CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - USA
Chicago is the third largest city in the
United States with an official population of 2,896,016 as of the 2000 US
Census and when combined with its suburbs a metro area population rapidly
approaching ten million. A recent (2003) population estimates put the
number for the city proper at 2,869,121 while suburban populations
continue to grow with estimates at 9,650,137 for the combined city and
suburbs, although there is skepticism about the accuracy of this estimate
with regard to the city proper. (See the Demographics section for more
details..
Chicago is located in the
state of Illinois on the shores of Lake Michigan. When combined with its
surrounding suburbs and with Milwaukee Wisconsin, Chicago is part of a
megalopolis cluster of cities.
The city of Chicago is the county seat of Cook County. The Chicago
metropolitan area is known colloquially as Chicagoland, after a term
promoted by the Chicago Tribune in the early 20th century. The name Chicago
comes from "Checagou" (Chick-Ah-Goo-Ah) or "Checaguar" which in the language
of the Potawatomi Indians means 'wild onions' or 'skunk.' The area was so
named because of the smell of rotting marshland onions that used to cover it.
Four ships called the USS Chicago were named after the city by the U.S. Navy.
History
Chicago was first settled by Europeans when Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a
Haitian of African descent, settled on the Chicago River. In 1795, the area
of Chicago was ceded by the Native Americans in the Treaty of Greenville to
the United States for a military post. In 1803, Fort Dearborn was built and
remained in use until 1837, except between 1812 and 1816 when it was
destroyed in the Fort Dearborn Massacre during the War of 1812.
On August 12, 1833, the Town of Chicago was incorporated as a town with a
population of 350. Within 7 years of being incorporated, the primarily
French and Native American town had a population of over 4,000. Chicago was
granted a city charter by Illinois on March 4, 1837. The opening of the
Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848, allowed shipping from the Great Lakes
through Chicago to the Mississippi River and so to the Gulf of Mexico. The
first rail line to Chicago, the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad was
completed the same year. Chicago would go on to become the transportation
hub of the United States with its road, rail, water and later air
connections. Chicago also became home to nationwide retailers offering
catalog shopping utilizing these connections like Montgomery Ward and Sears,
Roebuck and Company.
Because of the geography of Chicago early citizens faced many problems. The
prairie bog nature of the area provided a fertile ground for disease-carrying
insects. Early on, Chicago's population and commerce growth was stymied by
lack of good transportation infrastructure, history shows that this problem
soon remedied itself. In the spring Chicago was so muddy from the high water
that horses would often be stuck waist deep in the street. One dirt road was
so hazardous that it became known as the "Slough of Despond". Comical signs
proclaiming "Fastest route to China" or "No Bottom Here" were placed out to
warn passersby of the deep mud.
To address these transportation problems, the board of Cook County
commissioners, at its second meeting after being created by the Illinois
legislature on January 15, 1831, decided to improve two country roads toward
the west and southwest. The first road went west, crossing the "dismal Nine-mile
Swamp," crossed the Des Plaines River, and went southwest to Walker's Grove,
which is today known as Plainfield. There is a dispute about the route of
the second road to the south.
Early Chicago was also plagued by sewer and water problems. Many people
described it as the filthiest city in America. To solve this problem Chicago
embarked on the creation of a massive sewer system. In the first phase
sewage pipes were laid across the city above ground with gravity moving the
waste. Then in 1855 the level of the city was raised 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2.1
m), with individual buildings jacked up and fill brought in to raise streets
above the swamp and the newly laid sewer pipes.
Next the city decided to work on their water problem. Because Lake Michigan—the
primary source of fresh water for the city—was already highly polluted from
the rapidly growing industries in and around Chicago, a new way of procuring
clean water was needed. The city embarked on a large tunnel excavation
project and started building tunnels underneath Lake Michigan to newly built
Water Cribs. The water cribs were 2 miles (3.2 km) off the shore of Lake
Michigan but they still didn't bring enough clean water because spring rains
would wash the polluted water from the Chicago River into them. To solve
this problem the direction of flow of the Chicago River was reversed in 1900
by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent sewage from running into Lake
Michigan.
By 1857 Chicago was the largest city in then what was known as the Northwest.
In a period of 20 years Chicago grew from 4,000 people to over 90,000.
The 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago nominated home state
candidate Abraham Lincoln.
In 1871, most of the city burned in the Great Chicago Fire. By this time the
city had grown to a population of over 300,000. As a result of the fire much
of the city needed to be rebuilt; this gave city planners a clean slate to
fix the problems of the past. In the following years, Chicago architecture
would become influential throughout the world because of this. The first
skyscraper in the world was constructed in 1885 using novel steel skeleton
construction.
On December 2, 1942, the world's first controlled nuclear reaction was
conducted at the University of Chicago as part of the top secret Manhattan
Project.
Mayor Richard J. Daley was elected in 1955, in the era of so-called machine
politics. During Daley's tenure (he died in office in 1976), the 1968
Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, four major expressways
were built, the Sears Tower became the world's tallest building and O'Hare
Airport (which later became the world's busiest airport) was constructed. In
1983, Harold Washington became the first African American mayor of Chicago.
Richard M. Daley, son of Richard J. Daley, became mayor in 1989.
Important Historical Events
1673: French-Canadian explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet, on
their way to Québec, pass through the area that will become Chicago.
1682: French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, passes
through Chicago en route to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
1683: French Jesuits establish Fort de Chicago, the area's first true
European settlement.
1696: Jesuit missionary Francois Pinet founds the Mission of the Guardian
Angel. It is abandoned four years later.
1705: Conflicts develop between French traders and the Fox tribe of native
Americans. Fort de Chicago is abandoned.
1779: Haitian immigrant Jean Baptiste Point du Sable establishes Chicago's
first permanent settlement near the mouth of the Chicago River.
1795: Six square miles of land at the mouth of the Chicago River are
reserved by the Treaty of Greenville for use by the United States.
1796: The Potawatomi Indian wife of du Sable delivers Eulalia Pointe du
Sable, Chicago's first recorded birth.
1803: The U.S. Army constructs Ft. Dearborn near the mouth of the Chicago
River.
1812: August 15, the Fort Dearborn Massacre.
1816: Ft. Dearborn is rebuilt.
1818: Illinois joins the union.
1855: Lager Beer Riot.
1860: September 8, the Lady Elgin Disaster.
1863: Mercy Hospital becomes the first hospital in Illinois.
1868: Rand McNally is formed as a railway guide company.
1871: October 8-October 10, the Great Chicago Fire.
1886: May 4, the Haymarket Riot.
1891: The World Columbian Exposition, lasted until 1892.
1893: First Ferris Wheel built by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr..
1894: May 11-August 2, the Pullman Strike.
1915: July 24, the Eastland Disaster.
1919: July 27, the Chicago Race Riot of 1919.
1929: February 14, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
1933: Century of Progress.
1935: January 19, Coopers Inc. sells the world's first briefs.
1958: Our Lady of the Angels School Fire.
1966: Founding of Chicago Surrealist Group.
1968: August 26-August 29, 1968 Democratic National Convention.
1969: The Chicago 8 trial opens.
1979: May 25, the AA Flight 191 crashes.
1992: April 13, the Chicago Flood.
1995: The Chicago Heat Wave of 1995.
2003: Meigs Field closed.
Nicknames
"The Windy City" - It is often recited that this nickname was first used by
Charles Gibson Dana, editor of the New York Sun and former editor of the
Chicago Republican in 1890 in reference to the city's claims for the World
Columbian Exposition. In this theory, it is said the nickname was inspired
by the speechmaking proclivities of its politicians more than by its
prevailing weather conditions. Ardent word sleuth Barry Popik, however, has
found a reference to the "Windy City" in the Cleveland Gazette dated 19
September 1885 and the Cincinnati Enquirer dated 12 February 1877 (pg. 5,
col. 2). The name may indicate the summer breezes as is described at Weather
Doctor's Weather History
(http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/history/chicago-nickname.htm).
"Second City" - So called because it was, for many years, the second-largest
city in the United States (after New York City), and also because of its
rebirth after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The term was originated in an
article by A.J. Liebling that appeared in The New Yorker. The
improvisational comedy troupe The Second City, based in Chicago, took their
name from this article as well.
"Chi-town" or simply "Chitown" - Pronunciation of this nickname can vary
from "TCHI-town" to "SHAI-town" to "CHEE-town."
"City of Big Shoulders" - From a Carl Sandburg poem.
"Hog-Butcher To The World" - From a Carl Sandburg poem.
"Slaughterhouse to the World"
"Cowtown"
"City by the Lake" - Used in the Smashing Pumpkins' song "Tonight, Tonight."
"City of the Century"
"My Kind of Town" - According to the song "My Kind of Town (Chicago Is)"
(music by James Van Heusen, words by Sammy Cahn, 1964) popularized by Frank
Sinatra.
"That Toddling Town" - According to the lyrics of the song "Chicago" (music
and words by Fred Fisher, 1922) also popularized by Frank Sinatra (as well
as Tony Bennett). Surprisingly enough Chicago does not have an official
song, according to the Chicago Public Library.
"Sweet Home, Chicago" for those who live or have ever lived there, and have
wandered away.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
606.1 km² (234.0 mi²). 588.3 km² (227.1 mi²) of it is land and 17.8 km² (6.9
mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.94% water.
Urban Setting
As mentioned later in the Street Layout subsection in the Transportation
section, Madison Street in the heart of Chicago separates the city into
North and South sides. More than just an address landmark, it serves as
Chicago's own version of the Mason-Dixon Line. Part of this is in someway
linked to history of segregation in Chicago; the South Side has large
African American neighborhoods while the North Side tends to be hugely
Caucasian. Unfortunately, history has not been too kind to the South Side,
so while it is undergoing a resurgeance in recent years, it was the sight of
many urban renewal projects that decimated the urban geography as well as
upset the local economy. This is not particularly helped by the fact that
common literature tends to spread the notion that the South Side is largely
undesirable or unsafe (usually stemming from the segregationist sentiments
about all-African American areas) despite the fact that large areas of the
South Side are stable and/or middle-to-upper class. Regardless, residents
identify with their side, and this fact is expressed in the tendency for
South Siders to be strict adherents to the White Sox (whose stadium is on
the South Side), and the tendency for North Siders to be strict adherents to
the Cubs (whose stadium is on the North Side).
The West Side, that is, the area loosely west of the Loop and South Loop,
while long considered a part of either the South Side or not even considered
at all, as well as home to some of the most neglected and blighted
neighborhoods in the city, is beginning to develop its identity, thanks in
part to massive economic development in the Near West Side (bordering the
Loop), city investment in the area, and a surging immigrant population. In
fact, office/high-rise development in Chicago is slowly creeping across the
river into the Near West Side, where transit connections are as strong, if
not stronger, than the actual Loop itself.
When it comes to skyscrapers, Chicago is king, being the first US city to
reach new heights, shortly joined by New York City. Chicago, along with New
York City and Hong Kong, makes up the "big three" when it comes to city
skylines.
Realistically by modern standards, Chicago has very little reason to build
up: being located in the Midwest, Chicago has plenty of room to sprawl
outwards on almost Euclidean-esque flat ground. There is, of course, the
Chicago River, which may bring some argument as to geographic restriction,
but the impact of which was strongly lessened by the strict adherence to the
Chicago grid across the river. Mostly though, Chicago runs on energy and
inertia. Even today, Chicago is going through a massive skyscraper building
boom, with projects like 55 East Erie (the tallest residential building in
the US outside New York City) and Trump International Hotel (to be completed
in 2007, to be the fourth tallest in Chicago and the tallest building built
in the US for nearly three decades) breaking ground frequently. All this can
really be attributed to precedent: Chicago has always had a history of
frantic skyscraper building, mostly beginning after the Great Chicago Fire,
and since this time developers simply follow the pattern set before them.
Community areas
Chicago is divided into 77 Community Areas. The community areas were defined
by sociologists at the University of Chicago during the 1920s, and at that
time corresponded to neighborhoods. Now, many of the communities no longer
correspond to any neighborhood, and many have fallen out of use as a useful
signifier. However, census data and zipcodes are tied to the community
areas, and they are considered more durable than the names of neighborhoods
which can change very rapidly.
For purposes of relevancy, community area designation is useful more as a
historical curiosity, since its use for census data and zipcodes are quite
independent of the actual character of the once neighborhood. A full listing
and a map is available in the article Chicago community areas.
Brunswick Corporation HQ
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Equity Office Properties HQ
Equity Residential Properties Trust HQ
Grainger HQ
Illinois Tool Works HQ
Morton Salt 'HQ
Newell Rubermaid HQ
Northern Trust HQ
Orbitz HQ
Playboy HQ
Quaker Oats
Rotary International
Sara Lee HQ
US Cellular HQ
WHITTMAN-HART HQ
WM. Wrigley Jr. Company HQ
The following companies are based in Chicago's suburbs:
BP (Naperville, IL)
Kraft Foods (Northfield, IL)
McDonald's Corporation (Oak Brook, IL)
Motorola (Schaumburg, IL)
Sears (Hoffman Estates, IL)
United Airlines (Elk Grove Village, IL)
Walgreens (Deerfield, IL)
Health
The United States has the largest healthcare system in the world and Chicago
is arguably the capital of that system. The city is home to the sprawling
Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side as well as the American
Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Dental
Association, the American College of Surgeons. In addition, the University
of Illinois is the largest medical school in North America as well as many
other health-related organizations, schools and institutions.
Transportation
Chicago has long been considered the transportation hub of America. Much of
this stems from its geographic proximity during a time when the United
States was growing quickly. The Illinois and Michigan Canal completed in
1848 allowed for transport around the world with connecting waterways
through Chicago all the way to New York and the Atlantic, west to St. Louis
and south to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. Chicago then became one of
the largest grain and lumber ports in the world with grain sent to more
established populations and lumber being sent to the forest-starved prairies
where new settlers needed to build.
In the 1850's the railroads started growing from Chicago faster than
anywhere else in the world. By 1856 Chicago was the railroad hub of America
and by the end of the decade more than 100 trains were coming and going each
and every day. This network allowed Chicago to become the center of the
meatpacking industry.
In the 20th century Chicago held on to its status as a transportation hub
with the building of three major airports. O'Hare Airport, Midway Airport
and Meigs Field. Meigs Field, which was closed by Mayor Richard M. Daley in
a night coup, was a relatively small airstrip but unique because of its
proximity to Chicago's downtown and, as a private airstrip, it was one of
the busiest in the world. With it closed, plans to use the land are to
create new parkspace along the lake.
In the 21st century Chicago is working towards maintaining its status as a
transportation hub for the United States and the world by working to expand
O'Hare International Airport. Additionally, a new airport is being proposed
for Peotone and the city administration is working towards expanding its
ties with the Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary.
Interesting Facts
On the first day of implementing the modern street numbering system 75% of
the mail was incorrectly addressed.
There were 13 streets named Washington at the turn of the 20th Century.
Chicago's longest thoroughfare is Western Avenue at 23.5 miles.
