Photo: Madcoverboy · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Evanston, IL: what to set up and who to call
The Evanston water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 6.5 ppb, was higher than 95% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Evanston has its own drop-off, Evanston Transfer Station, on 1711 Church Street.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Evanston, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Evanston.
Power comes from Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Evanston. Its homes paid an average of 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Illinois, for customers on its standard service). Illinois lets you buy power from another supplier; 20% of Commonwealth Edison’s home customers do, and Commonwealth Edison still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Evanston water system
The Evanston water system supplies almost all of Evanston. It draws surface water and serves 74,486 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2026, was 6.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 10.0 ppb. That’s higher than 95% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. IL0310810.
5 home internet providers serve Evanston
100% of 14,571 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 6% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 1,500/50 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless, Fiber | 88% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 73% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 65% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Evanston is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Evanston, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (Mon, Tue, Wed or Thu)The town’s pickup schedule (PDF)
- Bulky itemsCall to book
Evanston Transfer Station
1711 Church Street, Evanston, IL, 60201
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
From cityofevanston.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2024. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Evanston is in two districts that split the grades: Evanston Community Consolidated School District 65 and Evanston Township High School District 202.
A−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Apr 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Evanston spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Evanston residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Evanston | ZIP’s residents in Evanston |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60201 | Evanston, IL | 57% | 100% |
| 60202 | Evanston, IL | 43% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 60208. 60204, 60209 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Evanston
Who supplies Evanston’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Evanston water system (EPA ID IL0310810). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 6.5 ppb (Jan–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Evanston?
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Evanston?
Xfinity, Astound Broadband, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Evanston?
60201 (57%), 60202 (43%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Evanston in?
Evanston Community Consolidated School District 65 and Evanston Township High School District 202.
How do I register to vote in Evanston?
In Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before). Elections here are run by the Cook County Clerk. Check your registration at ova.elections.il.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Evanston’s own website (cityofevanston.org), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.