Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, is the largest city in the state of Illinois. With nearly 3 million residents, Chicago is the third largest city in the entire country. It has a prime location on the shores of Lake Michigan in Cook County. It is considered one of the ten most influential cities in the entire world.

Because it is bordered by water, Chicago tends to grow up rather than out. When expansion occurs in Chicago, it is usually through large skyscrapers, not sprawling expansions. Two famous skyscrapers, the Sears Tower and the Hancock Building, are famous as symbols of the great city of Chicago.

Chicago has several nicknames. The first nickname is “The Windy City.” The city earned this name due to the strong winds that plummet the city, due in part to its location on the shore. The other factor influencing the wind is the architecture of the city, which creates a sort of wind tunnel effect through the somewhat narrow streets.

A second nickname of Chicago is the “Second City.” It earned this nickname because up until the 1980s, Chicago was the second largest city in the country. Another possible reason for the name “Second City” is that Chicago was almost completely rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire, which practically leveled the emerging metropolis.

Chicago and the suburbs that surround it are sometimes referred to as “Chicagoland.” Chicagoland has a population of over nine million people! This is the third largest metropolitan area in the United States. The suburbs around Chicago draw many business people who choose to live outside the city and commute to their work places in Chicago, rather than raise a family in busy city living.

Chicago is a land full of interesting history. Before being settled by Europeans, Chicago was the land of the Potawatomis Indians. Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, who married a Potawatomi woman, established the first trading post in the area. In the early 1800s, the US Army built Fort Dearborn, which was later destroyed. The Potawatomi lost the land under the Treaty of St. Louis, and on August 12, 1833, the town of Chicago was officially begun, with a tiny population of just 350 residents. It was incorporated in March of 1873.

The city grew remarkably fast! By 1900 it had over a million residents! It was the first city to grow that quickly in that short a span of time. As the United States expanded into the West, Chicago became an important transportation center, linking the East with the West. As more people came to Chicago on their way west, the city continued to grow. Manufacturing began and more growth followed.

In 1871, the city was practically destroyed due to the Great Chicago Fire. All the buildings in the city were wood, and the fire spread quickly. No one knows for sure how the fire started, but a popular story at the time was that a cow kicked over a lantern, sparking the blaze.

It was after the great fire that the first skyscraper made its appearance in Chicago. In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s Fair, and this was considered to be one of the most important World’s Fairs in history, drawing almost 28 million visitors.

Today, Chicago is an ethnically diverse city that is a center of culture and learning. It is a popular destination for tourists from across the globe. Everywhere you look in Chicago, you can see a glimpse of the city’s glorious past.

Chicago, Illinois, is famous for the many museums it showcases. In 1998, the city opened its famous “Museum Campus,” a ten-acre park on the shores of Lake Michigan with three of the more famous museums in the city. On Museum Campus, you will find the Adler Planetarium, the first planetarium to have been built in the entire Western hemisphere. In this museum there are interactive exhibits showcasing the stars. The astronomy museum has some of the world’s most rare astronomical instruments and books on display. It is the only museum anywhere in the world to have two planetarium theaters that are full-seated capacity. The dome that can be seen from outside the building is the Sky Theater, where guests can gaze into the night sky. The newer StarRider Theater is an animated planetarium employing cutting edge technology and special effects.

Near the Planetarium is the Field Museum of Natural History. The Field Museum houses exhibits about anthropology, zoology, botany, and geology. It is famous for the most complete T-Rex skeleton, which is lovingly called “Sue.” The infamous man-eating Lions of Tsavo are on display in the taxidermy collection. Even in death, these beasts send a shiver up the spine of many Chicago guests. The Field Museum also hosts traveling exhibits, which are some of the finest in the world. Past exhibits have included the King Tut display and an exhibit of salvage archaeology from the Great Chicago Fire.

The Shedd Aquarium is the third of the Museum Campus museums. The Shedd has five million gallons of aquarium water, giving Chicago guests a chance to get up close and personal with some of the ocean’s most interesting creatures. It is currently the second largest aquarium in the world. Besides fish, the aquarium has reptiles, birds, snakes, and water mammals. A daily dolphin show is a favorite for many guests.

Chicago is home to a variety of cultural endeavors, including art museums, a photography museum, jazz and cultural festivals, and much more! Chicago was the birthplace of improvisational standup comedy. The Second City is one of the two famous comedy troupes in the city. Their act has spread into many other larger cities, including Denver and New York.

Many people who visit Chicago travel to the banks of Lake Michigan to experience some of the finest musical theater that can be found off the streets of Broadway in New York. The theater district in Chicago is home to the Oriental Ford Theatre, the LaSalle Bank Theater, the Cadillac Palace Theatre, and the Auditorium Theatre. Many traveling shows come through the city each year, as well as permanent troupes that call Chicago theater home. Wicked is an example of a show that has called Chicago, Illinois, home for several seasons.

Chicago is famous for its dedication to pop music styles, including Chicago blues, Chicago jazz, soul, and gospel music. The House style of music was born in Chicago, and the punk alternative styles also began in Chicago. In keeping with this tradition, the city hosts several music festivals throughout the year, including Lollapalooza and the Intonation Music Festival. You do not have to look far in Chicago to find a blues or jazz club either. There seems to be one around every corner!

The Art Institute of Chicago is home to over 300,000 pieces of fine art, including sculpture, paintings, and more. If contemporary art is more to your liking, visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, located on East Chicago Avenue. Either museum houses some of the world’s most famous pieces of art, including designs by local artists.

Chicago, Illinois is home to some of the most famous sports teams in the country. In fact, there are sixteen professional sports teams that play inside the city limits of Chicago. The Chicago Bulls are perhaps one of the most recognized professional basketball teams in the world. It was with the Chicago Bulls that Michael Jordan won six NBA titles! The Chicago Bulls call the United Center home. It is found on Chicago’s West Side.

For football, Chicago is home to the Chicago Bears. They are part of the National Football League. Because of the close proximity to Green Bay, Wisconsin, there is a huge rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The Bears were the winners of Super Bowl XX and have won eight NFL championships. The Chicago Bears play at Soldier Field.

Chicago is one of the few cities in the US to have two major league baseball teams, the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. The Chicago Cubs are considered one of the most loved teams in Major League Baseball. They call historic Wrigley Field home, and most games are sellouts, no matter how well the team is doing. On the city’s South Side, the American League Chicago White Sox play in US Cellular Field. The White Sox won the World Series in 2005. There is huge, ongoing competition between the White Sox fans and Cub fans.

Chicago also has a Major League Soccer team, the Chicago Fire. The team was started in 1997, and recently built their own stadium, which is called Toyota Park. They are slowly building a following among Chicago sports enthusiasts.

Visitors to Chicago travel from all across the world to tour the Windy City. Why is Chicago travel so large that there are two major airports in the city? One reason is that Chicago is the third most popular city to visit for conventions, second only to Las Vegas and Orlando. While the weather in Chicago is not always favorable, the central location and wide range of things to do in the city make it ideal for corporate gatherings. A large portion of the Chicago travel market stems from convention visitors.

Chicago is also famous for its excellent shopping. The “Magnificent Mile” refers to a stretch along Michigan Avenue with some of the finest shopping in the Midwest. Here, luxury shopping is at its finest! There are also some of the finest restaurants in the country found inside the city of Chicago, which attract their fair share of tourists each year.

Chicago has some of the most unique architecture in the United States. The two largest skyscrapers, the Sears Tower and the Hancock Building, give guests the change to get a bird’s eye view of the city. Going to the top of the towers is a popular attraction for Chicago’s guests.

Chicago’s Navy Pier is another reason that tourists to Chicago travel to the city. Navy Pier is a 3,000-foot Pier that stretches out onto Lake Michigan. On the pier, guests can dine, shop, and tour local museums. There is an IMAX movie experience on Navy Pier, as well as a 150-foot Ferris wheel, which is the iconic feature of Navy Pier.

Millennium Park is a recent addition to the Chicago tourist scene. It was built right around the new millennium, and houses a sculpture called Cloud Gate, which locals call The Bean due to its oblong shape. The silver finish reflects the skyline of Chicago, creating an interesting picture opportunity.

Chicago news is some of the most read in the country, third only to that from New York and Los Angeles. The Chicago Tribune newspaper is an almost global publication, covering much more than just local news stories. The Chicago Tribune is the main daily paper of the states in the Midwest. The paper began in 1847 and continues printing the daily news every day. The Chicago Tribune is owned by the Tribune Company. The Tribune Company is also the owner of the WGN radio station, as well as WGN-TV. WGN radio is talk radio, which broadcasts throughout much of the United States, and even reaches into Canada on clear nights. They air the Chicago Cubs baseball games, as well as Wildcats Football games. The letters WGN refer to the former self-given name of the Chicago Tribune—the World’s Greatest Newspaper.

Chicago news is also home to the Chicago Sun-Times. This traditionally liberal paper was originally designed to be read by commuters. The Chicago Sun-Times is perhaps most famous for being the employer of Roger Ebert, a famous film critic. This branch of the Chicago news world grew from a 1948 merger between two newspapers, the Chicago Sun and the Chicago Daily Times. The newspaper was featured in the television series entitled Early Edition.

Chicago seems to be third in many areas, and economics is no exception. Chicago has the third highest gross product for metropolitan areas in America. Each year the city brings in around $390 billion. The high amount of economic diversification causes Chicago to have an extremely balanced economy. The corporate face of Chicago is expanding greatly as well.

The Federal Reserve has a branch in Chicago, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The Chicago Stock Exchange, The Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and the Chicago Board of Trade all play a major role in national and global financial markets.

Chicago has the most employment numbers in the high tech fields of technology and IT compared to other cities in America. While technology plays an important role in the economics of Chicago, manufacturing also has a major part to play. However, much of the manufacturing attributed to Chicago actually takes place outside the city’s boundaries, making the city of Chicago home to more corporate style business endeavors.

In Chicago, you will find several medical products companies. Baxter International, General Electric’s Healthcare Financial Services, and Abbott Laboratories, all call Chicago, Illinois home. Perhaps so much business has originated in Chicago because of the convenient location along the Lake of Michigan, not far from the Mississippi River. Before the era of airplanes, this location meant that transportation was easy in and out of Chicago, especially after the Chicago railroad system was built. Chicago is an economically rich city and continues to grow in the business sector as a world leader.

Many famous people have called Chicago home at one time or another. While she is not a formal resident of Chicago, Oprah Winfrey, the most famous talk show host on television today, films her show in Chicago, and spends much of her time there. Recently she produced The Color Purple, a Broadway musical, which opened in Chicago. The story was a Stephen Spielberg movie that was her first movie role, opening the world to the talk-show queen.

Harrison Ford, another movie actor, also once called Chicago home. He went on to star in the Star Wars trilogy and the Indiana Jones movies. Other famous actors from Chicago include Gillian Anderson, Bob Newhart, Gloria Swanson, and Raquel Welch.

Al Capone is one of the more infamous Chicagoans. He is one of the most infamous of America’s mobsters. During the Prohibition era, Capone led the Chicago mob scene. He was responsible for dozens of murders, but was reportedly generous with those in his inner circle.

Chicago has its fair share of famous sports idols as well. Former Chicago Bear Mike Ditka called Chicago home. After a successful career as a Bears player, he went on to coach the team to their Super Bowl victory. Ditka now announces NBC football games. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his career as a tight end. Famous baseball player Ron Santo also calls Chicago home, after a long career as a Chicago Cub.

Walt Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse and the entire Disney world, was born in Chicago in 1901. While he did not live in Illinois for his entire life, he was born in the Windy City, and Disney was perhaps one of the most famous people to make that claim!