Geography and Demographics
– Chicago is located at coordinates 41°52′55″N 87°37′40″W.
– It covers an area of 234.53 square miles (607.44 square kilometers).
– The city has a land area of 227.73 square miles (589.82 square kilometers) and a water area of 6.80 square miles (17.62 square kilometers).
– The average elevation of Chicago is 597.18 feet (182.02 meters).
– The city has a population density of 12,059.84 people per square mile (4,656.33 people per square kilometer).
Economy and Infrastructure
– Chicago is an international hub for finance, culture, commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and transportation.
– It has the largest and most diverse derivatives market in the world.
– O’Hare International Airport is consistently ranked among the world’s busiest airports.
– The Chicago area has one of the highest gross domestic products (GDP) in the world.
– The city’s economy is diverse, with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce.
Cultural Contributions
– Chicago has made significant contributions to urban planning and architecture, including the development of the Chicago School and the steel-framed skyscraper.
– The city has a rich cultural scene, with contributions to the visual arts, literature, film, theater, comedy, food, dance, and music.
– Chicago is home to renowned institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
– The city is known for its jazz, blues, soul, hip-hop, gospel, and electronic dance music, including house music.
– Chicago has professional sports teams in major leagues, including two Major League Baseball teams.
History
– Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837.
– It grew rapidly in the mid-19th century, despite the devastation caused by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
– The city played a significant role in urban planning and transportation development.
– Chicago’s economy flourished, attracting residents from rural areas and immigrants from abroad.
– The city became politically prominent and was the site of important events leading up to the American Civil War.
Infrastructure Development and Demographic Changes
– Chicago reversed the flow of the Chicago River to prevent sewage contamination in Lake Michigan.
– The city constructed water cribs in Lake Michigan to provide a freshwater source.
– The Great Chicago Fire in 1871 destroyed a large section of the city, but it was rebuilt with modern constructions of steel and stone.
– Chicago built the world’s first skyscraper in 1885 using steel-skeleton construction.
– Chicago attracted immigrants from Europe and migrants from the Eastern United States.
– Labor conflicts, such as the Haymarket affair and the Pullman Strike, occurred during the industrial boom.
– Chicago became a leader in public health reform during the 1870s and 1880s.
– The city hosted the influential World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.
– White flight occurred in the 1960s as white residents left the city for suburban areas.
– Discriminatory redlining and blockbusting changed the racial composition of neighborhoods.
– Harold Washington became the first black mayor of Chicago in 1983.
– Chicago’s streets were laid out in a street grid bounded by Lake Michigan, North Avenue, Wood Street, and 22nd Street.
– The Great Chicago Fire led to the largest building boom in the nation’s history.
– Chicago is famous for its outdoor public art. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago
Chicago (/ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ ⓘ shih-KAH-goh, locally also /ʃɪˈkɔːɡoʊ/ shih-KAW-goh; Miami-Illinois: Shikaakwa; Ojibwe: Zhigaagong) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the third-most populous in the United States after New York City and Los Angeles. With a population of 2,746,388 in the 2020 census, it is also the most populous city in the Midwest. As the seat of Cook County, the second-most populous county in the U.S., Chicago is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area.
Chicago | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
| Etymology: Miami-Illinois: shikaakwa ('wild onion' or 'wild garlic') | |
| Nickname(s): Windy City, Chi Town, other | |
| Motto(s): Latin: Urbs in Horto (City in a Garden); I Will | |
 Interactive map of Chicago | |
  Chicago  Chicago | |
| Coordinates: 41°52′55″N 87°37′40″W / 41.88194°N 87.62778°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| Counties | Cook and DuPage |
| Settled | c. 1780 |
| Incorporated (town) | August 12, 1833 |
| Incorporated (city) | March 4, 1837 |
| Founded by | Jean Baptiste Point du Sable |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Body | Chicago City Council |
| • Mayor | Brandon Johnson (D) |
| • City Clerk | Anna Valencia (D) |
| • City Treasurer | Melissa Conyears-Ervin (D) |
| Area | |
| • City | 234.53 sq mi (607.44 km2) |
| • Land | 227.73 sq mi (589.82 km2) |
| • Water | 6.80 sq mi (17.62 km2) |
| Elevation (mean) | 597.18 ft (182.02 m) |
| Highest elevation – near Blue Island | 672 ft (205 m) |
| Lowest elevation – at Lake Michigan | 578 ft (176 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • City | 2,746,388 |
| • Estimate (2021) | 2,696,555 |
| • Rank | |
| • Density | 12,059.84/sq mi (4,656.33/km2) |
| • Urban | 8,671,746 (US: 3rd) |
| • Urban density | 3,709.2/sq mi (1,432.1/km2) |
| • Metro | 9,618,502 (US: 3rd) |
| Demonym | Chicagoan |
| GDP | |
| • Chicago (MSA) | $832.9 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−05:00 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code prefixes | 606xx, 607xx, 608xx |
| Area codes | 312, 773, 872 |
| FIPS code | 17-14000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0428803 |
| Website | chicago |
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Located on the shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. It grew rapidly in the mid-19th century. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless, but Chicago's population continued to grow. Chicago made noted contributions to urban planning and architecture, such as the Chicago School, the development of the City Beautiful Movement, and the steel-framed skyscraper.
Chicago is an international hub for finance, culture, commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. It has the largest and most diverse derivatives market in the world, generating 20% of all volume in commodities and financial futures alone. O'Hare International Airport is routinely ranked among the world's top six busiest airports by passenger traffic, and the region is also the nation's railroad hub. The Chicago area has one of the highest gross domestic products (GDP) in the world, generating $689 billion in 2018. Chicago's economy is diverse, with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce.
Chicago is a major tourist destination. Chicago's culture has contributed much to the visual arts, literature, film, theater, comedy (especially improvisational comedy), food, dance, and music (particularly jazz, blues, soul, hip-hop, gospel, and electronic dance music, including house music). Chicago is home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, while the Art Institute of Chicago provides an influential visual arts museum and art school. The Chicago area also hosts the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois Chicago, among other institutions of learning. Chicago has professional sports teams in each of the major professional leagues, including two Major League Baseball teams.
