Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
Flag Official seal of Chicago, Illinois Seal
Nicknames:  "The Windy City," "The Second City," "Chi Town," "City of the Big Shoulders," "The 312," "The City that Works".
Motto(s):  "Urbs In Horto" (Latin: "City in a Garden"), "I Will"
Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook & DuPage
Incorporated	March 4 1837
Government
• Mayor	Richard M. Daley (D)
Elevation	586 ft (179 m)
Population  (2005)
• City	2,873,790
• Urban	8,711,000
• Metro	9,505,748
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Website	egov.cityofchicago.org

For other uses, see [[:the city in the state of Illinois]].

Chicago ( IPA pronunciation ʃɪˈkaˌgo, ʃiˈkæˌgɔ ) is the largest city in the state of Illinois, the largest in the Midwest, and, with a population of three million people, is the third-most populous city in the United States. The Chicago metropolitan area (colloquially known as Chicagoland) has a population of over 9.5 million people in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, making it also the third largest metropolitan area in the United States. Chicago is located along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan and is a major center of transportation, industry, politics, culture, finance, medicine and higher education. Chicago's monikers include the "Windy City," "Chi-Town," the "Second City," and the "City of the Big Shoulders" (from Carl Sandburg's poem Chicago).

Chicago is the financial, business, and cultural capital of the Midwest. Founded in 1833 at the site of a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed, it soon became a transportation hub of North America. By the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, it was one of the ten most influential world cities, a distinction it continues to hold.

History of Chicago

Chicago City Hall just before completion in 1911

Main articles: History of Chicago and Political history of Chicago

During the mid-18th century 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, the Haitian Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, 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.

Chicago in its first century was one of the fastest growing cities in the world, heavily promoted by Yankee entrepreneurs and land speculators. Its population reached 1 million by 1890.

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 steamboats and sailing ships on the Great Lakes to connect through Chicago to the Mississippi River. With a flourishing economy that brought many new residents from rural communities and Irish American, Polish American, Swedish American, German American and numerous other immigrants, Chicago grew from a city of 299,000 to nearly 1.7 million between 1880 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 meat packing trade.

State Street in 1907

Although the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, destroyed a third of the city, including the entire business district, 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 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 Plaisance, a strip of park land that still runs through the University of Chicago campus and connects Washington and Jackson Parks.

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, well-landscaped municipal parks, which also included public sanitation facilities.

Beginning in 1855, Chicago constructed the first comprehensive sewer system in the U.S., requiring the level of downtown streets to be raised as much as 10 feet (3 meters). However, the untreated sewage and industrial waste flowed from the Chicago River into Lake Michigan, polluting the primary source of fresh water for the city. The city responded by tunneling two miles (3 km) below Lake Michigan to newly built water cribs. Nonetheless, spring rains continued to carry polluted water as far out as the water intakes. In 1900, the problem of sewage was largely solved by definitively reversing the direction of the river's flow with the construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal leading to the Illinois River.

The Chicago River at night

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 (which in 1974 became the world's tallest building), McCormick Place, and O'Hare Airport. When longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, died, Michael Bilandic was mayor for three years. His loss in a primary election has been attributed to the city's poor performance during a heavy snow storm. 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 in one of the closest mayoral elections in Chicago. Republican candidate Bernard Epton ran on the slogan "Before it's too late," viewed by critics as a veiled appeal to racial politics.

Washington's term in office saw new attention given to poor and minority neighborhoods, and reduced the longtime dominance of city contracts and employment by ethnic whites. Current mayor Richard M. Daley, son of the late 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.

State Street looking north.

Since the early 1990s, Chicago has seen a turnaround with increased ethnic diversity and many formerly abandoned neighborhoods starting to show new life. Several of these neighborhoods, such as the South Loop, West Loop, Wicker Park/Bucktown, Uptown, and others, have attracted middle-class and younger residents. The city has also made considerable investment in infrastructure, revitalizing downtown theaters and retail districts, and improving lakefront and riverfront cityscapes.

Toponymy

Main article: Windy City, Origin of Name (Chicago)

The name "Chicago" is the French rendering of the Miami-Illinois name shikaakwa, meaning wild leek (an analogical extension of the original meaning of "skunk").

The origin of Chicago's nickname as "The Windy City" is debated (see List of nicknames for Chicago). 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 as early as 1876 by Cincinnati papers. The name remains in common usage.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Chicago

Topography

Landsat image of the Chicago area

Overview of downtown Chicago looking north

Located in northeastern Illinois at the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan, Chicago's official geographic coordinates are 41°53′0″N 87°39′0″W. 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, as can be seen on a map of the city's original 58 blocks. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Chicago has a total area of 234.0 square miles (606.1 km²), of which 227.1 square miles (588.3 km²) is land and 6.9 square miles (17.8 km²) is water. The total area is 2.94% water.

The city is built on quite flat land; the average land elevation land is 579 feet (176 m) above sea level. The lowest points are along the lake shore at 577 feet (176 m), while the highest point at 735 feet (224 m) is a landfill located in the Hegewisch community area on the city's far south side (41°39′18″N 87°34′44″W).

Lake Michigan

The history of Chicago is closely tied to that of Lake Michigan. Since before Chicago was founded, ships were bringing people and supplies from all points on the compass. Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 925 feet and a size slightly greater than the nation of Croatia. The average depth off Chicago's shore averages 15-35 feet. To reach greater depths, one must travel several miles out in the lake, or head north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The lake bottom off Chicago's shore is littered with shipwrecks, ranging from schooners and tugboats to car ferries and even World War II airplanes. Scuba diving is a popular recreation for local residents, as are lakefront dinner cruises. In 1988, zebra mussels were discovered in Lake Saint Clair, and soon spread to all the Great Lakes, severely impacting the ecosystem. They have clogged intake pipes and caused drastic changes in the lake's food chain. One unexpected result was the clarification of waters. In the 1970s, average water visibility was 5 to 15 feet; on rare days, it could reach 20 feet. Now visibility averages over 20 feet, and often exceeds twice that.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, like much of the Midwest, has a climate with a wide range of weather conditions. The city experiences four distinct seasons. In July, the warmest month, high temperatures average 84 °F (29 °C) and low temperatures 63 °F (17 °C). In January, the coldest month, high temperatures average 29 °F (−2 °C) with low temperatures averaging 13 °F (−10 °C). According to the National Weather Service, Chicago's highest official temperature reading of 105 °F (40 °C) was recorded on July 24 1934. The lowest temperature of −27 °F (−31 °C) degrees was recorded on January 20 1985.

Chicago's yearly precipitation averages about 37 inches (965 mm). 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. The snowiest winter ever recorded in Chicago was 1929-30, with 114.2 inches of snow in total. Chicago's highest one-day rain total was 6.49 inches (164 mm), on August 14 1987.

Climate data for Chicago, IL
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Source: NOAA

Cityscape

Architecture

Main article: Chicago architecture

See also: List of tallest buildings in Chicago, Parks of Chicago, and Chicago neighborhoods

Chicago Skyline stretching from Shedd Aquarium to Navy Pier taken from Adler Planetarium.

The 'L'

Carter-Harrison Crib

Chicago Harbor Lighthouse

Downtown Chicago at night

File:Chicago Graystone.jpg

A typical Chicago Graystone building

Since the first steel-framed high-rise building of the world was constructed in the city in 1885, Chicago has been known for its skyscrapers, and today boasts the world's tallest skyline. Many high-rise buildings are located in the downtown area, notably historic buildings such as the Chicago Board of Trade Building in the Loop with others along the lakefront and the Chicago River. Once first on the list of largest buildings in the world and still listed sixth, the Merchandise Mart stands near the junction of the north and south branches of the river. The three tallest buildings in the city are the Sears Tower (also the tallest building in the United States), the Aon Center, and the John Hancock Center. The remainder of the city consists of high-rise residential buildings near the lake and more low-rise buildings and single-family homes as one distance from the lake increases. Industrialized areas are clustered, 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 including the supertall skyscrapers Waterview Tower, Chicago Spire, and Trump International Hotel and Tower. The 60602 zip code was named by Forbes as the hottest zip code in the country with upscale buildings such as The Heritage at Millennium Park (130 N. Garland) leading the way for other buildings such at Waterview Tower, The Legacy and Momo. The median sale price for residential real estate was $710,000 in 2005 according to Forbes.

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 Burnham Park and Jackson Park in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the south side. Interspersed within this system of parks are 31 beaches in Chicago, the Lincoln Park Zoo, 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 (South Loop) and north (River North) of the Loop.

Chicago is also home to a number of architecturally notable churches, which pique the interest and admiration of designers, artists, and scholars. The city is home to Chicago Temple/First United Methodist Church which consists of a 22-story skyscraper surmounted by a steeple cross at 568 feet above street level making it the tallest church building in the world. The city is also home to three basilicas: Our Lady of Sorrows in Garfield Park, Queen of All Saints in Forest Glen, St. Hyacinth in Avondale. Chicago is home to more than a dozen churches built in the Old World traditions of the opulently grand Polish Cathedral style such as St. Josaphat's , St. Adalbert's, and most notably, Mary of the Angels.

Three fine Chicago churches were designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style reminiscent of Henry Hobson Richardson's Trinity Church in Boston. They are the Church of the Epiphany (1885), at Ashland and Adams Street, designed by Burling & Whitehouse; St. Gabriel Church (1887–88), at 45th and Lowe, by Burnham & Root; and the Metropolitan Community Church (1889), at 41st and King Drive, by Solon Spencer Beman.

Chicago is also home to a number of splendid Byzantine-style churches, distinguished by their large central domes and their icon screens. St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, designed by Worthmann and Steinbach and SS. Volodymyr and Olha Church by Jaroslaw Korsunsky in West Town, St. Clement Church (1917–18) in Lincoln Park , by George D. Barnett; and the ultramodern St. Joseph's Ukrainian Church (1975–77), by Zenon Mazurkevich. St. Simeon Mirotovici (1968–69) on Chicago's East Side is an exact replica of a fifteenth-century Serbian monastery church.

The city's streets are organized in 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 (including Lincoln, Milwaukee, Clybourn, Elston, Archer, Broadway, and Ogden Avenues), the expressways, and hundreds of bridges and viaducts. In addition, the baselines for numbering streets and buildings are State Street (for east-west numbering) and Madison Street (for north-south numbering). 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. Even-numbered addresses are on the north and west sides of streets; odd-numbered addresses are on the south and east sides. Chicago is divided into one-mile sections which usually contain eight blocks to the mile, with the exception of the streets for three miles immediately south of Madison. Between Madison Street and Roosevelt Road (formerly 12th Street), twelve blocks are used per mile, between Roosevelt and Cermak Road (22nd Street), ten blocks make one mile, and between Cermak and 31st Street, nine blocks make a mile.

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 Chicago Cubs are considered to be the representative team for the North Side, whereas the Chicago White Sox are considered to be the South Side's counterpart. Despite the primary focus on the North-South rivalry, there are other significant geographic divisions of the city, notably 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.

North Side

The city's North Side is the most densely populated, as well as being the most commercially zoned section of the city, with Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Square and Uptown being prime examples of multi-zoned neighborhoods. Due to historical economic developments and trends, the North Side is also, on average, the wealthiest part of Chicago. The North Side is primarily served by the Red and Brown Lines on the CTA, as well as the Blue Line.

Ethnically, the North Side serves as arguably the most diverse section of Chicago. Originally the main destination for immigrants from Poland, who settled along Milwaukee Avenue; the Swedish, who established a community in neighborhoods such Andersonville, and Germans who settled down along Lincoln Avenue, today there are still large immigrant populations, but from different parts of the globe. Today there are large Pakistani, Assyrian and Indian communities centered around Devon Avenue, as well as a strong Asian community in Uptown, abutting West African, African American and Caribbean communities within the space of a few city blocks. The heart of the city's Orthodox Jewish community is found in Rogers Park.

Hollywood Beach in Edgewater

The North Side is also home to a very large and diverse gay and lesbian community. Two neighborhoods in particular, Lakeview and Andersonville (in Edgewater), are home to many LGBT businesses and organizations. The area adjacent to the intersection of Halsted and Belmont is a gay neighborhood known to Chicagoans as "Boystown".

Much of the North Side has reaped the benefits of Chicago's massive building and economic boom, which began in the 1990s. The resulting escalation of land values has seen areas such as River North, an area just north the Chicago River and the Loop, undergo a rapid transition from derelict warehouse district to a dense commercial, residential, and entertainment hub, featuring the city's largest concentration of contemporary art galleries.

Development has not come without controversy, however. Arguably more so on the North Side than in other areas of the city, urban progress has meant gentrification. The subsequent effect of the economic boom has been significant in displacing those in lower income brackets. Just west of River North's galleries and bistros, the demolition of the CHA's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project began in 2003. The project will be completed sometime in 2020. While on the surface this would seem to be improvement for the city, the deeper-seated economic implications have raised a number of protests against a perceived "war" on the poor. The high-priced townhouses being erected literally in the shadows of the gray poverty-stricken highrises along Halsted near Division Street do not serve as much of a defense in such arguments. But, whatever the case may be, as the history of Chicago seems to have illustrated, the city's neighborhoods have always been in a constant state of flux.

South Side

The South Side encompasses roughly 60% of the city's land area, but with a higher ratio of single-family homes and large sections zoned for industry, it is less densely populated than the North Side. Although it has endured a reputation as being crime-ridden and gang-infested, the reality of the South Side shows its demographics to be as varied as the rest of Chicago: ranging from poverty-stricken, to working class, to affluent. Neighborhoods such as Armour Square, Back of the Yards, Bridgeport, Little Village and Pullman have a long history of being blue collar, while Hyde Park, Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park and Beverly have historically been home to the middle and upper-middle classes, as well as many wealthy Chicagoans.

Like most of Chicago, the South Side was once predominantly the home of many residents of European nationalities (both foreign-born as well as second generation). With its factories, steel mills and meat-packing plants, the South Side saw a sustained period of immigration which began around the 1860s, and continued through the Second World War. Large numbers of Irish, Italian, Polish and Lithuanian immigrants in particular, who came in search of jobs and a better way of life, settled in neighborhoods adjacent to industrial zones. African Americans weren't allowed to live in Chicago until the 1920s, residing in Bronzeville (around 35th and State Streets) and spreading across the South Side after World War II. After the widespread closure of the steel mills in the 1960s through the 1980s, however, many white residents fled to the suburbs. African American residents as well as Puerto Ricans were victimized by high prices for freed up housing from the plague of white flight, forced to pay extraordinarily high sums for single family homes by real estate firms. As a result, today the South Side is home to much of Chicago's of African American population. Most neighborhoods south of 55th Street are predominantly black with a large Mexican American population residing in Little Village (South Lawndale) and areas south of 99th Street.

The South Side has had a history of racial segregation. One of the more notable factors was the construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway, which in some cases separated white neighborhoods from black neighborhoods (e.g. the divide between Bridgeport and Bronzeville). But progress towards the redevelopment and reintegration of the South Side has gained momentum in recent years with great strides having been made towards repairing historic Bronzeville, as well as Washington Park, both of which have seen building booms with new homes and businesses replacing what were previously abandoned buildings and vacant lots. Also seen by many as key in urban renewal, many of the Chicago Housing Authority's massive public housing projects, which lined several miles of South State Street, have been torn down. After decades of sustaining some of the worst poverty and poorest housing conditions in the United States, the CHA has begun replacing the old high-rise public housing with mixed-income, lower density developments, known as the Plan for Transformation. Neighborhood rehabilitation (and, in some cases, gentrification) can also be seen in parts of Woodlawn and Bronzeville, as well as in Bridgeport and McKinley Park. Historic Pullman's redevelopment is another example of a work in progress. While the city and it's citizens have strived to give life to many dying sections of the South Side of Chicago, many areas still have yet to experience a rebirth, notably the areas along Stony Island Avenue.

There are also plenty of examples of Chicago's characteristic diversity reflected in the South Side as well. Chinatown, for example, which has seen a surge in growth and has become an increasingly popular destination for both tourists and locals alike, is a cornerstone of the city's East Asian community. Hyde Park is home to the prestigious University of Chicago, as well as the South Side's largest Jewish population, which is centered around Chicago's oldest synagogue, KAM Isaiah Israel.

Southwest Side

The Southwest Side of Chicago is a subsection of the South Side comprised mainly of residential neighborhoods, and mainly defined by the distinguishing feature of being predominantly white. Architecturally, the Southwest Side is distinguished by the tract of Chicago's Bungalow Belt, which runs through it.

Brighton Park, a Polish enclave along Archer Avenue (which leads toward Midway Airport), is located on the Southwest Side of the city, as is Beverly, which is home to a large concentration of Irish Americans and boasts its annual South Side Irish Parade, which typically draws a larger crowd than the St. Patrick's day parade in Chicago's loop.

The Southwest Side is serviced by the Orange Line of the CTA's elevated train, which runs to Midway Airport.

West Side

The West Side of Chicago is made up of neighborhoods such as Austin, Lawndale, Garfield Park, West Town, and Humboldt Park. Some of these neighborhoods, particularly Garfield Park and Lawndale, have been subjected to prolonged socio-economic problems ranging from urban decay, overcrowding and a resulting high crime rate. As is also the case with the South Side, attempts to remedy the crime and poverty have been made, notably with the razing of many CHA public housing units, such as most of the Henry Horner Homes, and parts of Rockwell Gardens. ABLA, another CHA public housing area, was razed for Roosevelt Square, in order to create a mixed income community.

Other West Side neighborhoods closer to downtown, such as Wicker Park and the Ukrainian Village, have, since the mid-1990s, seen extensive economic and residential developments to the point of gentrification. Humboldt Park, once home to a large German-American population, is now the apex of Chicago's Puerto Rican community, although it too is slowly beginning to gentrify. The West Loop, Greektown and the other communities surrounding University of Illinois at Chicago, such as Little Italy, Tri-Taylor and University Village, are all gentrified neighborhoods experiencing new construction, renovation, and an influx of the middle to upper classes.

The southernmost neighborhood of the Near West Side is predominantly Mexican-American Pilsen, a community known historically as an immigrant gateway for Chicago. As a result of Pilsen's close proximity to downtown and the growth of the south University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus, Pilsen has seen many immigrants begin to leave for more affordable neighborhoods. The creation of upscale University Village, which borders Pilsen on the north, replaced the low income Maxwell Street neighborhood. The redevelopment of Maxwell Street and the rest of the near West Side have been growing momementum. East Pilsen, home to an established artist's colony, has already seen much new construction, and the rest of Pilsen is poised to begin its redevelopment.

The West Side is home to three of Chicago's largest parks: Douglas Park, Garfield Park, and Humboldt Park, all of which are attractively landscaped. Arguably the most notable attraction contained in these, is the famous Garfield Park Conservatory, which houses one of the largest collection of tropical plants of any major U.S. city. Other attractions on the West Side include the United Center, Humboldt Park's Puerto Rican Day festival, and the Mexican Fine Arts Center in Pilsen.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Chicago

The Field Museum

In 1998, the city officially opened the Museum Campus, a 10-acre (4-ha) lakefront park surrounding three of the city's main museums: the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium. The Museum Campus was constructed on the southern section of Grant Park. Grant Park is also home to Chicago's other major downtown museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, which is partnered with The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Museum of Science and Industry, located in the Hyde Park neighborhood, is housed in the only in-place surviving building from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

The Oriental Institute, part of the University of Chicago, has an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern archaeological artifacts, while the Freedom Museum is dedicated to exploring and explaining the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Other museums and galleries in Chicago are the Chicago History Museum, DuSable Museum of African-American History, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and The Renaissance Society.

Chicago has several signature foods which reflect the city's ethnic and working-class roots. These include the deep-dish pizza and the Chicago hot dog, which is almost always made of Vienna Beef and loaded with mustard, chopped onion, sliced tomato, pickle relish, celery salt, sport peppers, and a dill pickle spear (however, putting ketchup on a Chicago hot dog is often viewed as "sacrilegious"). Chicago is also known for Italian Beef sandwiches and the Maxwell Street Polish (always served topped with grilled onions and mustard). The city has many upscale dining establishments as well as many ethnic restaurant districts. These include "Greektown" on South Halsted, "Little Italy" on Taylor Street, just west of Halsted, "Chinatown" on the near South Side, and South Asian on Devon Avenue. Each summer at the end of June there is a food festival called Taste of Chicago in Grant Park. The park is home to the famous Buckingham Fountain and is located in the midst of downtown off the lake. Every type of food in the city is represented, with free concerts and events daily.

Entertainment and performing arts

See also: Chicago theatre and Category:Music venues in Chicago

A Chicago jazz club

Chicago has a major theater scene, and is the birthplace of modern improvisational comedy. The city is home to two renowned comedy troupes: The Second City and I.O. (formerly known as ImprovOlympic). Renowned Chicago theater companies include the Steppenwolf Theatre Company (on the city's north side), the Goodman Theatre, and the Victory Gardens Theater. Other theaters, from nearly 100 storefront performance spaces such as the Strawdog Theatre Company, The House Theatre of Chicago, TimeLine Theatre Company and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company in the Lakeview area to landmark downtown houses such as the Chicago Theatre, present a variety of plays and musicals.

Broadway in Chicago, created in July of 2000, brings touring productions and previews of Broadway musicals to Chicago, at venues including: LaSalle Bank Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Ford Oriental Theatre, and the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Examples of shows that have come to the city as part of "Broadway in Chicago" are: Blue Man Group, Wicked, Rent, Stomp, The Color Purple, Hairspray, Chicago, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Cats, The Producers, Jesus Christ Superstar.

The city is home to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, and several modern and jazz dance troupes. The city's classical music scene is also home to companies including Music of the Baroque, Chicago Opera Theater, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Chicago a cappella, and many others.

Chicago is known for its Chicago blues, Chicago soul, jazz, and gospel. This strong tradition of music and musical innovation have continued into contemporary styles. The city is the birthplace of the house style of music, and is the site of an influential hip-hop scene. In the 1980s, the city was a center for industrial, punk and new wave (spawning the famous Wax Trax! label); this influence continued into the alternative scene of the 1990s, with The Smashing Pumpkins emerging out of Chicago onto the global stage in the early 1990s. Chicago was an epicenter of the development of rave culture in the 1980s which continues today. There is a flourishing independent rock scene, including the recent explosion of Chicago indie acts, with multiple festivals featuring various acts each year (Lollapalooza, the Intonation Music Festival and Pitchfork Music Festival being the most prominent).

Media

Harpo Studios, home of talk show host Oprah Winfrey

Main article: Media in Chicago

Chicago is the third-largest market in the U.S. (after Los Angeles and New York City). Each of the big four United States television networks directly own and operate stations in Chicago. WGN-TV, which is owned by the Tribune Company, is carried (with some programming differences) as "Superstation WGN" on cable nationwide. The city is also the home of The Oprah Winfrey Show and Jerry Springer, while Chicago Public Radio produces programs such as PRI's This American Life and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!. Some of the popular radio stations in Chicago are: 97.9 The Loop, 96.3 B96, 107.5 WGCI, 92.3 Power 92, 94.7 The Zone, now True Oldies, 104.3 WJMK, 101.1 Q101, 103.5 Kiss FM, 101.9 The Mix, and 90.1 WMBI Moody Broadcasting. Other television news programs are produced by ABC 7, NBC 5, CBS 2, FOX 32, WGN 9, and CLTV.

There are two major daily newspapers published in Chicago: the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, with the former having the larger circulation. There are also several regional and special-interest newspapers such as the Daily Southtown, the Chicago Defender, the Chicago Sports Review, Chicago Free Press, the Newcity News, the Daily Herald, StreetWise, Windy City Times, The Gazette, and the Chicago Reader.

See also: Chicago Improv Festival and Chicago International Film Festival

Sports

Main article: Sports in Chicago

Club	League	Sport	Venue	Established	Championships
Chicago Bears	NFL	Football	Soldier Field	1919	1 Super Bowl Win, 8 League Championships (Pre-Super Bowl Era)
Chicago Cubs	MLB	Baseball	Wrigley Field	1876	2 World Series Wins
Chicago White Sox	MLB	Baseball	US Cellular Field	1900	3 World Series Wins
Chicago Bulls	NBA	Basketball	United Center	1966	6 NBA Championships
Chicago Sky	WNBA	Basketball	UIC Pavilion	2006	0 WNBA Chamiopnships
Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	Hockey	United Center	1926	3 Stanley Cups
Chicago Wolves	AHL	Hockey	Allstate Arena	1994	2 Turner Cups, 1 Calder Cup
Chicago Rush	AFL	Arena Football	Allstate Arena	2001	1 ArenaBowl Championship
Chicago Fire	MLS	Outdoor Soccer	Toyota Park	1997	1 MLS Cup, 4 U.S. Open Cups
Chicago Storm	MISL	Indoor Soccer	Sears Centre	2004	0
Chicago Machine	MLL	Outdoor Lacrosse	Toyota Park	2006	0
Chicago Shamrox	NLL	Indoor Lacrosse	Sears Centre	2007	0
Chicago Slaughter	CIFL	Indoor Football	Sears Centre	2007	0

U.S. Cellular Field on Chicago's South Side, the home of the Chicago White Sox

Chicago was named the best sports city in the United States by The Sporting News in 2006. The city has 15 sports teams. It is one of three U.S. cities that has two Major League Baseball teams (New York City and Los Angeles) and the only city to have always had more than one baseball team since the forming of the American League in 1900.

The Chicago Bears of the National Football League play at Soldier Field. Chicago is the largest city to have an NFL stadium within the city limits. The Bears have won nine National Football League Championships (8 NFL Championships and Super Bowl XX) trailing only the Green Bay Packers, who have twelve. In 2007, the Bears won the NFC Championship and went on to the Super Bowl for the second time in team history, but lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Chicago Cubs of the National League play at Wrigley Field, which is the second-oldest MLB stadium and is located in the North Side neighborhood of Lakeview, commonly referred to as "Wrigleyville."

The Chicago White Sox of the American League, who won the 2005 World Series, play at U.S. Cellular Field, built in the early 1990s and located in the South Side neighborhood of Bridgeport. Since the beginning of interleague play in 1997, tension between Cubs fans and Sox fans has continued to build.

Wrigley Field on the North Side, the home of the Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association are one of the world's most recognized basketball teams, due to their enormous success during the Michael Jordan era, when they won six NBA titles in the 1990s. The Bulls play at the United Center on Chicago's Near West side.

The Chicago Sky of the WNBA play at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion. Their inaugural year was 2006. They selected young rookie stars Candice Dupree and Armintie Price in the 2006 and 2007 WNBA Draft respectively. They also got another young superstar, Monique Currie, after the Charlotte Sting folded in 2007.

The Chicago Blackhawks, of the National Hockey League, also play in the United Center. The Hawks are an Original Six franchise, founded in 1926 and last won the Stanley Cup in 1961, currently the longest championship drought in the NHL.

The Chicago Fire, members of Major League Soccer, won one league and four US Open Cups since 1997. After eight years at Soldier Field, they recently moved to the new Toyota Park in Bridgeview at 71st and Harlem Avenue during the summer of 2006. Toyota Park is also home to the Chicago Machine of the MLL.

The Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League and Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League both play at the Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont. Co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Rush are the defending Arenabowl champions. The Wolves have won league champonships in 1998, 2000, and 2002. Their first season was 1994-95.

The Chicago Shamrox of the NLL and the Chicago Storm of the MISL play at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

The Chicago Slaughter of the Continental Indoor Football League play at the Sears Centre. Their inaugural year will be 2007, playing in the spring.

Chicago United, USAFL members, are the Australian Rules football club in the city, competing in the MAAFL.

The city was selected on April 14 2007 to represent the United States internationally for the bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Chicago also hosted the 1959 Pan American Games, and Gay Games VII in 2006. Chicago was selected to host the 1904 Olympics, but they were transferred to St. Louis to coincide with the World's Fair.

See also: U.S. cities with teams from four major sports

Tourism

Navy Pier

33 million foreign and domestic visitors came to Chicago in 2005. Luxury shopping along the Magnificent Mile, thousands of restaurants, as well as Chicago's position as global architectural capital, have attracted millions of tourists over the years. The city is also a convention hub, being the United States' third largest city for conventions, behind only Las Vegas and Orlando. Most conventions are held at McCormick Place, just south of Soldier Field.

Navy Pier, a 3000-foot (900 m) pier housing restaurants, shops, museums, exhibition halls, auditoriums, and a 150-foot-tall (45 m) Ferris wheel, is located north of Grant Park on the lakefront, and is one of the most visited landmarks in the Midwest, attracting over 8 million people in 2005

File:Framingtheface.JPG

Crown Fountain

The Chicago Cultural Center, built in 1897 as Chicago's first permanent public library, now houses the city's Visitor Information Center, galleries, and exhibit halls. The ceiling of Preston Bradley Hall includes a 38-foot (11 m) Tiffany glass dome.

Millennium Park is a rebuilt section of a former railyard that was planned for unveiling at the turn of the 21st century, though it was delayed for several years. The park includes the original sculpture Cloud Gate (known locally as The Bean). When visitors face The Bean and Lake Michigan, a curved image of the Chicago skyline is reflected back. Millennium Park also contains a restaurant with an outdoor seating section that is transformed into an ice skating rink in the winter. Two tall glass sculptures make up the Crown Fountain. The initial concept was by Jaume Plensa artist and the design of the implementation was done by Krueck & Sexton Architects. The fountain's two towers display huge LED images of Chicagoans' faces, with water spouting from their pursed lips. Frank Gehry's ornate stainless steel bandshell, Pritzker Pavilion, is home to the Grant Park Music Festival, a free summer series of classical concerts. Behind the pavilion's stage is the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, an indoor venue for mid-sized performing arts companies, including Chicago Opera Theater and Music of the Baroque. Gehry's stainless steel BP Bridge connects Millennium Park with Daley Bicentennial Plaza.

During the summer of 2007, Grant Park will be host to a public art exhibit, Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Chicago

The Chicago Board of Trade Building at night

Chicago has the third largest gross metropolitan product in the nation - approximately $442 billion according to 2007 estimates. 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 five of the past six years. The Boeing Company relocated its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago in 2001.

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 Seventh District of the Federal Reserve). The city is also home to four major financial and futures exchanges, including the Chicago Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the "Merc"). The city and the surrounding suburbs are home to 66 Fortune 500 companies including Boeing, Sara Lee, Walgreens, Motorola, Caterpiller, Sears, State Farm Insurance, Allstate, Deere, McDonald's, Aon, Office Max, USG, and the Tribune Company. Chicago and the surrounding areas also house many major brokerage firms and insurance companies, such as Allstate Corporation and Zürich 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 (which includes chemicals, metal, machinery, and consumer electronics), 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 Mississippi River, and of the railroads in the 19th century made the city a major transportation center in the United States. In the 1840s, Chicago became a major grain port, and in the 1850s and 1860s Chicago's pork and beef industry expanded. As the major meat companies grew in Chicago many, such as Armour, created global enterprises. Though the meatpacking industry currently plays a lesser role in the city's economy, Chicago continues to be a major transportation and distribution center. The city remains the third busiest intermodal port in the world after Hong Kong and Singapore.

The city is also a major convention destination; Chicago is third in the U.S. behind Las Vegas and Orlando as far as the number of conventions hosted annually. In addition, Chicago is home to eleven Fortune 500 companies, while the metropolitan area hosts an additional 21 Fortune 500 companies. Chicago also hosts 12 Fortune Global 500 companies and 17 Financial Times 500 companies. The city claims one Dow 30 company, aerospace giant Boeing, which moved its headquarters from Seattle to the Loop in 2001. The city and its surrounding metropolitan area are also home to the second largest labor pool in the United States with approximately 4.25 million workers. In 2006, Chicago placed 10th on the UBS list of the world's richest cities.

See also: List of major companies in the Chicago metropolitan area

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Chicago

City of Chicago Population by year
Census year	Population	Rank
1840	4,470	92
1850	29,963	24
1860	112,172	9
1870	298,977	5
1880	503,185	4
1890	1,099,850	2
1900	1,698,575	2
1910	2,185,283	2
1920	2,701,705	2
1930	3,376,438	2
1940	3,396,808	2
1950	3,620,962	2
1960	3,550,404	2
1970	3,366,957	2
1980	3,005,072	2
1990	2,783,726	3
2000	2,896,016	3
2006	2,873,790	3

Residents of Chicago are referred to as Chicagoans.

A 2006 estimate puts the city's population at 2,873,790. The 2005 U.S. Census Bureau Estimate is 2,842,518. 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 (4,923.0/km²). There were 1,152,868 housing units at an average density of 5,075.8 per square mile (1,959.8/km²). 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.

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. Other European ethnic groups are the Poles, Germans and Italians. The majority of African Americans are also located on Chicago's South Side, although there is a sizable population on the West Side. Chicago also has the second largest African American population for any city in the U.S. in its metropolitan area, behind only New York City.[2] 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 largest ethnically Polish population outside of Poland (more than 1,500,000 people) making it one of the most important Polonia centers. It has also one of the largest concentrations of Italian Americans in the US, with 500,000 living in the metropolitan area[3]. The city also has the largest Bulgarian community in the world (outside Bulgaria) with more than 150,000 Bulgarians living in the city. 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/markets in North America. Chicago also has the second-largest Puerto Rican population in the continental United States after New York City[4] and the second largest Mexican population in the United States after Los Angeles.[5] There are also around 185,000 Arabs in Chicago and with the majority located in the suburban parts of Cook County around Chicago. There are about 75,000 more Arabs who live in the five counties around Cook County including Lake, Kendall, Will, and DuPage.[6][7]

Over one third of the population of Chicago is concentrated in the lakefront neighborhoods of the city (from Rogers Park in the north to Hyde Park in the south). Encompassing roughly 55 square miles (of 229 sq/miles of city) and 1.2 million people with a population density of 21,205 people per square mile (with many neighborhoods with 2-3 times the average density). This makes Chicago's lakefront the most densely populated area in the United States outside of New York City. [8]

Law and government

A Critical Mass gathering on the Daley Plaza, with the Chicago City Hall in the background

Main article: Law and government of Chicago

See also: List of Chicago city departments

Chicago is the county seat of Cook County (although a small portion of the city is located in DuPage County). The government of the City of Chicago is divided into executive and legislative branches. The Mayor of Chicago is the chief executive, elected by general election for a term of four years. The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the various departments. In addition to the mayor, Chicago's two other citywide elected officials are the clerk and the treasurer.

The City Council is the legislative branch and is made up of 50 aldermen, one elected from each ward in the city. The council enacts local ordinances and approves the city budget. Government priorities and activities are established in a budget ordinance usually adopted each November. The council takes official action through the passage of ordinances and resolutions.

During much of the last half of the 19th century, Chicago's politics were dominated by a growing Democratic Party organization dominated by ethnic ward-heelers. During the 1880s and 1890s, Chicago had a powerful radical tradition with large and highly organized socialist, anarchist and labor organizations. For much of the 20th century, Chicago has been among the largest and most reliable Democratic strongholds in the United States, with Chicago's Democratic vote totals' leading the state of Illinois to be "solid blue" in presidential elections since 1992. The citizens of Chicago have not elected a Republican mayor since 1927, when William Thompson was voted into office. The strength of the party in the city is partly a consequence of Illinois state politics, where the Republicans have come to represent the rural and farm concerns while the Democrats support urban issues such as Chicago's public school funding.

Former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley's mastery of machine politics preserved the Chicago Democratic Machine long after the demise of similar machines in other large U.S. cities. During much of that time the city administration found opposition mainly from a liberal "independent" faction of the Democratic Party. The independents finally won control of city government in 1983 with the election of Harold Washington. Since Washington's death, Chicago has since been under the leadership of Richard M. Daley, the son of Richard J. Daley. Because of the dominance of the Democratic Party in Chicago, the Democratic primary vote held in the spring is generally more significant than the full November elections.

Crime

See also: Organized crime in Chicago

File:DSC 0161.JPG

A Chicago police officer

In addition to its gangland problems, Chicago historically saw a major rise in violent crime starting in the late 1960s. Nevertheless, like most major American cities, Chicago has experienced a decline in overall crime since the 1990s. Murders in the city peaked first in 1974, with 970 murders when the city's population was over three million (resulting in a murder rate of around 29 per 100,000), and again in 1992, with 943 murders when the city had fewer than three million people, resulting in a murder rate of 34 per 100,000. Following 1992, the murder count slowly decreased to 705 by 1999; by this time, it had the most murders of any big city in the U.S. After adopting crime-fighting techniques recommended by Los Angeles' and New York City Police Departments in 2004, Chicago recorded 448 homicides, the lowest total since 1965. Nevertheless, this murder rate of 15.65 per 100,000 population is still above the U.S. average. Chicago's homicide tally increased slightly in 2005 and 2006 to 450 and 467, respectively, though the overall crime rate in 2006 continued the downward trend that has taken place since the early 1990s, with 2.5% fewer violent crimes and 2.4% fewer property crimes compared to 2005.

Chicago has been among the first U.S. cities to build an integrated emergency response center to coordinate the city's response to terrorist attacks, gang violence, and natural disasters. Built in 1995, the center is integrated with over 2000 cameras, a direct link to the National Counterterrorism Center, and communications with all levels of city government. Recently installed anti-crime cameras have been introduced and are capable of pinpointing gunshot sounds, calculating where the shots were fired, and pointing and zooming the cameras in the direction of the shots within a two block radius. Early results show these new cameras to be highly effective in reducing crime. Placed in residential areas, these cameras cause some Chicagoans to feel uneasy about being so closely watched. They have prompted some calls of discrimination since these cameras tend to be prevalent in Black and Latino communities with higher than average crime rates.

The FBI often does not accept crime statistics submitted by the Chicago Police Department, which tallies data differently than other cities. The police record all criminal sexual assaults as opposed to only rape as with other police departments. Aggravated battery is counted along with the standard category of aggravated assault. As a result, Chicago is often omitted from studies like Morgan Quitno's annual "Safest/Most Dangerous City" survey.

The Chicago Police Department developed CLEARMAP to provide residents of the City of Chicago with a tool to assist them in problem-solving and combating crime and disorder in their neighborhoods. It is based upon the CLEAR (Citizen Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting) system developed by the Department for use by its police officers. This web application enables you to search the Chicago Police Department's database of reported crime. You will be able to see maps, graphs, and tables of reported crime. The database contains 90 days of information which you can access in blocks of up to 14 days. Data is refreshed daily. However, the most recent information is back-dated 7 days from today's date.

Numbers of murders (homicides) in Chicago per year[9]

• 1990: 851
• 2000: 628
• 2001: 666
• 2002: 647
• 2003: 598
• 2004: 448
• 2005: 449
• 2006: 452

Education

Public education

Lincoln Park High School

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the school district that controls over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago. The school district, with more than 400,000 students enrolled, is led by CEO Arne Duncan. The CPS also includes several selective-admission magnet schools, such as Whitney Young Magnet High School, Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Academy, Jones College Prep High School, Walter Payton College Prep,Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Prep, Lane Tech College Prep, and Northside College Preparatory High School.

Like many urban U.S. school districts, Chicago Public Schools suffered many problems throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including overcrowding, underfunding, mismanagement and a high dropout rate. In 1987, then U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett named the Chicago Public Schools as the "worst in the nation." Several school reform initiatives have since been undertaken to improve the system's performance. Reforms have included a system of Local School Councils, Charter Schools, and efforts to end social promotion. The most notable and public of these reforms has been a concerted effort at aggressively closing down underperforming schools while at the same time renovating and improving successful ones or building new ones.

Private schools

Several private schools operate in Chicago.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates the city's Roman Catholic schools.

Higher education

Main article: Colleges and universities of Chicago

View of the University of Chicago from the Midway Plaisance, a long stretch of parkland that bisects the campus

Since the 1890s Chicago has been a world center in higher education and research. Two of America's top research universities are the University of Chicago in Hyde Park on the south side and Northwestern University in the northern suburb of Evanston. Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and School of Law are located in Streeterville, a neighborhood in the Near North Side community area of Chicago. Catholic universities are located in Chicago, such as DePaul University (the largest Catholic university in the U.S.), St. Xavier University, and Loyola University, which has one campus in the North Side and one in the downtown area, as well as a Medical Center in the western suburb of Maywood. Loyola University Chicago is the largest Jesuit Catholic university in the country.

File:Dpu center.jpg

DePaul University's College of Commerce at State Street and Jackson Boulevard downtown in the Chicago Loop

The University of Illinois at Chicago is the city's largest university and features the nation's largest medical school. Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University are other state universities in Chicago. The city also has a large community college system known as the City Colleges of Chicago.

Founded on the prinicples of social justice, Roosevelt University was named in honor of president Franklin D. Roosevelt, two weeks after his death.

The Illinois Institute of Technology in Bronzeville has renowned engineering and architecture programs, and was host to world-famous modern architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for many years. Dominican University, outside Chicago in River Forest, teaches many library courses at the Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Building.

Rush Medical College, now part of Rush University, was the first institution of higher learning chartered in Illinois and one of the first medical schools to open west of the Alleghenies. In fact, Rush Medical College received its charter on March 2, 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was incorporated.

The Chicago region has 12 accredited theological schools representing Catholic and most Protestant denominations. The United Church of Christ-related Chicago Theological Seminary is the city's oldest institution of higher education. These accredited seminaries are joined in a consortium known as the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS). The Moody Bible Institute is near downtown. North Park University, a small Christian liberal arts university affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church, is located on the northwest side in the North Park neighborhood.

Finally, there are several colleges noted for their art programs. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art are well-known for fine arts programs. The Illinois Institute of Art Chicago is well-known for its applied arts programs. Columbia College Chicago is well-known for its performing arts programs.

The Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture is a non-profit, independent experiential educational program for college students in the United States, and is located in Chicago's Southside Hyde Park neighborhood.

Infrastructure

Health systems

The new Prentice Women's Hospital at Northwestern University's Medical Center

Chicago is home to the Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side. It includes Rush University Medical Center, the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago, and John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, the largest trauma-center in the city. The University of Chicago operates the University of Chicago Hospitals, which was ranked the fourteenth best hospital in the country by U.S. News and World Report. It is the only hospital in Illinois ever to be included in the magazine's "Honor Roll" of the best hospitals in the United States.

The University of Illinois College of Medicine at UIC is the largest medical school in the United States (1300 students, including those at campuses in Peoria, Rockford and Urbana-Champaign). Chicago is also home to other nationally recognized medical schools including Rush Medical College, the Pritzker School of Medicine of the University of Chicago, and the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University. In addition, the Chicago Medical School and Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine are located in the suburbs of North Chicago and Maywood, respectively. The Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine is in Downers Grove.

The leading healthcare informatics organizations are located in Chicago, including the American Medical Informatics Association and the Health Information Management Systems Society. These organizations include as members many healthcare IT vendors and the CIO/VP Technology leaders of most U.S. healthcare operations. The American College of Surgeons, American Dental Association, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, and the American Osteopathic Association are based in the city.

Transportation

CTA Blue Line at Eisenhower Expressway and Ashland Avenue

Main articles: Streets and highways of Chicago, Mass transit in Chicago, Chicago 'L', and Chicago airports

Chicago is a major transportation hub in the United States. It is an important component in global distribution, as it is the third largest inter-modal port in the world after Hong Kong and Singapore. Additionally, it is the only city in North America in which six Class I railroads meet.

Chicago is one of the largest hubs of passenger rail service in the nation. Many Amtrak long distance services originate from Chicago Union Station. Such services provide connections to New York, Seattle, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC. Amtrak also provides a number of short-haul services throughout Illinois and toward nearby Milwaukee.

Nine interstate highways run through Chicago and its suburbs. Segments that link to the city center are named after influential politicians, and traffic reports tend to use the names rather than interstate numbers. The Kennedy Expressway is I-90 from the Loop to the northwest suburbs past O'Hare International Airport. The Dan Ryan Expressway is I-90/94 from south of the "Circle Interchange" to the I-57 split, and from the I-57 split south is the Bishop Ford Freeway. The rest of I-94 is called the Edens Expressway. I-94 is also called the Kennedy Expressway between the Circle Interchange and Peterson (IL Rte 14). I-90 becomes the Chicago Skyway when it breaks off from the Dan Ryan Expressway. Other named highway segments are the Stevenson Expressway (I-55), Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Kingery Expressway (I-80), North-South Tollway (I-355), The O'Hare Extension (I-190), and East-West Tollway (Reagan Memorial) (I-88).

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) handles public transportation in Chicago and a few adjacent suburbs (Evanston, Skokie, Rosemont, Oak Park, Cicero, and Forest Park). The CTA operates an extensive network of buses and a rapid transit system known locally as the "L" (for "elevated"), with several lines, including service to Midway and O'Hare airports. Pace provides bus and paratransit service in over 200 surrounding suburbs with some extensions into the city. Bicycles are permitted on all CTA and Metra trains during non-rush hours and on all buses 24 hours. In June 2005, Chicago was awarded with the Roll-Wentworth Transit Award for having the "most improved transit system" in the United States.

Metra operates commuter rail service in Chicago and its suburbs. The Metra Electric Line shares the railway with the South Shore Line's NICTD Northern Indiana Commuter Rail Service, providing commuter service between South Bend and Chicago. The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) coordinates the operation of the three service boards: CTA, Metra, and Pace.

Chicago is unique among large American cities for offering a wide array of bicycle transportation facilities, such as miles of on-street bike lanes, 10,000 bike racks, and a state-of-the-art central bicycle commuter station in Millennium Park. The city has a 150-mile on-street bicycle lane network that is maintained by the Chicago Department of Transportation Bike Program and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.

Chicago is served by Midway International Airport on the south side and O'Hare International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports, on the far northwest side. In 2005, O'Hare was the world's busiest airport by aircraft movements and the second busiest by total passenger traffic (due to government enforced flight caps). Both O'Hare and Midway are owned and operated by the City of Chicago. Gary/Chicago International Airport, located in nearby Gary, Indiana, serves as the third Chicago area airport, although SkyValue offers the only seasonal scheduled passenger service. Chicago/Rockford International Airport, formerly Greater Rockford Airport, serves as a regional base for United Parcel Service cargo flights, some passenger flights, and occasionally as a reliever to O'Hare, usually in times of bad weather. Chicago is the world headquarters for United Airlines, world's second-largest airline by revenue-passenger-kilometers.

Chicago used to have a fifth airport, Meigs Field, located on the Lake Michigan waterfront adjacent to Grant Park and downtown. There were long term scheduled flights to Springfield as well as some service to other cities. However, in the cover of darkness at 1:30 a.m. on March 31 2003, the airport runways were unexpectedly destroyed under orders of the Mayor, who had sought closure of the airport and development of the land. This resulted in a fine to the city by the Federal Aviation Administration for closure of the airport without sufficient notice, but the airport was eventually demolished.

Utilities

ComEd Power station near the Loop, 1300 S. Lumber St.

Electricity for most of northern Illinois is provided by Commonwealth Edison, also known as ComEd. Their service territory borders Iroquois County to the south, the Wisconsin border to the north, the Iowa border to the west and the Indiana border to the east. In northern Illinois, ComEd (a division of Exelon) operates the greatest number of nuclear generating plants in any US state. Because of this, ComEd reports indicate that Chicago receives about 75% of its electricity from nuclear power. Recently, the city started with the installation of wind turbines on government buildings with the aim to promote the use of renewable energy.[10][11][12]

Domestic and industrial waste was once incinerated but it is now landfilled, mainly in the Calumet area. Since 1995, the city has had a blue bag program to divert certain refuse from landfills.[13]

Sister cities

Chicago has twenty-seven sister cities: Many of them, like Chicago, are the second city of their country, or are the main city of a country that has sent many immigrants to Chicago over the years.

Accra (Ghana) since 1989 Amman (Jordan) 2004 Athens (Greece) 1997 Belgrade (Serbia) 2005 Birmingham (United Kingdom) 1993 Busan (South Korea) 2007 Casablanca (Morocco) 1982 New Delhi (India) 2001 Durban (South Africa) 1973 Galway (Republic of Ireland) 1997 Gothenburg (Sweden) 1987 Hamburg (Germany) 1994 Kiev (Ukraine) 1991 Lahore (Pakistan) 2007

Lucerne (Switzerland) 1998 Mexico City (Mexico) 1991 Milan (Italy) 1973 Moscow (Russia) 1997 Osaka (Japan) 1973 Paris (France) 1996 Petah Tikva (Israel) 1994 Prague (Czech Republic) 1990 Shanghai (People's Republic of China) 1985 Shenyang (People's Republic of China) 1985 Toronto (Ontario, Canada) 1991 Vilnius (Lithuania) 1993 Warsaw (Poland) 1960

See also

• Large Cities Climate Leadership Group
• List of fiction set in Chicago
• List of non-fiction about Chicago
• List of computer and video games set in Chicago
• List of songs about Chicago
• Neighborhoods of Chicago
• List of people from Chicago
• Water crib
• List of Chicagoland churches in the Polish Cathedral Style

Bibliography

• Chicago Timeline. Chicago Public Library at www.chipublib.org/004chicago/chihist.html.
• USGS—Chicago - Elevation and topography.

• Blackwell, Elizabeth Canning (2003). Frommer's 2004 Chicago. Frommer's. ISBN 0-7645-3903-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• James R. Grossman, Ann Durkin Keating, Janice L. Reiff. The Encyclopedia of Chicago (University of Chicago Press 2005) ISBN 0-226-31015-9; The Encyclopedia of Chicago (online version)
• Charles Madigan., ed. (September 1, 2004). Global Chicago. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02941-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
• Miller, Donald L. (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80194-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• [14] - Chicago Art, Theater, Fashion, and Dining.
• Griffin, Adam (2006). Chicago Information. chicagopage. ISBN. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

• Official City Website

• Template:Wikitravelpar
• Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
• Links to the South Suburbs
• Learn About Chicago's Historic Movable Bridges
• Encyclopedia of Chicago
• WikiSatellite view of Chicago at WikiMapia
• Interactive map of downtown Chicago
• WWW-VL: Chicago Urban History Dr. Lynn H. Nelson, KU History Emeritus
• Map of Chicago and Downtown Chicago Map
• Chicago Neighborhoods Community
• Da Football Team of Chicago
• Legal Alien's Guide to Chicago. IL. USA