Evere's character was essentially rural until the end of the
First World War. It was famous for its
market gardeners, pioneers in the cultivation of
chicory (, ). It was also the centre of the history of aviation in Belgium between 1914 and 1945 welcoming, among others, on the neighbouring town of
Haren, the
Société Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques (
SABCA) and ''Societé Anonyme Belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation Aérienne
(SABENA). Charles Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis'' to Evere airfield after his historic 1927 transatlantic flight to Paris. He was welcomed by a crowd of over 25,000. After the
Second World War, the explosion of population and the scarcity of free building plots in the Brussels region accelerated the disappearance of agricultural land in Evere in favor of urbanisation. From 1968 onwards, the arrival of the
NATO headquarters on the disused site of the old aerodrome in Haren, also brought about the arrival of a number of companies of the
tertiary sector. ==Main sights==