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Chicago River from Michigan Ave. Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois at the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan. It sits on the continental divide, at the site of the Chicago Portage, connecting the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes watersheds
When Chicago was founded in the 1830s most of the early building began around the mouth of the Calumet in the industrial far South Side, entirely or partially flow 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.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Chicago

Chicago is known as a city of climate extremes. While winters can often be bitterly cold, extreme summer heat waves are not uncommon. Chicago has a continental climate typical of the U.S. Midwest, with hot summers and cold winters, subject to possible extremes in both seasons. Lake Michigan can have a moderating effect for neighborhoods close to the shoreline, keeping them cooler in summer and slightly warmer in winter; but also producing a 'lake effect' of snowfall in winter. Average high and low temperatures for July are 84 °F/63 °F (29 °C/17 °C), and for January it is 29 °F/13 °F (-2 °C/-11 °C). Weather typical of each season can sometimes arrive unusually early or late, for example, the highest recorded temperature in March was 84 °F (29 °C) and the lowest in September was 37 °F (3 °C). Summers have been known to bring different elements in a one day period; ranging from bright sunny mornings, to partly-cloudy and rainy early afternoons, to bright sunny late afternoons, to comfortable evenings.

Chicago in winter

Chicago in winter Chicago's yearly precipitation averages about 36 inches (914 mm). Summer is the rainiest season, with short-lived rainfall and thunderstorms more common than prolonged rainy periods[1]. The highest temperature ever reached in Chicago was 104 °F (40 °C).
Winter in Chicago is a variable and fickle season. Temperatures and snowfall can vary widely in the span of one to two weeks, and extended periods of temperatures below 32 °F (0 °C) are not uncommon in January and February. Temperatures can sometimes drop below 0 °F (-18 °C) overnight and then rise by the next morning. This frigid weather doesn't normally last more than 1-3 days at a time. Although rare, the temperature can climb to 50 °F (10 °C) or higher in winter.
Contrary to popular belief, Chicago is not called the "Windy City" because of its high winds,... it actually has to do with the "windiness" of 19th century politicians. Nevertheless, the wind has a strong hold on Chicago's popular imagination. There's even a nickname for the city's legendary gusts: "The Hawk." Lou Rawls brought The Hawk to national attention in his song Dead End Street:

I was born in a city they called the Windy City
And they call it the Windy City because of The Hawk.
All mighty Hawk.

Several U.S. cities, among them Boston, and Dallas, have higher average annual wind speeds than Chicago, according to the National Climatic Data Center [2].

Geology

Since the first recorded earthquake in 1804 [3], Chicago has occasionally experienced earthquakes. More recently, an earthquake with an epicenter in Ottawa, Illinois registering about 4.3 on the Richter scale shook some buildings in Chicago on June 28, 2004. This earthquake sparked worries that the Madrid fault">New Madrid fault might become active again. An earthquake of 6 or higher in the Missouri Fault might cause moderate to high damage in Chicago.

People and culture

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Chicago
City of Chicago
Population by year [4] 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 People living in Chicago are called "Chicagoans." The metropolitan area is referred to as "Chicagoland" therefore the term is also sometimes applied colloquially to those living in one of the neighboring communities.
As of the 2000 United States. The population density is 4,923.0/km² (12,750.3/mi²). There are 1,152,868 housing units at an average density of 1,959.8/km² (5,075.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. For changes between the 1990 and 2000 census, see [5].

Children playing in Chicago's Millennium Park

Children playing in Chicago's Millennium Park The city itself makes up 23.3% percent of the total population of Illinois, down from a high of 44.3% in 1930.
Chicago's unique culture arises from it being a melting pot, with nearly even percentages of Caucasians and African-Americans and a sizeable Hispanic minority.
The main European ethnic groups in Chicago are the Irish, Germans, Italians and Polish. Chicago has a large Irish-American population on its South Side. Many of Chicago's politicians have come from this population, including current mayor Richard M. Daley. Chicago has the largest population of Swedish-Americans of any city in the US, numbering 123,000. After the Chicago Fire, many Swedish carpenters helped to rebuild the city, which is why it is sometimes called the city the Swedes built.
Today, Chicago has the largest ethnically Australia. The city also has the country's largest Assyrian population, numbering as many as 80,000 and is the location of the seat of the head of the Assyrian Church of the East, Mar Dinkha IV.
The Chicago Metropolitan area is also becoming a major center for San Francisco. The Devon Avenue corridor on Chicago's north side is an example of this, as it is one of the largest South Asian neighborhoods in North America.
There are 1,061,928 households, of which 28.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% are married couples living together, 18.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% are non-families. Of all households, 32.6% are made up of individuals and 8.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.67 and the average family size is 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 are 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the city is $38,625, and the median income for a family is $42,724. Males have a median income of $35,907 versus $30,536 for females. The per capita income for the city is $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.

Museums and galleries

The Shedd Aquarium.

The Shedd Aquarium. In 1998, the City of Chicago officially opened the Museum Campus, a 10 acre lakefront park surrounding three of the city's main museums, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. The Museum Campus was constructed on the southern section of Grant Park. The construction project involved re-routing Lakeshore Drive to make room for the new park. Grant Park is also home to Chicago's other major downtown museum, the Art Institute of Chicago. Some other major museums and galleries of the Chicago area include:

Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. One of the premier art museums in the United States. Famous pieces include American Gothic by Grant Wood, and A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat. The Museum is partnered with The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Chicago Cultural Center (Home Page), 78 E. Washington St. Built in 1897 as Chicago's first public library, the building now houses the city's Visitor Information Center, galleries, and exhibit halls. The ceiling of Preston Bradley Hall includes a 38-foot Tiffany glass dome.
DuSable Museum of African-American History, 740 East 56th Place. Displays many artifacts of many well known African-Americans and rich history.
Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago's natural history museum. Highlights include Sue, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in the world as well as a great, kids-friendly Egyptian exhibit.
Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, 1852 West 19th St., a museum dedicated to Mexican, Latino and Chicano art and culture.
Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Art of all types from around the world made since 1945.
Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr. Highlights include the U-505 submarine and working coal mine.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Drive. Museum dedicated to ecology. It is noted for it's butterfly exibit.
Oriental Institute, part of the University of Chicago, one of the best collections of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern archeology in the world.
Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr. Located on the Museum Campus, the Shedd Aquarium is home to a large collection of marine life from throughout the world. The Pacific Northwest–themed Oceanarium features dolphins, whales, and other animals from the region, as well as a panoramic view of Lake Michigan. This aquarium was the largest indoor aquarium in the world until the Georgia Aquarium opened in November 2005.

Performing arts

A Promotional Sign for Chicago's "Second City" Comedy Troupe.

A Promotional Sign for Chicago's "Second City" Comedy Troupe.

See also: Chicago theatre Chicago is a well-known theater capital and the birthplace of improvisational comedy, where it remains extremely popular. The city is home to The Second City and I.O., two of the largest comedy troupes in the world. Many world-famous actors and comedians are Chicagoans or came to study in the area, particularly at Northwestern University in Evanston. The form itself was invented at the University of Chicago in the 1960s by an undergraduate performance group called the Compass Players, whose members went on to found Second City. (In honor of this, Second City returns to the school on major anniversaries to perform free shows.)
Since its founding in 1976 as an ensemble effort, Victory Gardens Theatre have both won regional Tony Awards.
The Lyric Opera of Chicago was founded in 1954 and performs in the Civic Opera Building, which was built in 1929 on the east bank of the Chicago River and is the second-largest opera auditorium in North America, with 3,563 seats. The Lyric Opera purchased the Civic Opera House from the building's owner in 1993. The company has reported an average of 100% sales for the past 16 years and approximately 34,000 subscribers for its six-month season.
The Joffrey Ballet makes its home in Chicago, as do several modern dance troupes such as the Hubbard Street Dance Company.

Music

Chicago has made many significant pop-cultural contributions. In the field of music, Chicago is well-known for its Chicago blues, Chicago soul, Jazz, and Gospel. It is known as the birthplace of the House style of music, whose history is related to the development and fostering of the techno electronic style of music in nearby Michigan. The Hip-Hop scene in Chicago is also very influential, with major artists including Kanye West, Twista, R. Kelly, and Common.
The rock band Chicago was named after the city, although its original name was the Chicago Transit Authority. The band's name was shortened to Chicago after the CTA threatened to sue them for unauthorized use of the original trademark.
1990s' Big Angry Fish!, The Lawrence Arms, Kill Hannah, Material Issue, Liz Phair, and The Smashing Pumpkins hail from Chicago. Contemporary rock band Wilco is also Chicago-based. The 2000s' have seen local artists Disturbed, Alkaline Trio, and Fall Out Boy also attain nationwide success.
The downtown Chicago. Northwestern University's highly regarded School of Music draws musical talent to the Chicago area from across the nation.
Chicago's colorful history and culture have provided inspiration for a wide variety of musical compositions. In the 19th Century, for example, the chain of events surrounding the Great Chicago Fire led Chicago resident Horatio Spafford to write the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul".

Cuisine

Chicago's signature foods reflect the city's ethnic and working-class roots. Chicago deep-dish pizza was popularized by Pizzeria Uno. It is generally accepted that it was also invented at Uno in 1943. One of the creators of this new style of pizza was Rudy Malnati. Rudy's grandson, Lou, would go on to found Lou Malnati's which is another very popular purveyor of deep dish pizza. The first Lou Malnati's Pizzeria opened on March 17, 1971. Chicago deep-dish pizza is world renowned and popular locally, although thin-crust and other styles of pizza are also popular throughout the city. In particular, Chicago pizzerias also serve stuffed pizza (a close relative of deep dish), popularized by such places as Giordano's, and a style of thin crust that is crispy, rather than floppy in the style of New York and other East Coast cities. A traditional Chicago hotdog is typically loaded with mustard, chopped onion, sliced tomato, pickle relish, celery salt, sport peppers and a dill pickle spear. It is somewhat taboo to put ketchup on a Chicago hotdog; there are actually some small hotdog shops and stands that will refuse service to you if you make the request. A Chicago hotdog is almost always made out of Vienna Beef, the largest provider of hot dog meat for Chicago. Chicago is also known for Italian Beef sandwiches and the Maxwell Street Polish (always served topped with grilled onions and mustard).
Chicago also has a long list of world-renowned upscale dining establishments serving a wide array of cuisine from some of the most well-known chefs in the United States. Some notable destinations include Charlie Trotter's (chef Charlie Trotter) on Armitage in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, Frontera Grill, a gourmet Mexican restaurant owned by Food Network star Rick Bayless, and The Everest, a new-French restaurant on the top floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange building downtown.

Media and entertainment See also: Media in Chicago

Harpo Studios, home of talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Harpo Studios, home of talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Chicago commands the third-largest market in Los Angeles) and as such has many different forms of media and outlets to support its status. All of the major US television networks have subsidiaries in Chicago. Chicago's local WGN-TV, which is owned by the Tribune Company, is carried (with some programming differences) as "Superstation WGN" on cable nation-wide.
There are two major daily Newcity News, the Daily Herald, StreetWise and the Chicago Reader.
Chicago Public Radio offers diverse and informative programs and is perhaps best known for producing NPR favorites This American Life and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.
Local Bookslut.

Crime

Despite its prosperity and reputation as a world-class city, Chicago's crime situation in the latter half of the 20th century, and the early years of the 21st, has often been poor. In addition to its gangland problems, starting in the late 1960s Chicago, like many other major American cities, saw a major rise in violent crime which took decades to reverse. Murders in the city peaked first in 1974, with 970 murders for the year when the city's population was over three million, resulting in a murder rate of around 28.8 per 100,000; and again in 1992, with 943 murders for the year when the city had fewer than three million people, resulting in a murder rate of 33.87 per 100,000. Following 1992, the murder count slowly petered down to 703 by 1999; by this time, it had the most murders of any big city in the country and continued to until 2004. That year, after adopting crime-fighting techniques recommended by the Los Angeles.
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 in the city. 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. So far early results show these new cameras to be highly effective in reducing crime within a 2 block radius. 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 are prevalent in Black and Latino communities.
The FBI often does not accept crime statistics submitted by the Chicago Police Department, which tallies data differently than other cities. For instance, the police record all criminal sexual assaults as opposed to only rape, like other police departments do; and 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.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-06-06-crime-drop_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA http://www.cityofchicago.org/police

Education

Entrance to the University of Chicago's main quadrangle

Public education

The William Jones College Prep, Walter Payton College Prep and Northside College Preparatory High School.
Like many urban U.S. school districts, CPS suffered with a number of 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." A number of school reform initiatives have since been undertaken to improve the system's performance. Reforms have included a system of Local School Councils, Charter Schools, efforts to end social promotion and others.

Higher education

Main article: Colleges and universities of Chicago

Chicago is home to two of America's leading universities, the University of Chicago in Hyde Park and Northwestern University in nearby Evanston. Northwestern also maintains a campus in downtown Chicago, near the Magnificent Mile.
The Illinois Institute of Technology in Bronzeville has notable engineering and architecture programs.
The city is also home to several honored Catholic universities, including Loyola University, with campuses in Rogers Park, Edgewater and Water Tower Place, and DePaul University with campuses in Lincoln Park and the Loop.
The Chicago campus of the University of Illinois system, the University of Illinois at Chicago, is the city's largest university and one of the nation's largest urban public universities. Other state universities in Chicago include Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University.
A number of smaller colleges are known for fine arts education, including Roosevelt University, Columbia College Chicago, and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; annually, the latter ranks alongside the Rhode Island School of Design and Yale University as having the best graduate and undergraduate level arts programs in the country.
The Chicago region boasts 12 accredited theological schools representing most mainline Protestant traditions, including the city's oldest institution of higher education, the United Church of Christ-related Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, the Episcopal Seabury-Wesleyan and multiple Roman Catholic institutions, including St. Mary of the Lake Seminary; the schools are joined in a consortium known as the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS). Another well-known Christian school in downtown Chicago is the Moody Bible Institute.
Dominican University, recognized for its accredited library and information science graduate programs, is located just outside Chicago in River Forest, but many of the library courses are taught at the Chicago Public Library's main Harold Washington building in the Loop.
The city also has a community college system known as the City Colleges of Chicago.
Many of these institutions have downtown campuses as well as suburban locations.

Transportation

In the Great Room at Union Station.

In the Great Room at Union Station. Chicago is considered to be the premier transportation hub in America. Much of this status stems from its geographic proximity during a time when the United States was growing quickly in population and area. The Singapore.

Streets and highways

Main article: Streets and highways of Chicago

The streets of Chicago primarily follow the grid system established by the Chicago City Council in 1908 and implemented on September 1, 1909. The baselines for numbering streets and buildings are State Street (east-west numbering) and Madison (north-south numbering). Street numbers begin at "1" at the baselines and run numerically in directions indicated to the city limits. Letters, N, S,E and W indicate directions.
The City of Chicago is divided into one-mile sections which contain eight blocks to the mile (though the street grid is not entirely uniform). Each block's addresses occupy a 100-number range, making a range of 800 address numbers cover approximately one mile. There are three exceptions to the 800-to-a-mile rule: Madison (the north-south zero point) to Roosevelt at 1200 south is one mile, as is Roosevelt to Cermak at 2200 south, and Cermak to 31st Street (3100 south). The regular 800-per-mile range resumes south of 31st Street so that 39th Street (3900 south) is one mile south of 31st Street. Even-numbered addresses are on the north and west sides of streets; odd-numbered address are on the south and east sides.
Seven interstate highways run through Chicago. 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 named interstate segments are the Kennedy Expressway (I-90 From the 'Loop' to O'Hare International Airport), Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94, From South of the 'Circle Interchange' to the I-57 Split), Stevenson Expressway (I-55), Edens Expressway (I-94), Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), Bishop Ford Expressway (I-94 from the I-57 Split south), and the Chicago Skyway (I-90 when it breaks off the Dan Ryan). Interstate 57 is not named.

Public transportation Chicago 'L'

Chicago Transit Authority
Red Line
Orange Line
Yellow Line
Green Line
Blue Line
Purple Line
Brown Line
Silver Line edit this box
Main article: Mass transit in Chicago

The United States (to New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority) and covers the City of Chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs. The CTA operates 24 hours a day and, on an average weekday, 1.6 million rides are taken on the CTA.
CTA has approximately 2,000 buses that operate over 152 routes and 2,273 route miles. Buses provide about 1 million passenger trips a day and serve more than 12,000 posted bus stops. CTA's 1,190 rapid transit cars operate over seven routes and 222 miles of track. CTA trains provide about 500,000 customer trips each day and serve 144 stations in Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Rosemont, Forest Park, Oak Park and Cicero. The elevated train is also known as the "Chicago L" or "El" to Chicagoans.
Chicago is one of the few cities in the United States that provides rapid transit service to two major airports. From the downtown area the CTA's Blue Line takes customers to O'Hare International Airport in about 40 minutes and the Orange Line takes customers to Midway Airport in about 30 minutes from the Loop.
Metra operates commuter rail service at over 200 stations in Chicago and its suburbs. Metra features the Electric District Main Line, which offers commutes from the Far South Suburbs to Chicago's Lakefront Attractions like McCormick Place, Millennium Park, Soldier Field and Museum Campus. Metra's Electric Line is Chicago's oldest continuing commuter train (1856), sharing the railway with the South Shore Line's NICTD Northwest Indiana Commuter Rail Service, which accesses Chicago/Gary Airport.
Pace operates a primarily-suburban bus service that also offers some routes into Chicago.

Airports

The American Airlines terminal at O'Hare International Airport

The American Airlines terminal at O'Hare International Airport
Main article: Airports of Chicago

In the 20th century, Chicago held on to its status as the nation's transportation hub with the building of two airports: Midway Airport, on the south side, which was superceded in the 1960s by O'Hare International Airport on the far northwest. Today, O'Hare is one of the world's busiest airports, playing an important role in domestic connections for many airlines. Both O'Hare and Midway are owned and operated by the city of Chicago. For decades Illinois has debated opening a new airport near Peotone, Illinois, with no decision. For now the Gary-Chicago airport, located in nearby Gary, Indiana serves as the third Chicago land airport.