {{convert|10.3|mi|km}} south on the [[North Side Main Line]] from Howard to [[Chicago Loop|downtown Chicago]] running [[express train|express]] from Howard to {{cta|Belmont|Red}}, with a single stop at {{cta|Wilson}}, and then making all local stops from [[Belmont station (CTA North Side Main Line)|Belmont]] to the [[The Loop (CTA)|Loop]]. The express service is known as the '''Purple Line Express''' (or the '''Evanston Express''').  [[Metra]]'s [[Union Pacific North Line]] also serves Evanston, with stations at [[Evanston Main Street (Metra)|Main Street]], [[Evanston Davis Street (Metra)|Davis Street]] and [[Evanston Central Street (Metra)|Central Street]], the first two being adjacent to Purple Line stations. The CTA's [[Yellow Line (CTA)|Yellow Line]] also runs through the city, though it does not stop there. Evanston is served by six CTA bus routes as well as four [[Pace (transit)|Pace]] bus routes.

Automobile routes from Chicago to Evanston include [[Lake Shore Drive]], the [[Edens Expressway]] ([[Interstate 94|I-94]]), and McCormick Boulevard, although the first two of those do not extend to Evanston itself and require driving through [[Rogers Park, Chicago|Rogers Park]] (via Sheridan Road or Ridge Avenue) and Skokie, respectively. The main routes from the north are the Edens, Green Bay Road, and Sheridan Road. Active modes of transportation include miles of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.