Encyclopedia
Chicago is the largest
city in the
U.S. state of
Illinois, as well as the
third-most populous city in the United States, with nearly 2.9 million people. Located along the southwestern shore of
Lake Michigan, it is the seat of Cook County.
Chicago is known as the "Second City," the "Windy City," the "City of Big Shoulders", and "Chi-town". When combined with its
suburbs and nine surrounding counties in
Illinois,
Wisconsin, and
Indiana, the greater
metropolitan area known as
Chicagoland encompasses a population greater than 9.4 million, making it the third largest in the United States.
Since its 1833 founding as a frontier town of the
Old Northwest, Chicago has grown into one of the ten most influential
world cities. Chicago today is the financial, economic, and cultural capital of the
Midwest, and is recognized as a major transportation, business, and architectural center. The city's skyscrapers, local cuisine, political traditions, and sports teams are some of its most recognized symbols.
Origin of name
The indigenous
Potawatomi tribe called the
marshes on which Chicago was later built "Checagou ," which translates to "wild onion" or "garlic." European explorers assigned the name to the
Chicago River, followed by settlers' delegating it as the name of the city. Before Chicago's founding, the name of the river was spelled several ways, such as "Chetagu" or "Shikago."
The origin of Chicago's nickname as "The Windy City" is debated . The most common explanation had been that the phrase was created by New York newspapers in the 1880s during a national debate over which city would host the 1893
World's Fair, making reference to the long-windedness of the city's supporters. However, "Windy City" was used before this by the
Chicago Fire. As a result, the name remains in common usage.
History
During the mid-1700s, the Chicago area was inhabited primarily by
Potawatomis, who took the place of the Miami and
Sauk and Fox people. The first non-native settler in Chicago was Haitian. Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, who arrived in the 1770s, married a Potawatomi woman and founded the area's first trading post. In 1803, the United States Army built Fort Dearborn, which was destroyed in 1812 in the Fort Dearborn Massacre. The
Ottawa,
Ojibwa, and Potawatomi later ceded the land to the United States in the Treaty of St. Louis of 1816. On August 12, 1833, the Town of Chicago was organized with a population of 350, and within seven years it grew to a population of over 4,000. The City of Chicago was incorporated on March 4, 1837.
Starting in 1848, the city became an important transportation link between the eastern and western United States with the opening of the
Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, Chicago's first railway, and the
Illinois and Michigan Canal, which allowed shipping from the Great Lakes through Chicago to the
Mississippi River. With a flourishing economy that brought many new residents from rural communities and immigrants from
Europe, Chicago grew from a city of 299,000 to nearly 1.7 million between 1870 and 1900. The city's manufacturing and retail sectors dominated the Midwest and greatly influenced the American economy, with the
Union Stock Yards' dominating the packing trade.
After the
Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Chicago experienced rapid rebuilding and growth. During Chicago's rebuilding period, the first
skyscraper was constructed in 1885 using
steel-skeleton construction. In 1893, Chicago hosted the
World's Columbian Exposition on former marshland at the present location of Jackson Park. The World's Columbian Exposition drew 27.5 million visitors, and is considered among the most influential world's fairs in history. The
University of Chicago was founded one year earlier in 1892 on the same location. The term "midway" for a fair or carnival referred originally to the Midway, a strip of park land that still runs through the University of Chicago campus.
The city was the site of labor conflicts and unrest during this period, which included the
Haymarket Riot on May 4, 1886. Concern for social problems among Chicago's lower classes led to the founding of
Hull House in 1889, of which
Jane Addams was a co-founder. The city also invested in many large, finely-landscaped municipal parks, which also included public sanitation facilities.
Lake Michigan - the primary source of fresh water for the city - was already highly polluted from population growth and the rapidly growing industries in and around Chicago. The city responded by embarking on several large public works projects, including a large excavation project which built tunnels below Lake Michigan to newly built water cribs which were two miles off the lakeshore. However, the cribs failed to bring enough clean water since spring rains would wash the polluted water from the
Chicago River into them. Beginning in 1855, Chicago constructed the first comprehensive sewer system in the U.S. In 1900, the problem of sewage was solved by reversing the direction of the River's flow with the construction of the
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal leading to the
Illinois River.
The 1920s brought international notoriety to Chicago as gangsters such as
Al Capone battled each other and the law during the
Prohibition era. Nevertheless, the 1920s also saw a large increase in Chicago industry as well as the first arrivals of the Great Migration that would lead thousands of mostly Southern blacks to Chicago and other Northern cities. 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. Starting in the 1950s, many upper and middle-class citizens left the inner-city of Chicago for the
suburbs and left many impoverished neighborhoods in their wake. Nevertheless, the city hosted the 1968 Democratic National Convention and saw the construction of the
Sears Tower , McCormick Place, and
O'Hare Airport. In 1979 Jane Byrne, the city's first female mayor, was elected. She popularized the city as a movie location and tourist destination, but also failed to manage its finances well. In 1983
Harold Washington became the first
African American to be elected to the office of mayor; during his time in office, Chicago spent the same amount of public funds in each of its wards for the first time in its history. Current mayor
Richard M. Daley, son of Richard J. Daley, was first elected in 1989. New projects during the younger Daley's administration have made Chicago larger, more environmentally friendly, and more accessible.
Since the early 1990s, Chicago has seen a turnaround with increased ethnic diversity and many formerly abandoned neighborhoods starting to show new life. As a part of its environmentally friendly image, Chicago declared
Peregrine Falcon, a protected species that started to build its nests in Chicago skyscrapers, the official bird of the city in 1999. Under the current Mayor
Daley, Chicago has seen considerable investment in infrastructure, revitalizing downtown theatres and retail districts, and improving lakefront and riverfront cityscapes.
Geography and climate
Located in northeastern Illinois at the southwestern tip of
Lake Michigan, Chicago's official geographic coordinates are . It sits on the
continental divide at the site of the Chicago Portage, connecting the
Mississippi River and the
Great Lakes watersheds. The city lies beside Lake Michigan and two rivers: the Chicago River in downtown and the
Calumet River in the industrial far South Side flow entirely or partially through Chicago. The
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal connects the Chicago River with the
Des Plaines River, which runs to the west of the city.
When Chicago was founded in the 1830s, most of the early building began around the mouth of the
Chicago River. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, Chicago has a total area of 234.0 square miles , of which 227.1 square miles is land and 6.9 square miles is water. The total area is 2.94% water.
The city has been built on relatively flat land; the average elevation of land is 579
feet above sea level. The lowest points are along the lake shore at 577 feet , while the highest point at 735 feet is in the
landfill on the city's far south side .
Since the first recorded
earthquake in 1804, Chicago has occasionally experienced earthquakes. More recently, an earthquake with an epicenter in Ottawa, Illinois, registering about 4.3 on the Richter scale shook some buildings in Chicago on June 28, 2004. This earthquake sparked worries that the
New Madrid fault might become active again. An earthquake of 6 or higher in the Missouri Fault might cause moderate to high damage in Chicago.
Climate
Chicago, like much of the
Midwest, has a climate that is prone to extreme, often volatile, weather conditions. The city experiences four distinct
seasons. In July, the warmest month, high temperatures average 84 °F and low temperatures 63 °F . In January, the coldest month, high temperatures average 29 °F with low temperatures averaging 13 °F . According to the
National Weather Service, Chicago's highest official temperature reading of 105 °F was recorded on July 24, 1934. The lowest temperature of −27 °F degrees was recorded on January 20, 1985.
Chicago's yearly precipitation averages about 38
inches . Summer is the rainiest season, with short-lived rainfall and
thunderstorms more common than prolonged rainy periods. Winter is the driest season, with most of the precipitation falling as snow. Chicago's highest one day precipitation total was 6.49 inches which fell on August 14, 1987.
Cityscape
The city’s urban context is organized within a
grid pattern. The pattern is modified by the shoreline, the three branches of the
Chicago River, the system of active/inactive rail lines, several diagonal streets , the expressways, and hundreds of bridges and viaducts. In addition, the baselines for numbering streets and buildings are State Street and Madison . Street numbers begin at "1" at the baselines and run numerically in directions indicated to the city limits, with N, S, E, and W indicating directions. Chicago is divided into one-mile sections which ideally contain eight blocks to the mile, with each block's addresses ideally occupying a 100-number range. Even-numbered addresses are on the north and west sides of streets; odd-numbered address are on the south and east sides.
Madison Street, in addition to simply being an origin point for north-south numbering, also divides the city into two well-established areas, the North Side and the South Side. The rivalry between the North and South sides are distinct, etched from different ethnic origins and historical developments, as well as culminating in the contemporary rivalry between the two Chicago baseball teams - the Cubs are considered to be the representative team for the North Side, whereas the White Sox are considered to be the South Side's counterpart. Note that despite the primary focus on the North-South rivalry, there are other geographic designations for the city, most commonly being the West Side, which broadly encompasses the area west of both the north and south branches of Chicago River. The Northwest and Southwest sides of the city area also referenced with frequency, though they tend to be subsumed under one of the three aforementioned areas.
Since the first steel-framed high-rise building of the world was constructed in the city in 1885, Chicago has been known for the
skyscraper. Today, many high-rise buildings are located in the downtown area, notably in the
Loop and along the lakefront and the Chicago River. The three tallest buildings are the
Sears Tower , the Aon Center, and the
John Hancock Center. The rest of the city consists of low-rise buildings and single-family homes. There are clusters of
industrialized areas, including the lakefront near the
Indiana border, the area south of
Midway Airport, and the banks of the
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
Future building sites that will contribute to Chicago's skyline include
Waterview Tower,
400 North Lake Shore Drive, and the Trump International Hotel and Tower.
Along
Lake Shore Drive, parks line the lakefront. The most notable of these parks are Grant Park and
Millennium Park, which border the east end of the Loop, Lincoln Park on the north side, and Jackson Park in the
Hyde Park neighborhood on the south side. Interspersed within this system of parks are 31
beaches, a zoo and several bird sanctuaries, McCormick Place Convention Center,
Navy Pier,
Soldier Field, the
Museum Campus, and a water treatment plant.
Pushed along by the national real estate boom in recent years, Chicago has seen an unprecedented surge in skyscraper construction, most notably in the area directly south and north of the Loop. This has been accompanied by a rapid gentrification of many parts of the city, as once-dormant areas become "hip" neighborhoods replete with an increased level of commercial services. An example is the west-side neighborhood
Wicker Park.
North Side
The North Side encompasses neighborhoods such as Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, and Rogers Park. Due to historical economic developments and trends, the North Side is also the most densely developed and, on average, wealthiest side of Chicago. The North Side is primarily served by the Red Line on the CTA, though the further one lives from Lake Michigan, the less dense rail service of any kind becomes.
Ethnically, the North Side perhaps serves as also the primary melting pot of Chicago. Originally the main destination for German and Polish immigrants, the legacy of immigration has created diverse areas, particularly the extremely popular area around Devon Avenue, which is home to primarly Near Eastern and South Indian residents, and the accompanying restaurants and accoutrements. Strong Vietnamese and other Southeast and East Asian populations are also prevalent, especially within and about the Uptown neighborhood. Of particular note, however, is the significant homosexual population, much of it concentrated in an area in the Lakeview neighborhood coyly referred to as "Boystown," stretching along the north-south Halsted Avenue. Recent city-sponsored community projects have even resulted in numerous rainbow-colored abstract pillars being erected here to symbolize gay pride and to display Chicago's general acceptance of the gay community.
Much of the North Side has benefited from Chicago's massive building and economic boom since the 1990s, resulting in the fast redevelopment and escalation of land values in now extremely popular neighborhoods such as Lincoln Park and Lakeview. River North, in particular, an area just north the Chicago River and the Loop, has undergone a rapid transition from a former and rather derelict warehouse district into a dense commercial, residential, and entertainment district, filled with numerous, modern skyscrapers.
South Side
The South Side encompasses neighborhoods such as Bridgeport, Bronzeville, Hyde Park, and South Shore. While historically an Irish bastion in the city, though it still retains its strong Irish population, historical trends as well as the larger presence of industry here than on the North Side has resulted in a massive black population throughout the South Side. Unfortunately, thanks in part to a legacy of discrimination and segregation as well as the decline in manufacturing, the South Side also has several poor neighborhoods and areas, though the contemporary resurgeance of Chicago has resulted in many marginal and poorer neighborhoods being rejuvenated and redeveloped.
While unfortunately associated in the modern Chicagoan's mind with areas of poverty, the South Side historically was the site of Chicago's elite and wealthy, as evidenced by the sprawling mansions in areas south of the Loop . The South Side is also less dense than the North Side, both in part due to historical trends in development but also due to significant loss of population in several of the South Side's neighborhoods. Redevelopment and reintegration of the South Side has also been hampered by historical actions that have had far-reaching consequences in segregating areas of the South Side. Of particular note was the routing of the Dan Ryan Expressway in such a way as to act as a dividing line between white neighborhoods and black neighborhoods . In addition, a vast swath of South State Street was covered in a massive housing development project known as the Henry Horner Homes, which were notorious for crime, poor living conditions, and abject poverty. However, these homes have been all but demolished in Chicago's recent movement to replace public housing with mixed-income, progressive new housing developments, known as the Plan for Transformation .
Regardless of this, many areas of the South Side, despite perceptions to the otherwise, are stable, middle-class, and diverse. Chinatown, for example, has seen a constant surge in growth and popularity, and has arguably become the premier destination for East Asian culture and restaurants over the North Side's Uptown and other such areas. As another example, Hyde Park is home to the prestigious University of Chicago, as well as one of the few Frank Lloyd Wright buildings built and fully preserved in Chicago. In addition, many areas that have seen decline are on an upsurge in development and quality of life, such as Woodlawn and Bronzeville.
Nevertheless, much of the South Side, particularly the predominantly-black areas, still face a legacy from redlining and discrimination. Much of the South Side is in a grocery and commercial desert, where by any significant grocery stores or commercial developments have been largely limited to Hyde Park and the South Loop, which further exacerbates living conditions in neighborhoods that are poor and deprived of transport and commercial opportunities. Alderman and grassroots organizations have been working extensively to try and rebuild the South Side's image and bring economic investment back to the deprived neighborhoods in the South Side.
West Side
The West Side encompasses neighborhoods such as Pilsen, Garfield Park, Wicker Park and Humboldt Park. This area has heavily industrialized sections and a vast swath of run-down neighborhoods through Lawndale and Garfield Park. However, other parts, such as Wicker Park and the West Loop are considered among the better parts of the city to live.The southernmost neighborhoods are home to a large part of Chicago's Hispanic population while farther north are several working- and middle-class neighborhoods.
Demographics
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As one of the largest cities in North America, the population of Chicago is cosmopolitan. Chicago's citizens speak over 100 different languages, and draw from a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions. Residents of Chicago are referred to as Chicagoans.
A 2006 estimate puts the city's population at 2,873,790. As of the 2000
census, there were 2,896,016 people, 1,061,928 households, and 632,909 families residing within Chicago. This encompasses about one-fifth of the entire population of the state of
Illinois and 1% of the population of the
United States. The
population density was 12,750.3 people per square mile . There were 1,152,868 housing units at an average density of 5,075.8 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 36.39%
Black or
African American, 31.32%
White, 26.02%
Hispanic or Latino, 4.33%
Asian and Pacific Islander, 1.64% from two or more races, 0.15% Native American, and 0.15% from
other races. The city itself makes up 23.3% percent of the total population of Illinois, down from a high of 44.3% in 1930.
Like most large
American cities, Chicago is a
minority-majority city.
Of the 1,061,928 households, 28.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. Of all households, 32.6% are made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.50.
Of the city population, 26.2% are under the age of 18, 11.2% are from 18 to 24, 33.4% are from 25 to 44, 18.9% are from 45 to 64, and 10.3% are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,625, and the median income for a family was $46,748. Males had a median income of $35,907 versus $30,536 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,175. Below the
poverty line are 19.6% of the population and 16.6% of the families. Of the total population, 28.1% of those under the age of 18 and 15.5% of those 65 and older are living below the
poverty line.
Chicago has a large Irish-American population on its
South Side. Many of the city's politicians have come from this population, including current mayor
Richard M. Daley. The majority of
African Americans are also located on Chicago's South Side. Other
European ethnic groups are the
Germans,
Italians and
Polish. Chicago has the largest population of
Swedish-Americans of any city in the U.S. with approximately 123,000. After the
Great Chicago Fire, many Swedish carpenters helped to rebuild the city, which led to the saying
the Swedes built Chicago. Swedish influence is particularly evident in Andersonville. Chicago is the home of the Evangelical Covenant Church .
Chicago has the largest
Bulgarian community in the world with more than 150,000 Bulgarians living in the city. The city has the largest ethnically
Polish population outside of
Poland, making it one of the most important
Polonia centers. Chicago is also the second-largest
Serbian and
Lithuanian city, and the third largest
Greek city in the world. Chicago has a large
Romanian-American community with more than 100,000, as well as a large
Assyrian population with about 80,000. The city is home to the seat of the head of the
Assyrian Church of the East,
Mar Dinkha IV, the Evangelical Covenant Church , and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America headquarters.
The Chicago Metropolitan area is also a major center for
Indian-Americans and
South Asians. Chicago has the third-largest South Asian population in the United States, after
New York City and the
San Francisco Bay Area. The Devon Avenue corridor on Chicago's north side is one of the largest South Asian neighborhoods in
North America. Chicago also has the second-largest Puerto Rican population in the United States after
New York City.
Population
Chicago's 2006 population of estimate of 2,873,790 is debated by some since there has been signifcant construction in the city in the 6 years since the 2000 census.
Over 1/3 of the population of Chicago is concentrated in the lakefront neighborhoods of the city . Encompasing roughly 55 square miles & 1.2 million people with a population density of 21,205 people per square mile. This makes Chicago's lakefront the most densely populated area in the
United States outside of
New York City.
Economy
Chicago has the third largest gross metropolitan product in the nation - approximately
$390 billion. The city has also been rated as having the most balanced economy in the United States due to its high level of diversification. Additionally, the Chicago metropolitan area recorded the greatest number of new or expanded corporate facilities in the United States for four of the past five years.
Chicago is a major financial center with the
second largest central business district in the U.S. The city is the headquarters of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago . The city is also home to four major financial and futures exchanges, including the Chicago Stock Exchange, the
Chicago Board of Trade , the Chicago Board Options Exchange , and the
Chicago Mercantile Exchange . Chicago and the surrounding areas also house many major brokerage firms and insurance companies, such as
Allstate Corporation and Zurich North America. In addition, despite Chicago commonly being perceived as a rust-belt city, a study indicated that Chicago has the largest high-technology and information-technology industry employment in the United States.
Manufacturing , printing and publishing, and food processing also play major roles in the city's economy. Nevertheless, much of the manufacturing occurs outside the city limits, especially since
World War II. Several medical products and services companies are headquartered in the Chicago area, including
Baxter International,
Abbott Laboratories, and the Healthcare Financial Services division of
General Electric. Moreover, the construction of the
Illinois and Michigan Canal, which helped move goods from the
Great Lakes south on the
