Chicago, Illinois: A Comprehensive Overview | City Facts & History

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Introduction to Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, the largest city in the state and, since 1982, the third most populous in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. It is the seat of Cook County. Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois on Lake Michigan, near the Indiana state line.

Advantageously situated in the central part of the country, Chicago is one of the nation's leading commercial and industrial cities and one of its most important transportation hubs. The city is a center of culture and education, with museums, universities, a symphony orchestra, and an opera company that rank among the foremost in the nation. Famous for its architecture, Chicago is generally considered the birthplace of the skyscraper and has many buildings, especially along the lakefront, designed by the great American architects of the 20th century.

The city extends along Lake Michigan for about 25 miles (40 km) and spreads inland up to 12 miles (19 km). It forms the nucleus of a vast urbanized area that includes Cook, Du Page, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties and stretches into Wisconsin and Indiana.

General Plan

Chicago is built on a relatively flat plain that once formed part of a glacial lake and lies about 600 feet (180 m) above sea level. Away from Lake Michigan the land rises slightly and in a few places forms low hills. The Chicago River, spanned by numerous bridges, flows through the heart of the city for about one mile (1.6 km), then divides into north and south branches.

Downtown

Downtown Chicago lies along the lakefront on both sides of the Chicago River. The main section is an area south of the river known as the Loop, which is usually defined as the 35 square blocks encircled by the city transit system's elevated tracks but which includes nearby areas as well. Concentrated in and around the Loop are major office buildings, financial and government institutions, retail stores, hotels, and theaters.

The area just north of the river, called the Near North Side, is the site of numerous high-rise office and apartment buildings, luxury hotels, fine shops, and restaurants. Its eastern section, near the lake, is one of the most prestigious parts of the city and is sometimes called the Gold Coast. The North Pier, Navy Pier, and River North areas have many nightclubs and other entertainment facilities.

Lakefront

Except on the far north and far south, the lakefront is marked by an almost continuous belt of parkland. Many of Chicago's recreational facilities, including beaches and yacht basins, and a number of its cultural institutions are located here.

Other Areas of Chicago

Outside the downtown area the city divides into five general sections—the North, Northwest, West, Southwest, and South sides, each named according to its direction from the Loop. The North Side, which extends to the city limits between Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River, includes several fashionable old residential neighborhoods and several popular entertainment districts, including Old Town.

Most of the large black population and much of the city's industry are concentrated on the West and South sides. These sections are marked by sprawling industrial districts, public housing projects, and many badly deteriorated residential and commercial areas.

Hyde Park, an old, well-kept residential community that adjoins the University of Chicago, and several outstanding urban renewal projects are on the South Side. The Northwest and Southwest sides are composed mainly of residential neighborhoods.

Suburbs

Chicago's suburbs vary from stable residential communities nearly as old as the city itself to residential and industrial cities that have developed largely since World War II. Much of the postwar growth has been northwest of the city near O'Hare International Airport in such suburbs as Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, and Schaumburg. Other large suburbs include Arlington Heights and Des Plaines on the northwest, Evanston and Skokie on the north, Berwyn, Cicero, Elmhurst, and Oak Park on the west, and Oak Lawn on the southwest. Norridge and Harwood Heights, two small, independent communities near O'Hare, are completely surrounded by Chicago.

Stretching along Lake Michigan north of the city are the wealthy residential suburbs of Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, and Lake Forest, which are part of the area known as the North Shore. Large outlying cities, all more than 25 miles (40 km) from downtown Chicago, include Waukegan, Elgin, Naperville, Aurora, and Joliet.

Streets and Expressways

Except for several major diagonals, Chicago's streets follow a rectangular pattern, running north-south and east-west. State Street, which extends north and south, is the east-west dividing line for the city's street numbering system; Madison Street is the north-south dividing line. Michigan Avenue, a broad boulevard two blocks east of State Street, borders Grant Park in the Loop and forms the principal business street of the Near North Side, where it is called the Magnificent Mile. Extending nearly the entire length of the lakefront is scenic Lake Shore Drive.

Expressways, including the Edens, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Adlai E. Stevenson, and Dan Ryan, converge on downtown Chicago, providing access from many suburbs and outlying areas. They also link up with northern Illinois' tollway system, including the Tri-State Tollway, which skirts the city on the south and west.

People

Many of Chicago's residents are the descendants of European immigrants who came to the city during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Irish, Germans, and Poles arrived in the largest numbers, followed by the Italians, Russians, Scandinavians, and Greeks. Large numbers of Spanish-speaking people, originally from Mexico and Puerto Rico, live in the city. Of the many other ethnic groups, the largest are the Filipinos, Chinese, Asian Indians, and Koreans. Some 15 per cent of all Chicagoans are foreign born. Blacks make up about 39 per cent of the population.

Economy

Metropolitan Chicago has a well-balanced economy that is not heavily dependent on any one activity. New industries are attracted by such factors as the central location and excellent transportation facilities. Institutions providing services, including hospitals, law firms, banks, schools, and hotels and restaurants, provide the largest share of the area's jobs.

Manufacturing is a leading sector of Chicago's economy. Of greatest significance is the production of electrical and nonelectrical machinery. Among the varied products of this industry are motors and generators, telephone equipment, electronic devices, household appliances, office machines, farm and construction machinery, and tool and die products.

Steel manufacturing is a major activity in the Chicago area, particularly in northwestern Indiana, where some of the nation's largest and most productive mills are located. The Chicago-Indiana industrial region is also a prominent petroleum-refining center. Other heavy industries in which the metropolitan area is a leading producer include metal fabricating and the manufacturing of chemicals and transportation equipment.

Food processing is a major light industry. Despite the closing of the huge Union Stock Yards in 1971, the city remains a significant meat-packing center. It is also a leading producer of canned and frozen foods, beverages, and confectionery products. Other important industries in the area include printing and publishing and the making of precision instruments, paper products, rubber and plastic items, and pharmaceuticals.

Commerce

Chicago is the largest wholesale and retail market between the east and west coasts and serves much of the central United States. There are three major commodity exchanges—the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and the Mid-America Commodity Exchange. Retail sales are most heavily concentrated in the Loop, the Near North Side, and large suburban shopping centers. Huge mail-order firms headquartered in the Chicago area also account for a sizable portion of the retail trade.

Finance

Chicago, the chief financial center in the Midwest, is headquarters of the Seventh District Federal Reserve Bank, several of the nation's largest commercial banks, and a number of major insurance companies. The Midwest Stock Exchange, formed in 1949, is a major regional securities market. The Chicago Board Options Exchange, founded in 1973, is the nation's foremost futures market for securities.

Transportation

The transportation industry forms a major segment of Chicago's economy. Few cities in the nation play a greater role in the movement of goods and people.

Numerous trunk line railways radiate from the city, which has been the nation's rail center since the late 19th century. Freight movements account for most railway traffic. Passenger service, once spread among a half dozen downtown terminals, is now concentrated at three stations.

Scores of major highways crisscross the Chicago area, including portions of seven Interstate highways, which form the city's expressway system.

Chicago has two major airports—O'Hare International, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of the Loop, and Midway, 9 miles (14 km) southwest. O'Hare handles both domestic and international flights and is one of the two busiest commercial airports in the nation. Midway, much smaller, is used exclusively for domestic flights.

Chicago is a major center of Great Lakes shipping. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 gave large oceangoing vessels access to Chicago. Lake Calumet Harbor, on the far South Side, is the main port area; it is connected with Lake Michigan by the Calumet River. The Illinois'Waterway, a system of rivers and canals linking Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River, joins the lake at Chicago.

Public transportation is provided chiefly by an extensive system of bus and rapidtransit lines, operated by the city and regional transportation authorities. The rapidtransit network is made up mainly of elevated and surface lines; several of these lines become subways in the downtown area. Several railway lines provide commuter service to suburbs.

Conventions and Trade Shows

Each year several thousand conventions and trade shows are held in Chicago, making it one of the nation's leading convention centers. Facilities include McCormick Place on the lake-front, O'Hare International Exposition Center, the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, and major hotels, especially downtown and near O'Hare International Airport.

Other

Government, tourism, and research and development also contribute significantly to Chicago's economy. Argonne National Laboratory, near suburban Lemont, and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, near Batavia, are notable research centers.

Culture and Education

Performing Arts

The renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra presents a regular concert session at Symphony Center on Michigan Avenue and performs during the summer at Ravinia Park, north of the city in Highland Park. Outdoor concerts of symphonic and popular music are given in Grant Park each summer. The Civic Opera House is the home of the Lyric Opera, which brings noted international performers to the city each year during a season of grand opera. Professional plays and musicals are presented at several Loop and North Side theaters and suburban playhouses.

Museums

Chicago's major museums are located in the parks along the lakefront. The Art Institute, on Michigan Avenue, is one of the country's outstanding art museums, especially noted for its collections of French Impressionist paintings and Oriental art. At the south end of Grant Park are three prominent institutions—the Field Museum, John G. Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium.

Thousands of working scientific and technological exhibits are displayed in the Museum of Science and Industry in Jackson Park. The Chicago Historical Society, in Lincoln Park, maintains an extensive collection of material on the city, the state, and Abraham Lincoln. Also in Lincoln Park is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, which emphasizes regional natural history. Other notable institutions include the Museum of Contemporary Art and the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, which houses relics of early Near Eastern civilizations. Opened on April 19, 2009, The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in the Chicago suburb of Skokie shares the definitive history of the millions of Jews and others murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

Universities and Colleges

The University of Chicago, one of the foremost private educational and research institutions in the nation, occupies a large campus on Chicago's South Side. Just west of the Loop is the Chicago campus of the state-supported University of Illinois. Northwestern University, a private institution with its main campus in suburban Evanston, has a campus in Chicago that includes professional and evening schools. Other private institutions in the city include Loyola, De Paul, Roosevelt, and Saint Xavier universities and the Illinois Institute of Technology.

There are several medical schools and law schools and a number of small liberal arts colleges, business and technical schools, and theological seminaries in the Chicago area. Among the many junior and community colleges are those of the Chicago City College system.

Libraries

The Chicago Public Library system includes the Harold Washington Library Center and more than 75 branches. There are several outstanding research libraries in Chicago. Newberry Library specializes in the history, literature, and music of western Europe and the Americas. John Crerar, on the campus of the University of Chicago, is one of the largest scientific and technological libraries in the nation. Other prominent libraries are associated with the city's universities and museums.

Interesting Places

State Street, in the Loop, is the site of major department stores, specialty shops of many kinds, and the main transfer points of the subway system. The Magnificent Mile of North Michigan Avenue is another landmark area. Found here is the Water Tower (1869), one of the structures that survived the Chicago Fire of 1871. Also along this stretch are some of Chicago's most fashionable shops and luxurious hotels.

Parks

Chicago's 7,400–acre (3,000–hectare) park system is based largely on the Burnham Plan, drafted by the city planner Daniel H. Burnham early in the 20th century. It includes several large parks and numerous small ones, six golf courses, some 30 bathing beaches, and scores of playgrounds.

Lincoln Park, which extends along the lake on the North Side, is the city's largest, covering an area of 1,185 acres (480 hectares). Among its attractions are a zoo, a conservatory, lagoons, yacht basins, tennis courts, and sports fields. Grant Park, on the eastern edge of the Loop, is often called Chicago's front yard. Its gardens, museums, and graceful Buckingham Fountain provide a pleasant contrast to the bustle of the business district. At its northern tip is Millennium Park, site of a music pavilion, an underground theater, and public art. Large South Side parks include Jackson Park, site of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, and Washington and Marquette parks. Garfield Park, on the West Side, is noted for its conservatory, which houses more than 5,000 kinds of exotic plants.

The Cook County forest preserves form a green belt around much of Chicago. They include some 67,000 acres (27,000 hectares) of natural woodlands with picnic areas; golf courses and other recreational facilities. The Chicago Zoological Park, commonly called Brookfield Zoo, is in suburban Brookfield. Its collection of more than 2,000 animals is one of the largest in the United States. The Chicago Botanic Garden, in suburban Glencoe, has more than 20 individual gardens. Morton Arboretum, near suburban Lisle, is an outdoor nature museum with a wide variety of trees and shrubs.

Prominent Buildings

Chicago has played a major role in the development of American architecture since the Chicago Fire destroyed virtually all of the downtown area in 1871 and a group of young, innovative architects helped rebuild it. Among them were Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler, John Root, and Daniel Burnham—founders of the Chicago school of architecture. Their works, including the Auditorium Building (1889), the Rookery (1886), the Monadnock Building (1891), and the Reliance Building (1895), rank among the city's outstanding landmarks. Frank Lloyd Wright, another innovative architect, designed many homes in the city and suburbs. The most notable of these is Robie House (1909), on the South Side.

Modern skyscrapers tower above downtown Chicago, creating a skyline visible for many miles. The 1,450-foot (442-m) Willis Tower is one of the tallest buildings in the world. After the Willis Tower, the tallest buildings in the city are the John Hancock Center and the Aon Center.

Chicago's Merchandise Mart is one of the largest commercial buildings in the world. McCormick Place, located on the lakefront, is among the largest convention facilities in North America. The Wrigley Building, with its distinct white terra cotta exterior, is a city landmark.

Among the city's prominent churches and temples are Holy Name Cathedral (Roman Catholic) and Fourth Presbyterian Church, on the Near North Side; Sinai Temple, on the South Side; Chicago Temple (First Methodist Church), housed in a Loop skyscraper; and the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Other outstanding religious structures include the Bah' Temple in Wilmette and Frank Lloyd Wright's Unitarian Universalist Church in Oak Park.

Outdoor Art

Chicago is known not only for architecture but also for numerous large pieces of outdoor public art. They include sculptures by Pablo Picasso, Joan Mir, Jean Dubuffet, Louise Nevelson, and Alexander Calder, and Anish Kapoor and a mosaic by Marc Chagall.

Sports

Chicago has two major league baseball teams. The Cubs of the National League play in Wrigley Field on the city's North Side. The American League White Sox play in U.S. Cellular Field on the South Side. The United Center on the West Side is the home of the Blackhawks of the National Hockey League and the Bulls of professional basketball. The Bears, a professional football team, play in Soldier Field, located along the lakefront.

There are several racetracks in the Chicago area, including Arlington, Maywood, and Sportsman's parks. There are yacht races on Lake Michigan during the summer. The annual 333-mile (536-km) Mackinac Race (from Chicago to Mackinac Island) attracts yachtsmen from all around the lake.

History

Two French fur traders are believed to have visited the site of Chicago in 1654. French explorers followed later, including Joliet, Marquette, LaSalle, and Hennepin. LaSalle predicted the site would be the gate of empire the seat of commerce. A French fort and trading post were established in Chicago in 1685. The territory became British under the Treaty of Paris in 1763. In 1774, under the Quebec Act, it became part of the Province of Quebec. The first permanent settler was probably Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a trader from Haiti. Du Sable, the son of a French seaman and an African-born slave, arrived about 1777. He built a cabin on the north bank of the Chicago River near Lake Michigan and established a trading post. The United States took possession of the territory in 1783. In 1795 Indians ceded six square miles (15.5 km2) of land for a fort at the mouth of the river. John Kinzie, a Canadian-born Scotsman, bought Du Sables trading post in 1803. In 1804, Fort Dearborn was erected on the south bank of the river near the lake. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, the garrison was ordered to evacuate the fort. While doing so, on August 15, 1812, it was attacked by Indians. Only Kinzie, his family, and a few others escaped the massacre that followed. The fort was burned, but was rebuilt in 1816.

Early Years

Chicago was incorporated as a town on August 5, 1833. It had a population of about 350 in an area of less than one-half square mile (1.2 km2). Large-scale settlement did not begin until after the Indian defeat in the Black Hawk War of 1832 and cession of Indian lands to the United States government, 1832-33. The second Fort Dearborn was abandoned in 1837. Chicago was chartered as a city in 1837. It had 4,170 inhabitants and encompassed some 10 square miles (26 km2). The citys growth and prosperity was aided by completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal (1848), which connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi via the Illinois River, and by the coming of the railroads. A railway between Chicago and Galena, Illinois, a thriving Mississippi port, was finished in 1848. By 1852, railways from the east had entered the city. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was nominated for the Presidency at the Republican Convention in Chicago, by then a major transportation and commercial center of some 112,000 people.

The Chicago Fire

On October 8, 1871, fire broke out on the Southwest Side and swept through the city. Legend holds that the fire began when a cow belonging to Mrs. Patrick OLeary kicked over a lantern. Fanned by high winds, the fire ignited wooden buildings in the area and soon raged out of control. When rain finally put out the blaze more than 24 hours later, four square miles (10 km2), including the citys main business district, had been destroyed. More than 300 persons were killed, and an estimated 100,000 were left homeless. Relief operations were quickly established as goods and money poured in from around the world. Rebuilding of the devastated city began almost immediately, and by 1875 few traces of the damage remained.

Post-Fire Era

United States troops were called into Chicago in 1877 to put down riots during a railway strike. The Haymarket Riot, a battle between police and striking workmen, took place in 1886. In 1894, federal troops were called in to break the Pullman Strike.

Architects of the Chicago school, discussed earlier in this article (subtitle Interesting Places: Prominent Buildings), became active beginning in the 1880s. William Le Baron Jenneys 10-story Home Insurance Building (1885) introduced the metal skeleton technique of construction, which made possible the skyscraper. Business leaders of the period included George M. Pullman, developer of the sleeping car; Marshall Field, merchant; Philip D. Armour and Gustavus F. Swift, meat-packers; and Cyrus H. McCormick, inventor of the reaper. Millions of visitors came to the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893, and many decided to settle in the city. Chicago continued to grow as an industrial and commercial center. Immigrants poured in.

20th Century

In the early decades of the 1900s, Chicago gained fame as a literary center. Harriet Monroe founded Poetry: A Magazine of Verse in 1912, and published the early works of many poets who later became well known. The Little Review, founded in 1914, emphasized new ideas in literature and art. The Chicago Group, which flourished until the mid-1920s, included such writers as Sherwood Anderson, Carl Sandburg, Vachel Lindsay, Edgar Lee Masters, and Ben Hecht. In other fields, international fame was won by Frederick Stock, orchestra conductor; Lorado Taft, sculptor, and Jane Addams, founder of Hull House. Meanwhile, during World War I thousands of Southern blacks migrated to Chicago to work in industry, and settled in deteriorating neighborhoods on the South Side. White hostility toward blacks led to race riots in 1919 and 1920. In the prohibition era, 1920-33, Al Capone and other gangsters gave Chicago a reputation for crime and violence. Chicago celebrated its 100th birthday with A Century of Progress, an exposition in 1933-34. During World War II Chicago was a principal center for the production of war materials. The booming economy attracted more black migrants, who crowded into the slums. The first controlled nuclear chain reaction, which made possible the atomic bomb, was achieved at the University of Chicago, 1942. During the postwar period vast slum clearance projects were initiated, and construction began on a network of expressways. A building boom began in the downtown area in the mid-1950s. In 1955 Richard J. Daley, head of a powerful democratic organization, was elected mayor. Under his leadership, the city continued its long-range improvement programs. With the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, Chicago became a world seaport. Many problems were encountered during the 1960s. A police scandal resulted in a major reorganization of the department. Street gangs were prevalent in slum areas. Blacks began to demonstrate for civil rights, including improved education, open housing, and better jobs. In 1968 rioting followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago in 1968. An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 demonstrators from all parts of the country streamed into the city, many to protest the Vietnamese War. There were violent clashes between the demonstrators and the police, and at Mayor Daleys request troops were called in to restore order. In 1975 Mayor Daley was reelected to an unprecedented sixth term. He died in office a year later. The Democratic party organization that he had built was soon torn by dissension, with the supporters of Jane Byrne, who became mayor in 1979, opposing a faction led by Daleys son Richard M. Daley. In 1983 both Byrne and Daley ran for mayor but were defeated in the Democratic primary by Congressman Harold Washington, who won the general election to become the citys first black mayor. He died shortly after being reelected in 1987. Daley was elected mayor in 1989. He was reelected in 1991, and again in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. In 1992 water from the Chicago River leaked into an abandoned freight tunnel; subbasements and part of the subway system flooded, causing millions of dollars in property damage.