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Chicago


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This article is about the U.S. city in Illinois. For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation).

"Windy City" redirects here. For other uses, see Windy City (disambiguation).

City of Chicago

— City —



From top left: Chicago Theatre, the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower, the University of Chicago, the skyline from the Museum Campus, Navy Pier, the Field Museum, and Crown Fountain in Millennium Park



Flag

Seal



Nickname(s): The Windy City, The Second City, Chi-Town, Hog Butcher for the World, City of Big Shoulders, The City That Works, and others found at List of nicknames for Chicago

Motto: Latin: Urbs in Horto (English: City in a Garden), Make No Small Plans, I Will



Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois

Coordinates: 41°52′55″N 87°37′40″W / 41.88194°N 87.62778°W / 41.88194; -87.62778Coordinates: 41°52′55″N 87°37′40″W / 41.88194°N 87.62778°W / 41.88194; -87.62778

Country United States

State Illinois

Counties Cook , DuPage

Settled 1770s

Incorporated March 4, 1837

Named for Miami-Illinois: shikaakwa

("Wild onion")

Seat Cook County

Government

- Type Mayor-council

- Mayor Richard M. Daley

- City Council Aldermen[show]Manuel Flores

Bob Fioretti

Pat Dowell

Toni Preckwinkle

Leslie Hairston

Freddrenna Lyle

Sandi Jackson

Michelle A. Harris

Anthony Beale

John Pope

James Balcer

George Cardenas

Frank Olivo

Ed Burke

Toni Foulkes

Joann Thompson

Latasha Thomas

Lona Lane

Virginia Rugai

Willie Cochran

Howard Brookins Jr.

Ricardo Muñoz

Michael Zalewski

Sharon Denise Dixon.

Daniel Solis

Billy Ocasio

Walter Burnett, Jr

Ed Smith

Isaac Carothers

Ariel Reboyras

Ray Suarez

Scott Waguespack

Richard Mell

Carrie Austin

Rey Colón

William Banks

Emma Mitts

Thomas Allen

Margaret Laurino

Patrick O'Connor

Brian Doherty

Brendan Reilly

Vi Daley

Thomas M. Tunney

Patrick Levar

Helen Shiller

Eugene Schulter

Mary Ann Smith

Joe Moore

Bernard Stone

- State House Representative[show]Susana A. Mendoza (D)

Edward J. Acevedo (D)

Luis Arroyo (D)

Cynthia Soto (D)

Kenneth Dunkin (D)

Esther Golar (D)

Karen A. Yarbrough (D)

LaShawn Ford (D)

Arthur L. Turner (D)

Annazette Collins (D)

John A. Fritchey (D)

Sara Feigenholtz (D)

Greg Harris (D)

Harry Osterman (D)

John D'Amico (D)

Joseph M. Lyons (D)

Michael P. McAuliffe (R)

Robert S. Molaro (D)

Michael J. Madigan (D)

Daniel J. Burke (D)

Barbara Flynn Currie (D)

Elga L. Jefferies (D)

Monique D. Davis (D)

Mary E. Flowers (D)

Milton Patterson (D)

Marlow H. Colvin (D)

Constance A. Howard (D)

Kevin Joyce (D)

Maria Antonia Berrios (D)

Richard T. Bradley (D)

Deborah L. Graham(D)

- State Senate State senators[show]Antonio Munoz (D)

William Delgado (D)

Mattie Hunter (D)

Kimberly A. Lightford (D)

Rickey R. Hendon (D)

John Cullerton (D)

Heather Steans (D)

Ira Silverstein (D)

Jeffrey Schoenberg (D)

James DeLeo (D)

Louis Viverito (D)

Martin Sandoval (D)

Kwame Raoul (D)

Emil Jones, III (D)

James Meeks (D)

Jacqueline Y. Collins (D)

Donne Trotter (D)

Edward Maloney (D)

Iris Martinez (D)

- U.S. House Representatives[show]Jan Schakowsky (D)

Bobby Rush (D)

Luis Gutiérrez (D)

Michael Quigley (D)

Danny K. Davis (D)

Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D)

Area

- City 606.1 km2 (234.0 sq mi)

- Land 588.4 km2 (227.2 sq mi)

- Water 17.9 km2 (6.9 sq mi) 3.0%

- Urban 5,498 km2 (2,122.8 sq mi)

- Metro 28,163.5 km2 (10,874 sq mi)

Elevation 179 m (586 ft)

Population (2008)[1]

- City 2,853,114 (3rd U.S.)

- Density 4,883.8/km2 (12,649/sq mi)

- Urban 8,711,000

- Metro 9,785,747

- Demonym Chicagoan

Time zone CST (UTC-6)

- Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)

Area code(s) 312, 773, 872

Website www.cityofchicago.org



Chicago ( /ʃɨˈkɑːɡoʊ/ (help·info) or /ʃɨˈkɔːɡoʊ/) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the third largest city in the United States. Located on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the third-most densely populated major city in the U.S.,[2] and anchor to the world's 26th largest metropolitan area[3] with over 9.5 million people across three states.[4][5]



After a series of wars with the local Native Americans, Chicago was founded in 1833, near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. The city became a major transportation and telecommunications hub in North America.[6] Today, the city retains its status as a major hub, both for industry and infrastructure, with its O'Hare International Airport as the second busiest airport in the world. In modern times, the city has taken on additional dimension as a center for business and finance, and is listed as one of the world's top ten Global Financial Centers. Chicago is a stronghold of the Democratic Party, and has been home to influential politicians, including the current President of the United States, Barack Obama. The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Chicago as an alpha world city.[7]



In 2007[update], the city attracted 32.8 million domestic visitors[8] and about 1.15 million foreign visitors.[9] Making use of its abundant resources, Chicago has a heritage for hosting major international, national, regional, and local events that include commerce, culture, entertainment, politics, and sports.



Globally recognized,[nb 1] Chicago has numerous nicknames, which reflect the impressions and opinions about historical and contemporary Chicago. The best known include: "Chi-town"; the "Windy City" with reference to Chicago politicians and residents boasting about their city; "Second City,"[nb 2] due to the city generally being the second most prestigious in the nation in terms of culture, entertainment, and finance;[nb 3] and the "City of Big Shoulders", referring to its numerous skyscrapers (whose steel frame designs were largely pioneered in Chicago), described as being husky and brawling.[12]



Contents [hide]

1 History

1.1 Early history

1.2 Infrastructure and regional development

1.3 20th century

1.4 21st century

2 Geography

2.1 Topography

2.2 Climate

3 Cityscape

3.1 Architecture

3.2 Public art and monuments

3.3 Neighborhoods

4 Culture and contemporary life

4.1 Entertainment and performing arts

4.2 Tourism

4.3 Parks

4.4 Cuisine

4.5 Sports

4.6 Media

5 Economy

6 Demographics

7 Law and government

7.1 Crime

8 Education

8.1 Colleges and universities

9 Infrastructure

9.1 Transportation

9.2 Telecommunications

9.3 Health systems

9.4 Utilities

10 Sister cities

11 Bibliography

12 Notes

13 References

14 Further reading

15 External links