Since its beginning closely tied to Northwestern University, Evanston became, after Chicago's late-19th century annexations, the city's nearest independant neighbor to the north and a kind of liminal community bridging the suburban North Shore and the densely populated city of Chicago. South Evanston has much in common in terms of character and demographics with its neighbor to the south, the Chicago neighborhood Rogers Park, whereas North Evanston, where the landmark Gross Point lighthouse is located, seems to have more of a kinship with Wilmette, the North Shore suburb immediately to the north. Central Evanston, however, which hosts Northwestern and a large matrix of shopping and dining venues, has a character all its own. The downtown corridor along Church Street bills itself as the North Shore's "dining capital", and the residential neighborhoods near Evanston's gracious beaches to the east showcase exquisite architecture old and new, for instance the one-time residence of U.S. Vice President Charles Gates Dawes (pictured).
