Chicago
Seal Chicago	Flag of Chicago
Motto: (City in a Garden ")
Nickname: ("The Windy City")
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook , DuPage
Location of the City of Chicago
Foundation	c. 1770
Municipality since	1833
Contact	41 52 '55 "North 87 34 '40 "West / 41.881944, -87.577778
Mayor	Richard M. Daley
Area	606 km
Population ( 2008 )	2,853,114 inhab.
Density	4816 inhabitants / km
Time Zone	Central ( UTC - -6/-5)
Website	Browse
Location of the town in U.S.
change

Chicago is the third largest city of the United States , located in the State of Illinois , it is the county seat of Cook County. It is the largest city in the region of the Midwest. It lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan , one of the Great Lakes of North America. Rivers Chicago and Calumet through the city. Founded in 1770 , Chicago became a municipality in 1833 and formally acquired city status in 1837.

The city of Chicago itself now has 2,853,114 inhabitants and the limits of the town stretch of 606 km ^2. Its inhabitants are called " Chicagoans. The city of Chicago is the third of the United States with a population of 8,711,000 inhabitants spanning 5498 km ^2. The urban area of Chicago- Naperville - Joliet commonly known as " Chicagoland "has 9,785,747 inhabitants and covers 28 163 km ^2, making it the fourth largest urban area of North America after Mexico , New York and Los Angeles.

Chicago is the second largest industrial center in the United States and belongs to the "Belt of industries ( Manufacturing Belt ), but the city is also one of the most important financial centers in the world : here, for example, that prices are fixed wheat and soybeans.

Thanks to its unique location, the city is a major communication center overland routes but also by the O'Hare International Airport. She became famous thanks to its cultural architecture of skyscrapers and attracts millions of visitors each year. Indeed, the Sears Tower (the "Sears Tower" until July 2009) was the highest skyscraper in the world from 1974 to 1998 ^History

Before Chicago

Fort Dearborn in 1816

Before the arrival of Europeans , the Chicago area was inhabited by Indians Potawatomi , who took the place of the Miami and Sauk and Fox in the mid- ^eighteenth century. The name of the city come from the word -miami illinois "sikaakwa" distorted by the French as "Checagou" or "Checaguar" which means " wild onion " , "swamp" or " skunk ", which speaks volumes about the stench that once reigned. It is the trapper Louis Jolliet and Father Jesuit Jacques Marquette who, in 1673 , returning from an expedition on the Mississippi, reached the present site of Chicago. The Chicago site was originally part of the Illinois Country , in French Louisiana. Then the British took over the region after the Seven Years War in 1763. This former crossing point and liaison for Native Americans, explorers and missionaries , between Canada and the pool of the Mississippi , became a permanent post of the fur trade.

The Fort Chicago , a fortress of the XVII ^century on the site located in Chicago, was probably occupied less than a year during winter 1685 , the name is now associated with a myth that French possessed a military garrison. Although he was shown a number of maps of the region in the eighteenth ^century, there is no evidence that he existed.

The first permanent settlement was founded by Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable in the late ^eighteenth century . This mestizo son of a French sailor and an African slave mother is from the French colony of Santo Domingo. He married a Native American and moved to current location in Chicago where he established a counter trading.

During the War of Independence (1775-1783), Colonel George Rogers Clark took possession of the entire Illinois Country in the name of Virginia and transformed it into "county of Illinois" to exercise a theoretical government the region. In 1795 , the Treaty of Greenville and compulsion of Colonel Anthony Wayne , American Indians had to sell the land near the mouth of the Chicago River. In 1803 , the purchase of vast territories of French Louisiana by the United States reinforced the strategic importance of the place. The same year, Captain John Whistler arrived on site and erected on Fort Dearborn in 1808 . Meanwhile, the Chicago area became part of Northwest Territory ( one thousand seven hundred eighty-seven - 1809 ), then the Territory of Illinois ( 1809 - 1 818 ), before becoming part of the State of Illinois ( 1818 -TODAY 'hui).

A "boom town" (1833-1871)

Chicago after the 1871 fire

On 12 August 1833 , the city of Chicago was formed with a charter . It was chartered by the State of Illinois on 4 March 1837 to be in town run by a mayor and six subdivisions called " wards . However, the natural constraints of the site quickly rested problems of development. Chicago suffered an environment marshy which made it very difficult to install roads and sewers. Authorities induced significant work to elevate the infrastructure and implement a network of sewage in the 1850s. They decided to divert the river to protect the drinking water of the lake by digging a channel ( Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal ) which opened on the Mississippi.

Chicago is a "boomtown "which grows with the influx of immigrants. By the mid- ^nineteenth century , the immigrant presence caused the rise of the Know-Nothing , a movement nativist. Its candidate, Levi Boone , supported by the Chicago Tribune , was elected mayor . He led a discriminatory policy and prohibitionist who was particularly damaging to German immigrants and caused the 21 April 1855 , a riot between WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) and Catholic immigrants, the Lager Beer Riot.

Chicago became a hub of communication with the first railroad ( Galena & Chicago Union Railroad ) which arrived in 1836 . In 1860 , eleven rail lines had terminals for Chicago and there were twenty other arrest . Commencing on the Chicago River and ending on the Illinois River , the Illinois and Michigan Canal was opened in 1848 and allowed to vessels operating on the Great Lakes to join the Mississippi to Chicago. In 1854, Chicago was the largest grain market in the country . The foundation of the Chicago Board of Trade in 1848 as part of this significant economic development. In the nineteenth ^century , Chicago was the largest global timber market , which was transformed in many sawmills and furniture industries .

In 1847, Cyrus McCormick , inventor of the reaper, installed production machinery farm in Chicago. The first factories steel opened in 1858. It was in 1865 that were inaugurated the Union Stock Yards , slaughterhouses of the city where modern methods were quickly implemented by companies Armour and Swift .

The Great Fire and the industrial boom (1871-1895)

Wabash Avenue in 1900

In October 1871 , approximately 10 km were reduced to ashes by the Great Chicago Fire (Great Chicago Fire). The death toll was dramatically since 300 people died and 18,000 buildings were destroyed, laying on the street about one in two. The fire spread easily because a large number of infrastructures and houses were built of wood.

In the late nineteenth ^century, the city's economy is diversified with the entry in the second Industrial Revolution. Reconstruction after the Great Fire of 1871 and the development of the railway stimulated the need for steel. During the reconstruction after the ravages of the Great Fire, slaughterhouses located in the south of the city experienced unprecedented growth thanks to the introduction of refrigerated cars for the shipment of meat to New York. In 1956 , the remains of the house O'Leary were razed for the construction of the Fire Academy in Chicago, a training camp for firefighters of the city. Steel and hardware requirements contributed to the development of engineering industries : Chicago produced agricultural machinery, equipment for automobiles, cars ( Pullman Company ). The clothing for men was dynamic until the 1920s. Chemistry specialized in water treatment, production of sulfuric acid and phosphates. The agri-food remained successful (grain processing, meat packing, etc.).

Engraving of 1886 published in the journal Harper's Weekly showing the Haymarket Square tragedy.

In 1876 , has created the Chicago Daily News , a daily newspaper which was very popular in the city until 1978. He received a total of thirteen Pulitzer Prizes. In July 1877 , railway workers of Chicago joined the strike that shook the U.S. railroads. Clashes between police and strikers were held on South Halsted Street and made 18 dead .

On ¹ May 1886 , workers assembled at the factory McCormick to claim the day of eight hours of work daily, for which a general strike mobilized 340,000 workers had been launched. Two days later, police killed two strikers which sparked riots that left several dead. Seven policemen were killed by an exploding bomb ( Haymarket Square Massacre ). Four anarchists were accused and executed in 1887 ^, . May ¹ served as reference to the Second International for Workers Day. The strikers of the Pullman Company plants denounced wage cuts in 1894. Following the crackdown by the mayor and U.S. President Grover Cleveland , 12 workers were killed. As a member of the American Railway Union , Eugene Debs was involved in the strike and was arrested by the police.

Industrialization was accompanied by an impoverishment of part of the population. In 1889 , in response to social movement called the settlement movement , Jane Addams founded the first house ( Hull House ), which served as shelter for the poor. In 1895 , Florence Kelley denounced the working conditions in sweatshops in the city . In 1905, Upton Sinclair published The Jungle , a novel describing the exploitation of immigrant Lithuanians in the slaughterhouses of Chicago . The Chicago women were granted the right to vote in municipal elections in 1913 .

The Great Migration (1870-1920)

State Street to 1907

Between 1870 and 1900 the city of Chicago grew dramatically from 299,000 to almost 1.7 million inhabitants, the city then having the population growth the fastest in the United States. Chicago's economy has brought a large number of new residents from rural communities and immigrants came from Europe. Growth in sectors from manufacturing to retail in Chicago came to dominate the region's Midwest and greatly influenced the economy of the nation. The stock yards in Chicago unions have dominated the trade package. The city has become the largest hub of railway network in the world, managed by the company known for Metra , containing more than 200 stations spread over 11 different lines through the city.

Chicago has accepted the waves of immigration from Eastern Europe at the end of the Civil War until the end of the First World War , as well as thousands of African Americans. From the years 1910 , Chicago received many thousands of African Americans from the south of the country , fleeing the racial segregation became too virulent and hoping to find work in factories and slaughterhouses of the city. This movement sparked by racial segregation is called " Great Migration ". With new people competing for limited housing and jobs, particularly in the southern districts of the city ( South Side ), social tensions rose in Chicago. In the 1920s there were about 50,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan in Chicago.

The years of post-war were the most difficult, when the city applied as racial segregation in the south. Blacks and whites are separated, each with their schools, public places and workplaces. They face discrimination in exercising their political rights, thus having no right to vote, and during their schooling, often remaining illiterate. At work, they are found mostly unemployed or confined to the lowest tasks. Black veterans have sought more respect for serving their nation. In 1919, after the drowning of a young black man, the race riots broke out in Chicago and spread to other major cities across the country who also suffered from racial violence. Nothing in Chicago they have lasted 13 days, have left 38 dead, 537 injured and hundreds homeless ^, . Much of this violence was conducted by members of sports clubs in Ireland, who had great power politics in the city and defended their "territory" against African-Americans.

The riot of 1919

Gathering at the corner of ^35th and State Street during the riot of 1919

A few months after the re-election as mayor William Hale Thompson , Chicago broke a race riot on Sunday, 27 July 1919 / A>. Launched following the drowning of a young black it spread to other major cities across the country and did not end until August 3, after the intervention of more than 6,000 National Guardsmen. Nothing in Chicago they have lasted 13 days, resulted in 38 dead, 537 injured and hundreds homeless . The African American population grew from 15,000 persons in 1890 to 44 000 in 1910 and 234 000 in 1930 . The black community began to organize itself: thus the Chicago Defender was the first newspaper for blacks in the city. Chicago became a major focus of jazz American.

When the riot broke out, the mayor was in Cheyenne in Wyoming for the celebration of Frontier Days. He returned to Chicago emergency, while the riot was at its peak. Despite the advice of his advisers, he at first refused to bring in the militia of Illinois to enhance the Chicago police. It was not until July 30, seeing accumulate the number of dead, injured and residents whose homes were destroyed, he finally decided to seek the intervention of the National Guard. Its management rather hesitant of the crisis won him not to say mistrust of blacks who saw him as the politician who was then their most favorable.

Time of the gangs and the Prohibition (1910-1933)

The house of Al Capone in the 1920's to 7244 South Prairie in the district of Greater Grand Crossing.

The years of the late ^nineteenth to early ^twentieth century were marked by the presence of many gangs that divided the north and south of the city. Areas located just southwest of Downtown were dominated by the Mano Nera Black Hand or particular neighborhood Little Italy. James Colosimo nicknamed "Big Jim" in the middle, managed to win in the Italian neighborhood and centralize all gangs. Colosimo was born in Calabria in 1877 and emigrated to Chicago in 1895 where he became a criminal. In 1909 , he dominated the Mano Nera. To support it, he sent his nephew Johnny Torrio from New York. Torrio brought Al Capone with him. Colosimo opposed Torrio's ambition to develop the business. In 1920 , Torrio arranged with Frankie Yale to eliminate Colosimo.

During Prohibition , Chicago became the capital of organized crime around the figures of Frank Nitti , Bugs Moran and Al Capone. The gangsters in the city profited from its location close to Canada , which reached the cargo of moonshine . Above all, they were accomplices, judges, municipal politicians and corrupt policemen. In 1929 , gang warfare caused 29 deaths in the city .

On 14 February 1929 , a shootout between two main gangs took seven dead when they spoke of the Massacre of St. Valentine. It's time gangsters, corruption and violence: John Dillinger was killed during a shootout in 1934 in the neighborhood of Lincoln Park on leaving a cinema in the presence of his girlfriend Polly Hamilton. According to information from the FBI , Dillinger had been denounced by Ana Cumpana, owner of a brothel. The Untouchables (Untouchables) was the nickname that was given by the American press to a group of U.S. Treasury agents (the most famous is Eliot Ness ) who fought to enforce the prohibition. Al Capone was eventually arrested and imprisoned on the island of Alcatraz , near San Francisco.

The rise and fall of the empire of Al Capone in the 1920 and 1930 and his arrest for tax evasion has not definitively put an end to organized crime in the city of Chicago. Indeed, his gang was widely reported since, as the Chicago mafia, known to Outfit has never ceased its activities and still exists today. The core of the organization would include only 200 to 300 members and approximately 1,250 associates Goodfellas, that is to say, unless the criminal organizations in other cities. The areas in which they operate include loan loan shark, prostitution, murder, racketeering, burglaries, robberies, financial scams, money laundering, drug trafficking, trafficking of all kinds, the tax evasion or theft of cars.

Chicago, home of modernity (1871-1945)

The Home Insurance Building in 1885, became the first skyscraper in the world.

In cultural terms, in the late ^nineteenth century and the first half of the ^twentieth century, Chicago was as a "laboratory for new ideas . The appearance of the city changed fundamentally. The Great Fire of 1871 allowed the planners to think of a reconstruction of the city by modern standards. The World Exposition ( World's Columbian Exposition ) attracted 26 million visitors in 1893. It was an opportunity for proponents of architectural movement City Beautiful to make several buildings that are now part of the heritage of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry in the neighborhood of Hyde Park and the famous elevated train of the Union Loop whose path looping, determines the financial district of the Loop. A few years later blooms the Chicago school of architecture , which had an international influence. The city became a laboratory for architectural experiments: in 1885 , the Home Insurance Building , first skyscraper was built there in the world. Frank Lloyd Wright arrived in Chicago in 1889 and developed a new style of domestic architecture, the prairie houses. In 1909, Daniel Burnham designed a new town plan called Burnham Plan which provided for the urban redevelopment of downtown and the development of many green areas bordering Lake Michigan . Chicago hosted the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1938 that helped to spread the influence of the Bauhaus in America.

Period in 1871 - 1945 saw the creation of cultural institutions that are still today the reputation of Chicago. The largest library in the city at the time, the Harold Washington Library opened its doors in 1873. The Art Institute of Chicago in 1879, the Field Museum of Natural History in 1893 and the Museum of Science and Industry in 1933 are among the most important museums of America. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1891.

Chicago became a cultural center to rival the cities of the East Coast of the United States , including New York. The University of Chicago was opened in 1892 thanks to a donation from John D. Rockefeller. It developed the model of German universities and opened its doors early for girls and black . The university is distinguished by the creation of a Department of Sociology in 1892 ( Chicago School ) which had its heyday between 1918 and 1935 . The natural sciences were also well represented: the University of Chicago was the site of the first nuclear reaction controlled, conducted the two in December 1942.

Finally, Chicago became with New Orleans , one of the cradles of jazz in the early twentieth ^century. This is the 26 February 1917 that was recorded Livery Stable Blues by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band , a quintet of musicians led by the cornetist Invalid Nick La Rocca. The city also hosted Louis Armstrong in the 1920's who made his first recordings and worked with Joe Oliver said "King" . A major reason for the advent of black musicians in Chicago was closed by order of "Storyville," which was the entertainment district of New Orleans, triggering a huge movement of musicians in the city.

Economic crisis and urban (1945-1990)

Richard J. Daley in 1971.

This period was also marked by the action of Democrat Richard Joseph Daley , Mayor of Chicago from 1955 to 1976: during the 21 years of his tenure, he gave the city a convention center, several freeways , landscape the O'Hare International Airport in 1963 and renovated the area of the Loop where multiple towers rose from the ground. The Sears Tower was built in 1974 and became one of the prides of the city . The black ghettos were partly restored . International Fair 1959 ( International Trade Fair ) celebrated the opening of the Seaway St. Lawrence and Chicago was visited by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. However, the mandates of Richard Daley were also marked by deindustrialization: whereas in 1954 Chicago is the first U.S. city to steel production , the following decade saw closures cascade. The steel industry was not the only economic sector affected: slaughterhouses were relocated to Kansas City in 1971 , unemployment increased and the brownfields multiplied.

From the 1950's , the upper and middle classes left the city of Chicago to settle in the suburbs. On ¹ December 1958 , a fire occurred at the Our Lady of the Angels School , located in the neighborhood of Humboldt Park : 92 students and three nuns died in the tragedy . This drama fostered the development of improved fire protection in schools nationwide.

The Chicago River with headquarters Chicago Sun-Times and the right turn of 77 West Wacker Drive , home to United Airlines at the bottom.

With the relaxation of immigration laws in the 1960s , neighborhoods abandoned by the white became ghettoes which were concentrated African Americans , Asians and Hispanics. Race riots broke out in the context of the civil rights movement. In 1963 , the boycotts of black public schools were organized to protest against the overcrowding and segregation operated by the Chicago Public Schools . In 1966 , Martin Luther King launched a campaign against discrimination, the Chicago Freedom Movement. Part of the civil rights movement became more radical with the Black Power and Black Panther Party : The former mayor was assassinated two prominent members of the police . On 12 July 1966 , several black neighborhoods of the West Side was the scene of violent riots who made three deaths .

4 and 5 April 1968 , riots supervened after the assassination of Martin Luther King in the black neighborhoods of West Side and South Side. The National Guard had to intervene and the toll was nine dead . In August of that year, during the Democratic convention, the mayor led a repressive policy which led to 660 arrests, 1,000 injuries and one death . It took until 1983 to see the city elected its first black mayor, Harold Washington in one of the tightest elections in the history of Chicago. He died during his tenure of a heart attack in 1987, shortly after being reelected for a second term.

Between 13 and 14 January 1979, a snowstorm major key Chicago and its region. 41.9 cm of snow fell on January 13, setting a new record for snow in one day. At the end of day 2, 47.8 cm of snow had fallen. This has led to major complications in the network of public transport in the Chicago Transit Authority , especially the elevated railway on the Union Loop , the tracks were frozen. The administration's response to Michael Bilandic, then mayor of the day was so miserable about it this bad weather has resulted in the election of Jane Byrne, who was the first woman to reach the post of mayor of Chicago.

Chicago today

View to the Aon Center and the Sears Tower from the John Hancock Center.

Since the 1990s , Chicago wins again people. Some neighborhoods have known for some years a process of gentrification , as in other U.S. cities. They are refurbished and attract a new population of middle class or bourgeois. The apartments of the lakefront including knowledge of some success.

The aim of the current mayor, Richard M. Daley (son of former Mayor Richard J. Daley), elected in 1989 and reelected continuously since, is to promote environmental protection while maintaining Chicago among cities the world more influential. Recent developments and projects mark this ambition. Many new skyscrapers rising from the ground, demonstrating the economic prosperity of Chicago. The area of green space is extended and the center of the city is made safer at night. The latest project is the Chicago Spire : work began in June 2007 and were completed in 2012 but were stopped following the financial crisis of late 2008, with no resumption date. The skyscraper would then be the highest in the Americas with 150 storeys and 609.60 meters .

With a new horizon within the next few years, downtown is growing rapidly with a denser atmosphere and more breathable. The department of buildings in the city (Chicago Department of Buildings) is an agency responsible for enforcing the building code in Chicago governing the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of district buildings and parks of Chicago ( Chicago Park District ) which is the agency responsible for managing parks and green spaces city working together on the project of restoring biodiversity and rehabilitation of areas damaged by the restoration of some buildings in the city as well as the creation new buildings, including the creation of garden on the roofs of skyscrapers with a flat surface. This is particularly true of the mayor of Chicago ( Chicago City Hall ), which for years has a green roof.

The city has definitely made almost forget his bad reputation, a legacy of the turbulent period of prohibition in the 1930s. In 2006, she was no longer part of the list of 25 U.S. cities less safe. This is due to the strengthening and the quasi-permanent police presence in many neighborhoods of South Side of the city that were once considered decadent. Today, Chicago is a beautiful city, nice, clean, very lively, with broad avenues lined with greenery.

In 2008, Chicago was awarded the title "City of the Year" by the magazine GQ for its recent architectural innovations and literary world of his politics, and its downtown, which was prominent in the movie The Dark Knight Dark Knight . The city was also assessed as having the most balanced economy in the United States because of its high level of diversification .

Geography

Satellite image of Chicago

Location and physical setting

Chicago is located in north-central United States , specifically in the northeast of the State of Illinois , whose capital is Springfield. It lies at the center of Midwest , a geographic entity comprising eight states in the region of the Great Lakes. Its geographical coordinates are 41 52'55 "N 87 34'40" W / 41.88194, -87.57778 , the same latitude as Barcelona in Spain and Rome in Italy. During the ^nineteenth and ^twentieth centuries , the territory of the city of Chicago has developed to the west and on the shores of Lake Michigan to reach a north-south length of about 45 km ^, on an east-west width of 25 km, comprising a total area of 606 sq. km. Most of the city of Chicago is located in Cook County while the O'Hare International Airport and a portion of his district are in DuPage County. Chicago is about 1000 km from the federal capital Washington, DC , at 1 300 km west of New York and 3300 km north-east of Los Angeles . Finally, Chicago is for three sets economic importance: the industrial region of the Manufacturing Belt , the region's agricultural Midwest and the transport path of the Great Lakes. This advantageous situation partly explains the rise of the city.

The city has an average altitude of about 176 meters above mean sea level ^, . The highest point (224 m) is located in the southern city Hegewisch , a residential area. The Chicago site has long been a lowland swamp (Chicago Plain) is drained by the Chicago River and the Calumet River. Farther west, flows the Des Plaines River , which flows into the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi. Chicago is therefore line separating waters between the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Today, all these rivers are interconnected by channels. In south-east of the town is the Lake Calumet , a large body of water that once flowed through the outlet of the Calumet River to Lake Michigan through both arms, the Little Calumet and Grand Calumet.

Chicago is based on a bedrock dating from the Silurian (between 443.7 to 416,000,000 years) deposits covered by sediments during the last glaciation of the Quaternary (Equality Formation) . Lake Michigan was formed at the end of the last ice age ( Wisconsin glaciation ), there are about 10 000 years, when the ice sheet Laurentide retreated leaving large amounts of meltwater. The Great Lakes region is one of the great depression center of North America extending south towards the plains of the Mississippi. Part of the present bank was reclaimed with the fill of the great fire of 1871. Lake Michigan has always been a source of drinking water and a major transportation route, through liaison with other Great Lakes. He helped install the port of Chicago and the development of leisure activities.

Climate

Chicago Climate Chart

Chicago suffered a humid continental climate . Located inland, the city is marked by the character of continental climate and circulation meridian of air masses : the annual average temperature is below 10 C. The temperature range is strong annual (29 C) and precipitation that are barely above 900 mm per year are more irregular than on the Atlantic coast and the maximum occurs in the summer, often in the form of thunderstorms. The temperature and time can change abruptly in winter and summer .

The winters are cold or harsh: the freeze persists long, usually from November to March. It is generated by the descent of cold air ( cold waves ) from Canada who found no mountain barrier . Michigan partially frozen lake every winter. If snow can fall in early autumn and spring, it is more important in winter. The blizzard occurs in winter and can paralyze transportation. Over the year, he fell an average of 97 cm of snow .

Summers are hot and humid because of the hot waves (heat waves) which rise from the Gulf of Mexico and causing heat waves and the famous " Indian summers "at the beginning of autumn. The nickname of "Windy City" ( Windy City ) is partly due to winds blowing from Lake Michigan and rushing into the streets of the metropolis. There are shades of climate in the city: the climate is temperate on the shores of Lake Michigan, which acts as a thermal regulator refreshing summer temperatures, making them warmer in winter.

40.5 C is the record heat up the 24 July 1934 ; -32.7 C is the record low observed the 20 January 1985. The most violent gust ever recorded took place on 12 February 1894 : 140 km / h . In July 1995 , a heatwave with several consecutive days over 37 C caused the deaths of hundreds of people . On 27 January 1967 , the snow depth reaches 58.4 cm on average with drifts of about 1.80 meter in some streets . Another snowstorm in 1979 had raised many criticisms of the city of Chicago.

Common Boundary

/ / Upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Brosen_windrose-fr.svg/50px-Brosen_windrose-fr.svg.png "width =" 50 "height =" 50 "/>	Elk Grove Village , Rosemont	Park Ridge , Niles , Lincolnwood , Evanston	Lake Michigan
	Schiller Park Oak Park Cicero Evergreen Park	N	Lake Michigan
		Chicago O E
		S
	Oak Lawn Alsip , Calumet Park	Riverdale , Dolton , Calumet City , Burnham	Hammond
Enclave: Norridge , Harwood Heights

Districts and parts of the city

Map of the city of Chicago with its 77 community areas.

The city of Chicago is divided into seventy-seven community sectors (in English : which were created mainly for demographic data and statistics of the municipality and the Census Bureau United States and also serve as a basis for variety of initiatives in urban planning, both at local and municipal levels. That the search committee in social sciences from the University of Chicago who has defined these community sectors across the city of Chicago in the late 1920's.

Long a land of immigration , Chicago has among its inhabitants in many communities of foreign origin, Irish, Italian, Romanian, Jewish, German, Spanish, Chinese, Polish - Chicago is the largest Polish city outside of Poland - which display une volont d'intgration, mme si chacune reste attache au quartier de sa communaut, vivant exemple de ce creuset dmographique ( melting pot ) qui, plus que dans toute autre ville amricaine, aura russi donner la ville son caractre cosmopolite.

From a geographic standpoint, the city of Chicago is divided by the Chicago River (Chicago River) into four sections, North Side , Central , West Side and South Side , which each include many sectors and areas of the city. The section corresponding to Central includes about it ( Downtown Chicago ) that is to say, the three core areas that make up the downtown and business district , Near North Side , Loop and Near South Side. The largest of these sections is the South Side, which alone covers about 60% of the total area of Chicago.

Chicago has about 228 neighborhoods (Neighborhoods) through seventy-seven community sectors of the city. Often these neighborhoods 'ethnic' who maintain a strong identity for each, the best known are located near the Loop, as Little Italy , Chinatown , Pilsen , Bronzeville , Greek Town , Bridgeport , Little Vietnam , Indian Village and Ukrainian Village neighborhoods and German, Polish, African-American and Hispanic-Americans, who are not far apart.

Chicago has also without ethnic neighborhoods are very attractive for residents and visitors alike:

• Rogers Park in the north of the city , a neighborhood known for housing students of Loyola University and for being one of the most popular areas of the city.
• North Center and Uptown are known to be of particular business areas with its many malls, shops and restaurants,
• Jefferson Park , a neighborhood popular for its namesake park and its rich history,
• Lake View north of Lincoln Park is one of the most dynamic sectors of the city and includes Boystown , the area dedicated to the gay community. This area is very attractive and includes bars, nightclubs and shops. Boystown is the oldest gay area in the Midwest and one of the first of its kind in the United States. The area of Edgewood has for its part, the lesbian community, which is mainly concentrated in the neighborhood of Andersonville.
• Lincoln Park is best known for being the sector with the largest urban public park of any city, Lincoln Park.
• Wicker Park and Bucktown to the north-western districts frequented by students are very much alive at night
• Hyde Park , a neighborhood home to Jackson Park and the Statue Of The Republic , the Museum of Science and Industry , the DuSable Museum of History Afros Americans and the University of Chicago , is one of the city the most prestigious Chicago
• Kenwood , located just south of Hyde Park has become famous for being the district of residence of the Obama family,
• Beverly and Mount Greenwood south west are the rural character of the neighborhoods for their rich architecture,
• Hegewisch and South Deering , in the south of the city are two neighborhoods known for their green space and tranquility. They line the Lake Calumet is the largest body of water located within the town of Chicago.

Downtown Chicago

Street plan, multi-level part of the area of the Loop in Downtown.

Loop

The metro area delimits the loop circuit by air forming a loop called Union Loop.

The area of Loop represents part of Central , commonly called (Downtown Chicago) is the second largest business district of the United States after Manhattan in New York. The Loop takes about 8 km long between the shores of Lake Michigan and those of the Chicago River and has the distinction of having a network of streets that intertwine on three levels (see map-cons ), some of which are reserved for pedestrians and bicycles.

It is relatively easy to find in Chicago because the streets are built to a rectangular pattern. The numbering system of streets in the Loop begins at the intersection of State and Madison, marking the importance of this district for the entire city. The Loop (that is to say, "The Loop") owes its name to the elevated subway that runs in a loop around the historic center of Chicago. This area, once notorious gave way to financial centers and buildings that form part of the skyline. Il est bord au nord et l'ouest par la rivire Chicago, l'est par le lac Michigan et au sud par la Roosevelt Road. It houses many skyscrapers, including the Home Insurance Building , considered the oldest in the world and the Sears Tower , the tallest of America.

The origin of its name, Loop , which in French means "the loop", comes from a line of tramway from Chicago who, in 1882, made a loop around the neighborhood before it is replaced by the Union Loop nerve center of Chicago 'L'.

Streeterville

The neighborhood of Streeterville includes numerous hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and high-rise residential buildings, universities, medical facilities and cultural venues. The district has experienced an economic boom in recent years and many vacant lots in Streeterville have been converted into residential and commercial properties. The Historic District of Old Chicago Water Tower is located in Streeterville, and contains within its boundaries prestigious buildings as the Chicago Water Tower , a water tower shaped tower Gothic style dating from 1869 and the Pumping Station , Station pumping from the same year.

Major ethnic neighborhoods

Chinatown

An emblematic building of Chinatown in Chicago

Located in the area of Armour Square , the Chinatown is, as in many American cities, very distinctive, with its town hall Chinese, his Chinese Temple and Museum Ling Long home to the descendants of early Chinese immigrants arrived in the City to 1870 , long after the early settlement of California , the Oregon and Washington , and those of the second wave of immigrants, who settled in the 1950 and 1960 , after the victory of communist revolution of Mao Zedong in China ^Bronzeville

The Victory Monument in the neighborhood of Bronzeville.

Bronzeville is an African-American neighborhood of Chicago, he straddles the areas of Douglas and Grand Boulevard around the Institute of Technology Illinois. It is accessible through the lines green and red of the Chicago Transit Authority or by the main line track railway from Metra.

In this district, is the Wabash Avenue YMCA , which was an important social center, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett House was once the residence of the civil rights advocate Ida B. Wells. Built in 1927 in Bronzeville, the Victory Monument is dedicated to the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, a unit Afro-American who served France during the First World War.

In the early ^twentieth century , Bronzeville was known as "the black city" one of the ( Chicago Landmark ) the most significant of the nation's African-American urban history. Between 1910 and 1920, during the peak of the "great migration," the area's population has increased dramatically when thousands of African-Americans fled the oppression of southerners and emigrated to Chicago in search of Industrial Works. Many famous people were associated with the development of the sector including: actors, singers, poets, famous musicians such as Louis Armstrong or Quincy Jones. Today, the ghetto still exists, in the sense that it is still inhabited exclusively by blacks. But suffer from the combined effects of deindustrialization of the Rust Belt and the removal of "semi- welfare state America, "he collapsed socially (high unemployment, net withdrawal of institutions and the state's infant mortality rate sharply, declining life expectancy, etc.)..

Pilsen

Pilsen is a neighborhood Mexican Chicago, comprised primarily of residential subdivisions. In the late ^nineteenth century , Pilsen was inhabited by immigrants Czech who called the area Pilsen , the fourth largest city in what is now the Czech Republic. The population also included smaller numbers of other ethnic groups of the Empire Austro-Hungarian including Serbs , Slovaks , Slovenes , Croats and Austrians , as well as immigrants inheritance Polish and Lithuanian. Many immigrants worked in factories and industrial parks nearby. So many American urban neighborhoods of the early ^twentieth century , however, Pilsen was inhabited by both the rich and the poor, factory workers, businessmen among all based on ethnicity, for most of progeny Slavic and were not readily welcome in other parts of the city.

Architecture

The Tribune Tower

The Chicago architecture has influenced and reflected the long history of American architecture. The city of Chicago has some of the first buildings made by many important architects. Like most buildings downtown were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 , Chicago buildings are renowned for their originality rather than their seniority.

The Universal Exhibition of 1893 was an opportunity to implement the theories of City Beautiful and construct buildings styles Beaux Arts and Neoclassical like the Field Museum of Natural History , the Museum of Science and Industry , the Chicago Cultural Center or the Art Institute of Chicago. The 1.88 thousand years - 1,900 were marked by the achievements of the Chicago school of architecture by architects like Daniel Burnham , Dankmar Adler , Louis Sullivan , William Holabird , Martin Roche or John Wellborn Root. It is this movement that we owe the first skyscraper in history: the Home Insurance Building of William Le Baron Jenney in 1885. The Chicago School laid the groundwork for a specifically American architecture that promotes simplicity of form. In the early twentieth ^century, Chicago was the main focus of the Prairie School with the buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright , many of whom are ranked Chicago Landmark.

Like other American cities, Chicago's architecture is characterized by great diversity. Thus, the buildings on the campus of the University of Chicago , several churches (such as the Second Presbyterian Church ) and Tribune Tower are Gothic Revival. Le Style international s'est surtout impos aprs 1945 avec le Crown Hall. Finally, ethnic neighborhoods are distinguished by their architectural styles imported: Chinatown , Orthodox churches in bulbs, among others. In the years 1960-1970, the desire to preserve the architectural heritage of the city grew. In 1966 was created the Chicago Architecture Foundation , to enable the preservation of John J. Glessner House built by architect Henry Hobson Richardson , one of the oldest residences in Chicago.

Today, Chicago is known for its skyscrapers: second behind the business center of Manhattan , the central business district has the tallest building in the Hemisphere, the Sears Tower was completed in 1974 and comprising 108 floors was the highest skyscraper in the world from 1974 to 1998. This may be exceeded by the Chicago Spire , which, once completed, will measure 610 meters in height, but following the financial crisis of September 2008, work was stopped without a date of resumption.

The first major infrastructure

The Chicago Water Tower

In the early 1880s , as the school of architecture and urbanism in Chicago forces its way and gained his international reputation in the construction of steel frame and then the use of glass in the 1890s to facades. Among the first modern buildings in the city, the Home Insurance Building , built in 1885 by William Le Baron Jenney is often considered the first skyscraper. Although most of the building was made of brick and stone, it is the first high-rise steel frame with cast iron columns and steel beams. However, the building of Montauk, between 1882-1883 designed by Lord John Wellborn and Daniel Burnham, was the first building including steel was the main material for construction. In his book on the Universal Exhibition of 1893, Erik Larson said that the Montauk became the first building to be called a " skyscraper. " In the mid- 1890s , Daniel Burnham, Root and Charles Atwood has designed buildings with steel frames, glass and earthenware. These were made possible by modern entrepreneurs like George A. Fuller and professional engineers, particularly those from European migration.

In 1885 , the first skyscraper steel frame was raised in Chicago initiating the era of skyscrapers in the United States, including New York, then in the rest of the world. Today, the skyline of Chicago is one of the largest skylines in the world. The historic buildings downtown include the Chicago Board of Trade (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) in the Loop, and other buildings located on the edge of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. Skyscraper currently the highest in the city are the Sears Tower , the Aon Center , the Trump International Hotel and Tower and the John Hancock Center.

The architecture of the city is very diverse and includes modern styles, European, Gothic, Renaissance and is characterized by both its downtown is vertical skyscrapers and high rise residential, as single family homes from the early ^twentieth century. Many examples are among the structures most innovative architecture Chicagoans, such as houses of homes located in industrialized areas such as south-east of the city on the border of Indiana , the houses located in neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Kenwood, the Chicago Midway International Airport , or the canals of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Skyscrapers currently under construction or already built as the Waterview Tower , the Trump International Hotel and Tower and the Chicago Spire (the project is on hold since late 2008), give new skyline in Chicago. Zip code 60602 is considered by the magazine Forbes as the most charismatic in the country, including within its limits of buildings and prestigious venues such as mixed-use tower The Heritage Theme Park and Millennium Park. The latest generation of skyscrapers Chicagoans lies in the areas of Near North Side and Near South Side , respectively north and south of the Loop. Indeed, the vast majority of tall buildings located in the Loop, but the business district of the city (Central Business District) extends over several years on the adjacent sectors. Multiple genres of townhouses, condominiums and buildings can be found in various neighborhoods of Chicago. Bordering Lake Michigan, large residential areas stretching over long north-south strips are characterized by bungalows built during the early ^twentieth century and after World War II.

Skyline of Downtown from Lake Michigan

Parks and green spaces

Located at Grant Park , the Millennium Park is home to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion , the Cloud Gate , the Crown Fountain , the Lurie Garden , the Harris Theater , the McCormick Tribune Plaza and the Gateway BP , making it one of the parks attractiveness of the city.

When Chicago was incorporated as a municipality in the year 1837 , she chose the motto "Urbs in Horto," a Latin term which in French means "City in a Garden." Chicago is the city with the most green space of all the United States. Today Chicago is comprised of 552 municipal parks over 30 square miles of greenery but also of 33 beaches , 16 historic lagoons and 9 ports located on the shores of Lake Michigan , making the Chicago Park District 's largest system urban management and maintenance of green areas in the nation.

Lincoln Park , the largest public park in the city welcomes nearly 20 million visitors every year, attendance ranking it second only to Central Park in New York. It contains amongst other Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Garfield Park Conservatory is home to the Garfield Park, one of the largest conservatories and most impressive of the United States. It occupies about 18,000 square meters and contains a number of rare plants and trees from around the world.

Grant Park is a public park with an area of 1.29 square kilometers located in downtown ( Downtown Chicago ), one can see the famous Buckingham Fountain. Between June 1999 and July 2004, Grant Park has undergone major refurbishments to host one of the most attractive of the city known today as the Millennium Park (Millennium Park). Another popular park is one of Chicago's Jackson Park , which covers an area about 2 square kilometers straddling the neighborhoods of Woodlawn and Hyde Park. Jackson Park is best known for the work of sculptor Henry Bacon , the Statue Of The Republic , which was erected in 1918 to commemorate the ^25th anniversary of the Universal Exhibition of 1893 and the centenary of the State of Illinois. The park also houses a Japanese garden and is very popular with tourists and residents for its proximity to beaches. The Palmer Park, named after Potter Palmer , was born with this influential businessman in the Chicago of the 1900s. This park is also popular for its murals and its facilities and amenities which include baseball fields, a fitness room, meeting rooms, an outdoor pool and tennis courts.

The largest municipal park in terms of area is that of Calumet Park in the neighborhood of South Deering. Bordering the Lake Calumet , it covers nearly 23 square kilometers. In addition to ongoing projects of beautification and renewal for many existing parks, a number of new parks have been created in recent years as the Memorial Park Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown, DuSable Park and especially the Millennium Park, who knows a great success since its opening.

The world organization for environmental protection Greenpeace , the city of Chicago and Cook County have signed a charter for the protection and conservation of forests in the northwest of the city, especially in the neighborhood of O 'Hare. For several years these forests were threatened by urban expansion and are now classified as protected natural parks. Formed in 1975, Friends of the Parks is an association which aims to monitor and protect the environment in the Chicago area. Specifically, it monitors the condition and safety of the Chicago Park District. FOTP also monitors forest reserves in Cook County.

Demographics

Overview of Downtown Chicago.

The Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower on the Magnificent Mile.

Chicagoans are called Chicagoans. In 2008, according to estimates by the Census Bureau United States, the city of Chicago had 2,853,114 inhabitants ^, , which represents just over one fifth of the total population of the State of ' Illinois / A>. According to the census of 2010, Chicago had 2.9 million inhabitants, an increase of 0.1%. Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States, behind New York and Los Angeles. The average density reached 4.923 inhabitants per km : it is a figure higher than Los Angeles , but much smaller than New York.

Chicago's population exploded from the 1850s : it is multiplied by 3.7 in a decade and goes up to the ninth most populous cities of the United States. This urban expansion is explained by economic development. The maximum population is reached in 1950 between the city and then declining until the 1990s. The suburbanization of the middle class decreases the population of the town to residential suburbs. The median income for a household in the city was 38,625 dollars and 42,724 dollars for a family. Males had a median income of 35,907 dollars on average 536 against 30 for women.

Income per capita in the city was 20,175 dollars. 19.6% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 16.6% of families

In 2008, the metropolitan area of Chicago known as Chicagoland , includes some 9,785,747 million people, making it the third largest urban area in the United States and the fourth in North America after those of Mexico, New York and Los Angeles . The MSA Chicago- Naperville - Joliet includes 252 municipalities in which Chicago is the city center. It spans three states ( Illinois , Indiana , Wisconsin ) and eight counties ( Cook , DuPage , Grundy , Kane , Kendall , Lake , McHenry , Will ) for a total of 24 800 km . Across the continent, it is the sixth largest urban area after those of Mexico City, New York, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles and Buenos Aires and ranks ^26th among global population .

Crime

In 2006 , according to the Chicago Police Department , the crime has declined in the violent city of Chicago . Between 1997 and 2006, the number of crimes and offenses (theft, burglary, violence, rape, murder, arson, malicious damage etc..) fell 34% from 254 573 166 057 . There were 761 murders in the city in 1997 , 467 in 2006, 82.4% with a firearm ; killings represent 1.3% of violence committed against persons . Chicago has definitely made almost forget his bad reputation, a legacy of the turbulent period of prohibition in the 1930s , when the activities of Al Capone and the Mob earned him the nickname of "Crime Capital". The feeling of insecurity has declined and it is quite possible to walk without fear in most districts of North Side and Downtown. It is only advisable for tourists to be more vigilant and avoid certain neighborhoods of South Side as Fuller Park , South Shore , Englewood , Douglas and West Pullman neighborhoods or some West Side such as West Garfield Park and Austin.

Administration

Municipal Organization

Richard M. Daley
Mayor of Chicago since 1989.

The city government of Chicago is divided into branches executive and legislative. The mayor of Chicago ( Mayor of Chicago ) is the head of the executive (in English chief executive) . He is elected for four years and apply the orders. He is responsible for monitoring all services and city agencies ( Departments ), as well as various specialized administrations. The mayor directs and monitors the various leaders he appoints the head of municipal services and holds a veto in the council. It is the most powerful man in town. Since 1931 , every mayor of Chicago belong to the Democratic Party .

The City Council ( Chicago City Council ) is composed of 50 members representing each of the 50 districts of the city ( wards ) and forms the legislative branch of city government: the annual budget he voted in November . Their mandate lasts four years. The city of Chicago is comprised of 50 constituencies (wards), which each elect one member (alderman or alderwoman) the council of the city.

The City Hall of Chicago ( Chicago City Hall ) is the official seat of government of the city of Chicago ( City of Chicago Government ). The two adjacent buildings of Richard J. Daley Center and James R. Thompson Center , City Hall houses the offices of mayor, city clerk, the treasurer of city and certain city services. The rooms of the Chicago City Council are on the west side of the building.

In 2005 , the city's budget was more than five billion dollars : The main costs are related to the police ( Chicago Police Department ), the Fire ( Chicago Fire Department ), maintenance and renovation of roads, bridges and roads ( Chicago Department of Transportation ), and repayment of debt.

Ambitions and achievements of the current mayor

Green roof of Chicago City Hall.

The aim of the current mayor, Richard M. Daley (son of former Mayor Richard J. Daley), elected in 1989 and reelected continuously since, is to promote environmental protection while maintaining Chicago among cities the world more influential. Recent developments and projects mark this ambition. The area of green space is extended and the center of the city is made safer at night. With a new horizon within the next few years, downtown is growing rapidly with a denser atmosphere and more breathable. The park district of Chicago ( Chicago Park District ), which is the agency responsible for the management of parks and green spaces in the city of Chicago is committed to the recovery plan for the biodiversity , is placed in areas damaged by the restoration of some buildings in the city as well as creating new buildings, including garden design over the roofs on most of the skyscraper with a flat surface.

The Chicago Climate Exchange is the first system of trading emissions of greenhouse gases in the world. The CCX launched its trading platform in 2003. In 2005, CCX launched the European Climate Exchange (EXC), a major player in trade within the European Union market. The mayor also signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement ("Agreement of U.S. mayors on climate protection") to meet or exceed the GHG reduction targets set by the Kyoto Protocol.

Chicago is nicknamed the "Green Roofs City": the roofs are a total of over 418,000 sq ft . Mayor Richard M. Daley has made the city the first in North America in terms of "green roofs" with tax incentives that have been implemented since the early 2000s . Since 1989, 500,000 trees were planted in Chicago .

Economy

A powerful metropolis with a diversified economy

the Chicago Board of Trade ( Commodity Exchange in Chicago)

Chicago is one of global cities on the planet: the sector of tertiary education is well represented by many head offices and branches in the areas of accounting , the advertising , the finance and legal services . The city is a center of economic decision as shown by the concentration of headquarters of multinational firms in the business district , which remains the country's second largest behind that of New York.

The economic burden of Greater Chicago is considerable: the GNP of the city was 349 billion in 2002 and 390 billion in 2005 : If Chicago had as a country, it would 18 ^th largest economy in the world . The Department of Community Development (DCD) is an organization that deals with the economic development of the whole city, and manages among other chambers of commerce district.

Economic activity in Chicago is diverse: industry there is a relatively significant. The transport sector and trade is highly developed and offers a multimodal network of first order in the country. Today the city is the second largest market in the United States and holds the largest stock market in the world for raw materials . It is the second U.S. city to the edition after New York . It is the hub of the Midwest and the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago , the seventh of the twelve districts of the Federal Reserve of the United States including the State of Illinois and almost all the states of Michigan , of Wisconsin , the Indiana and Missouri. It ranks third in the country for fairs , the congresses and conventions . The McCormick Place is the largest convention center in the country and the third world.

Downtown Chicago is considered the origin of the skyscraper.

The number of workers in Chicago is 4.2 million (August 2006) . The unemployment rate was 5.5% in July 2006, a figure higher than the national average but down for three years . The Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (MOWD) helps the unemployed find new jobs. In 2003, the largest employer in the city is the federal government (88,000 employees), followed by public schools (46,184 employees) and the municipality (39 275 employees) . The largest companies by number of employees are the supermarket chain Jewel-Osco (39,220 employees), Advocate Health Care (25,293 employees), SBC Communications (21 000 employees) and United Parcel Service (19,063 employees) . Other firms dominate the economic life of the city: McDonald's , Kraft Foods (food), Target Corporation , Sears, Roebuck and Company (retail), Walgreens , Abbott Laboratories (pharmaceutical), Playboy Enterprises ( Playboy Magazine , Playboy TV ) (broadcast and magazine charm) Chicago Climate Exchange (environment and sustainable development); United Airlines , Boeing , Motorola (transport and communications); Yellow Cab Company (taxi company), Portillo's (fast food); Allstate , Bank One (insurance and finance) and Business Access software vendor to configure products and services and electronic commerce for businesses. The food , the metallurgy and printing are the three industrial sectors that use more labor in Chicago .

Rise grain and transportation center in the ^nineteenth

Before 1833, the main activity of the region was the fur trade. Then the economic boom attracted speculators and entrepreneurs. The port on Lake Michigan, grew rapidly, and with it, shipbuilding. Chicago became one of the industrial centers of the Manufacturing Belt.

Chicago has benefited from the ^nineteenth century led to the agricultural region of the Great Plains , the granary of the United States. In the 1840s , Chicago became the largest grain port in the world. The agri-food processing of pork and beef proliferated from the mid-nineteenth ^century, especially under the leadership of Gustavus F. Swift and Philip Armour. Thus, by 1865 that are based the Union Stock Yards in Chicago who made a major center for treatment of livestock. One of the symbols of the city is the beef , because Chicago has long harbored giant slaughterhouses , which it owes much of his fortune and reputation. That's why the basketball team called the Chicago Bulls. Slaughterhouses remained active between 1865 and 1971 , when they were transferred to Kansas City.

In the mid- ^nineteenth century , the town became an important railway junction where the famous line from Union Pacific , to San Francisco , which will be completed in 1869. Chicago is the rail lines meet the Amtrak serving the eastern and the western United States.

Industrial development, technological and financial

The skyscrapers along the Chicago River.

Chicago is still one of the largest markets in cereals in the world. The powerful sector food for a large proportion of industrial employment in the city. The industry's cabinet has also developed in the nineteenth ^century .

Large U.S. companies have located in Chicago: Sears, Roebuck and Company , Amoco , Sara Lee and Walgreen. Boeing has also transferred its headquarters previously located in Seattle. Finally, McDonald's also had its headquarters in Chicago during the 1970s, but the company was then transferred to Oak Brook , in the suburbs.

Centre for supplying the troops during the Civil War , the arms industry prospered as the ^twentieth century. As part of the Manhattan Project on 2 December 1942 was held at the University of Chicago, the first nuclear reaction controlled.

The industrial and urban development of ^twentieth century gave the city to pump water from Lake Michigan more later. The industry has recently enjoyed a close alliance between universities, laboratories and companies.

The Smurfit-Stone Building and Two Prudential Plaza from the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

This concerns primarily the area of high technology : computers and electronics with software Spyglass , the company Motorola and U.S. Robotics Corporation. This does not prevent the region to continue heavy productions such as the steel , despite strong competition from abroad.

The importance of the mother gives of course first class service functions. Chicago is a major financial center, which was the first to launch contracts in the market for derivatives , following the work of economists of the Chicago School on quantitative analysis in the financial year 1950-1970. It now houses the first award of the world by volume of transactions processed ( capitalization of 30 billion), due to the merger of the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange , decided by shareholders July 9, 2007 .

The dynamic tourism also plays a lot in favor of economic development of the city, because Chicago is home to some of the attractions, museums, universities and the best known in the United States. In 2002, it attracted more than 28 million visitors, one million came from abroad in Chicago spent more than 8.7 billion and generated 442 million of charges . The city has 26,630 hotel rooms . Numerous conferences and meetings are held each year. The main tourist attractions and leisure are the Navy Pier (8.6 million visitors in 2005), the Lincoln Park Zoo (3 million), the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry (1.8 million each) .

Transport

The Great Hall of Union Station

Chicago is a major communication nodes in North America. From the ^eighteenth century , with the fur trade and timber trade and agricultural production, the city is marked by his calling market. Today the town is a crossroads of five federal highways and six railway lines of national importance . The various facilities and infrastructure makes Chicago a multimodal platform essential to the U.S..

The city is served by an extensive network of underground but also by commuter trains and national capacity of Amtrak. Chicago is the fourth city in the United States for the number of user Amtrak train .

The main stations in Chicago served by Amtrak and the Metra are:

• Union Station
• Millennium Station
• Ogilvie Transportation Center
• LaSalle Street Station
• Van Buren Street Station

Transit

The Chicago Transit Authority , known by the acronym "ATC" is the operator of public transport in the city of Chicago. The company is the second of its kind in the United States and fourth in North America.

The CTA provides bus and subway within the city of Chicago and out of forty municipalities in the suburbs and the airports serving the Midway and O'Hare.

Metro Chicago

Network map lines of 'L'.

Chicago has an extensive route network of subway. Opened June 6th 1892 , the Metro Chicago is one of the oldest systems of the world, known as the letter 'L' "Elevated to because most of its air network. It is visited daily by about 700,000 passengers.

Some sections of today's network back in the late ^nineteenth century when Chicago has followed the example of New York by constructing overhead lines underground. Unlike New York which began early in the ^twentieth century to replace its overhead lines by underground lines in Manhattan , Chicago has retained most of its original routes.

The network managed by the Chicago Transit Authority has a length of 171 km on eight lines, it has 144 stations (92 are accessible to disabled end 2010), 19 km tunnel with 21 stations, 59 kilometers in area with 41 stations and 92 air miles with 89 stations.

All lines, except the yellow line , leaving the center of town where some of them are the famous aerial loop, the Union Loop , now regarded as the limit of the community sector of the Loop. Two lines, the blue and red through the loop underground.

A train of subway line orange towards Midway.

The majority of lines and stations are located in the city of Chicago except for several kilometers to the ends of lines pink (Cicero), Purple (Evanston), Yellow (Skokie) and Blue (Forest Park). The 'L' serves both Chicago airports, the O'Hare Airport by the blue line (45 minutes from downtown) and Midway Airport the Orange line (30 minutes from downtown).

The Metro Chicago is composed of several types of stations ranging from Queen Anne style of the ^nineteenth century , the Italian style of the ^twentieth century up to modern hyper structures. Some stations are decorated with works of art while others retain a utilitarian form. Despite numerous reconstructions of these styles still live today. Since the major reorganization of the network and assigning colors to each line in 1993, the stations are all called by the name of the street or avenue that intersects with a predominance of the street is the entrance Main Station.

Listed for many years, the CTA plans to create a second loop called Circle Line. This new line, introduced in 2002, would share the rails with the Red Line to Chinatown before following the line a href = "Ligne_orange_ (Chicago_Transit_Authority)" title = "Orange Line (Chicago Transit Authority)"> Orange to Ashland. Hence would create a new viaduct to reach the pink line, and the United Center (the arena of the Bulls ) on the crossing with the line blue. From this cross a second bridge would be built about 7 km long to find the line red and the Dearborn tunnel. The project still under consideration, would see the light of day before 2025.

Bus Network

In 2002 , the buses of the CTA have carried more than 25 million passengers per month ^Airports

Terminal 1 of the O'Hare International Airport.

With 76.5 million passengers in 2006 , the Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the world's second largest by number of passengers behind the Hartsfield-Jackson of Atlanta. Located about 27 kilometers northwest of the Loop financial district (30 to 40 minutes by car) , it is accessible by Route 190, by subway and buses on the Chicago Transit Authority. The airport has its own system of underground loaders called fully automated Airport Transit System , which operates 24 hours a day and whose service is free. The shuttle ATS serves five stations spread over a line that loops through the grounds of the airport through terminals and parking farther away. O'Hare Airport is experiencing congestion problems, delays or even cancellation of some flights. A plan to modernize and redesign the tracks and the terminal has been launched to increase capacity. It serves as a hub principal of United Airlines which is headquartered in downtown Chicago and for American Airlines.

The Chicago Midway International Airport is the second largest airport in Chicago with 18.8 million passengers in 2006 ^Port

Chicago is a port on Lake Michigan. Its advantages are related to its location in the heart of the region of the Great Lakes and helped the industrial development of the city in the nineteenth ^century. Through a system of waterways , the Port of Chicago connects eastward to the Atlantic Ocean via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence , and Gulf of Mexico to the south via the river Mississippi. The 14 marine terminals are managed by the Illinois International Port District.

With total traffic between 23 and 26 million tons per year , the Port Chicago was in the 32 ^th United States in 2005 . Much of the traffic is destined for the domestic market (23,074,136 short tons ). Various goods through the Port of Chicago: Non-ferrous metals, and minerals , the coke , sugar, grain, petrochemicals, the steel , the cement , etc..

Expressways

Five highways ( Interstate Highway ) interstate converge toward the center to facilitate travel across the city and suburbs. 28.65 km long, the Kennedy Expressway starts Downtown and O'Hare International Airport joined toward the northwest, where it joins Highway Three States, the main north-south highway. The Eisenhower Expressway and Adlai E. Stevenson leads to the suburbs west and south-west where they are also related to the Three States. The Dan Ryan Expressway , an extension of Kennedy is 18.5 km long and runs south. The Dan Ryan connects to Interstate 94 south of the Chicago Skyway, a distance of 6.49 km. The Chicago Skyway is 12.6 km long and connects the Interstate 90 to the Dan Ryan Expressway and crosses the southern districts (South Side) from the city before stopping at the border of the State of Indiana to southeast.

Culture

• The Chicago Symphony Orchestra , one of the best U.S. and the world, founded in 1891.

Chicago Cultural Center

• The Chicago Public Library is an institution which has 79 libraries throughout the city of Chicago. The Harold Washington Library , with its two million volumes, is the largest of these libraries is located in Downtown Chicago in the area of the Loop , near the Art Institute of Chicago.
• The Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Chicago of Neo-Renaissance is one of three parishes in the city of Chicago to hold the title of Basilica : It was the first to receive the honor in 1956 by special permission of Pope Pius XII.
• The Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago is a major Catholic shrines in the city.
• The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago
• The cathedral of Saint-Jacques de Chicago is the mother church of the diocese Episcopal Chicago since 1955.
• The Chicago Sinfonietta Orchestra.
• The Second City is a cabaret of improvised comedy that launched the likes of Bill Murray , Mike Myers and John Candy.
• The Chicago Cultural Center
• The Civic Opera House is an opera whose capacity is 3563 seats. It is the second largest opera in North America.
• Nearly 200 theaters: the principal is the Auditorium Theatre, built in 1889 , with over 4000 seats, but there's also the Chicago Theatre , the Goodman Theater, Harris Theater , the Congress Theater and the Mayfair Theater, among many others.
• The Chicago Hot Dog is a dish typical of the city and consists of a frankfurter pure beef steamed, served in a bread elongated type bun with poppy seeds.

Museums

Field Museum of Natural History

Museum of Science and Industry.

The city of Chicago has 70 museums all different, we cite the main ones:

• The Art Institute of Chicago : one of the largest art museums in the United States. It has the largest number of Impressionist paintings outside Paris . Renowned for its collections of American art , the museum has found generous patrons of the well-off Chicago. Its collections represent 5,000 years of history of art in the world. He received about 1.45 million visitors in 2005 .
• Chicago Cultural Center : a few blocks north of the Institute, built in 1897 , he was at that time, the first library in the city.
• Field Museum of Natural History , home to the largest skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex. In 2005, it hosted 1.3 million visitors .
• The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is the largest museum of contemporary art in the world
• Oriental Institute of Chicago , is part of the University of Chicago
• The Aquarium, John G. Shedd is one of the largest in the world
• Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago , is the fourth largest attraction cultural city.
• Adler Planetarium : The oldest in the Americas
• Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Chicago History Museum
• National Museum of Mexican Art (neighborhood of Pilsen )
• American Police Center Museum
• The DuSable Museum of African American History is the oldest and largest museum dedicated to the history, culture and art Afro-American.
• Museum of Contemporary Photography
• Ling Long Museum (district of Chinatown )
• Chicago Children's Museum
• Polish Museum of America
• Spertus Museum of Judaica
• Terra Museum of American Art
• National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum

Music

Benny Goodman in 1943.

As the third largest city in the United States, Chicago is well known for her music in the soul and has always been the main center for music in the Midwest , especially in the early 1900s , when the " big migration "of working poor African-American industrial cities in the south have brought traditional music such as jazz and blues in Chicago, the jazz that gave birth to the local scene called Chicago Jazz. Chicago also had a thriving scene for folk music , especially in the 1960 and 1970.

The scene Jazz Chicago is noted for its famous musicians. The most important artists in Chicago include George Lewis , Ray Anderson , Muggsy Spanier , Jimmy McPartland, Bix Beiderbecke , Eddie Condon , Bud Freeman, Benny Goodman , Gene Krupa , Frank Teschemacher , and Frank Trumbauer. Chicago became, with New Orleans , one of the cradles of jazz in the early twentieth ^century. Most of them occurred at Aragon Ballroom , a ballroom located in the popular neighborhood of Uptown. In XXI ^century , Chicago continues to have a scene jazz vibrant and innovative, particularly with its annual jazz festival ( Chicago Jazz Festival ). The celebrities have popularized the festival include world famous musicians like Sonny Rollins , Ornette Coleman , Miles Davis , Benny Carter , Ella Fitzgerald , Anthony Braxton , Betty Carter , Lionel Hampton , orchestra of Chico O'Farrill, Jimmy Dawkins , Von Freeman , Johnny Frigo, Slide Hampton, Roy Haynes , and many others. The most important musicians of all ages live jazz regularly give concerts in town, make recordings and traveling throughout the country up to Europe. John Prine, Steve Goodman and Bonnie Koloc were the singer - composer of folk songs, the most prominent of the period. Goodman, being a big fan of the team Cubs , is still the artist most closely associated with the city.

Maurice White , founder member of the famous funk group Earth, Wind & Fire.

The funk band Earth, Wind & Fire was formed in Chicago in 1969 by Maurice White. Earth, Wind and Fire was one of the groups funk / soul / disco popular in the 1970s and first half of the 1980s, selling millions of albums worldwide. They will revolutionize the genre and influence a large number of groups and artists.

Chicago is also famous for being the birthplace of the " house music "and some of its sub-genres like Acid House , the hip-house , the Deep house , the Tech house , the house Diva , which are of other kinds of electronic music directly related to House Music. Its main representatives are world famous and include Fingers, Inc.. , Marshall Jefferson , Steve Hurley , Curtis Jones , Ron Carroll , Keith Farley , Larry Heard , Jesse Saunders , Paul Johnson , Adonis , Lil 'Louis , Ten City , Anthony Nicholson or Vince Lawrence.

During the 1980's and 1990's , the music scene Rock Chicago has become very popular, especially the scene heavy rock and punk rock , like Smashing Pumpkins , The Jesus Lizard , Chicago , Ministry or Patti Smith. Nowadays scenes punk and rock in the city are still popular since the early 1990s, many groups and artists have burst including Chevelle , The Effigies , The Lawrence Arms , Venomous Concept , Fall Out Boy , Shellac , Gastr del Sol , Rise Against , Naked Raygun , Tar , Veruca Salt , Dark Star Orchestra , All.

Scene Hip Hop Chicago is also very influential and popular artists including significant Twista , Common , Kanye West , Lupe Fiasco , Da Brat , Rhymefest , Soulja Boy Tell 'Em , Yung Berg and Shawnna. The city has its own scene in this area which is known today as the Chicago hip-hop. Chicago also has many underground rappers, not known outside the borders of Illinois or the city. In Chicago, the contemporary R & B is no exception, including such artists as Jennifer Hudson , Donell Jones and especially R. Kelly , considered the most charismatic R'n'B artist and one of the sellers since its debut in the first half of 1990. It is often nicknamed "The King of R & B".

Concerning classical music , Chicago has several orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest, most popular and most respected of the nation and the Orchestra of Chicago Sinfonietta , who with his group, is recognized as "conducting the most diverse nation."

Finally, the Grant Park Music Festival offers an annual series of concerts of classical music in Grant Park. He is the only festival of classical music outdoors and being held in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The Grant Park Music Festival since 1931, traditional in Chicago, and essential since that Anton Cermak has offered free concerts to cheer the people of Chicago during the Great Depression. The festival, which is sponsored by the Chicago Park District, the Department of Cultural Affairs of Chicago and Grant Park Orchestral Association presents the nominees for Grammy Awards.

Local Scenes

Chicago is known for his many musical scenes and for being home to some genres : the Chicago Blues , the Chicago Jazz , the Soul Chicago , the Chicago House which gave birth to house music in the early 1980s , the Chicago Rock , The Chicago hip-hop , the Chicago hardcore punk , and the city also included a local scene of Gospel in the 1930s.

Cinema

Some films framework for the city of Chicago:

Video Games

Many video games , the best known are listed below take part in the city of Chicago:

• Lethal Enforcers , a pistol shooter, released in 1992 on arcade.
• Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven , released in 2002, is a game whose action takes place in the 1930s in the fictional city of Lost Heaven (modeled on that of Chicago). The player Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver who must prove his worth to the mafia in the city.
• Chicago 1930 , released in 2003, inspired by Chicago during the era of prohibition.
• Driver 2 , released in 2000, is a game whose action takes place in four cities including Chicago, the other three cities are Havana , Rio de Janeiro and Las Vegas.
• Still Life is an adventure video game released in April 2005 on PC and Xbox.
• Midtown Madness is a racing video game released in 1999. It differs from other racing games in its game mode "Cruise," featuring an urban environment totally free, with no predefined circuit.
• Michael Jordan: Chaos In The Windy City is a platform game released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo. The game features the famous basketball player Michael Jordan as a character player, but it did not really play basketball.
• I Am Alive , an action game due out in 2011, will take place in a Chicago post-apocalyptic.

Media

Sign at the entrance of the headquarters of the Chicago Tribune

Chicago is the second home for the U.S. behind New York edition. The Chicago Tribune is the leading newspaper of the city and the region of Midwest and its headquarters is located in the Tribune Tower and it is for the Tribune Company. Founded on 10 June 1847 , the title is now conservative, he is seen as one of the best newspapers in the United States. It has been a leading U.S. newspapers to support the candidacy of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency of the United States and claim the removal of slavery.

With more than 950,000 copies on Sunday, the Chicago Tribune is one of the ten best selling dailies in the United States. The Chicago Daily News was a very popular newspaper in the city between 1876 and 1978, he earned a total of thirteen Pulitzer Prizes during his lifetime. The Daily News was a pioneer in some areas of information, opening an office abroad, it has risen to the forefront of American newspapers in 1898.

NBC Tower

The other newspapers are making less prints: the Chicago Sun-Times , which adopted the format of a tabloid or the Daily Southtown, which covers the south of the city. Other cover specialized areas such as Chicago Sports Review for sport or Chicago Defender community for African-American. In the years 1940 and 1950, John H. Johnson creates magazines Ebony and Jet both dedicated to the black community in Chicago. The Windy City Times and the Chicago Free Press are weeklies that cater to the gay neighborhood of Boystown and the rest of the region.

The Chicago Reader / I> is another weekly magazine distributed in Chicago as part of what Americans call the alternative newspapers that are newspapers or magazines focus on information and investigations on the life of a local city or defined region. The Chicago Reader is one of the pioneers of the movement of free weeklies. It was founded in 1971 by a group of students.

Some neighborhoods have their own newspaper, like Hyde Park to Hyde Park Herald and the Bridgeport News Bridgeport. These newspapers cover news in the district and in surrounding neighborhoods, they are generally used to inform local residents about what is happening and provide more detail and specificity that the newspapers of the whole city are not likely to make such announcements and job search, advertising for local businesses or even block parties.

Chicago is the birthplace of Talk show : Since 1986, the Oprah Winfrey Show , hosted by Oprah Winfrey is one of the most watched U.S.. The Jerry Springer Show and The Jenny Jones Show is made in the NBC Tower.

TV Series

List of TV series whose framework the city of Chicago and its suburbs:

Events and festivals

In 2005 , Taste of Chicago drew some 3.64 million visitors ^Tourism

In 2006 , Chicago has attracted about 44.2 million people arriving from across the nation and abroad. The luxury shopping along the Magnificent Mile , its numerous restaurants and museums, beaches on Lake Michigan along Lake Shore Drive , but also his own architecture and prominent in Chicago, continues to fascinate tourists. The exhibition halls and large auditoriums are also major assets of the city. The eastern part of Oak Street (between Michigan Avenue and Rush Street ), is one of the most prestigious in Chicago for the purchase, it includes luxury chain stores, major shopping centers, and is known for exquisite restaurants.

One of the last is the pride of Chicago Millennium Park , whose opening was celebrated July 16, 2004. Work began in June 1999 but the site was delayed for several years. Millennium Park is part of Grant Park, one of the largest public gardens in the city of Chicago. It is specially designed to architecture and contemporary art.

Millennium Park has many public facilities such as the McCormick Tribune Plaza , which is a complex comprising a space for outdoor exhibits and a restaurant with outdoor terrace which is transformed into a skating rink in winter, the Lurie Garden , which claims to be the largest public garden in the world to be in the heart of a megalopolis, the Harris Theater , various walks and some of the most popular attractions of the city, including the Cloud Gate , a sculpture reflecting urban ( nicknamed The Bean - "The Bean"), which was conducted by British artist Anish Kapoor and funded by private investment for 23 million dollars. 10 meters high, the base of the sculpture measures 20 m 13 m with a total weight of 99.8 tons. Its appearance is inspired by liquid mercury. His polished exterior reflects and distorts the skyline of the city. Visitors are invited to walk around and underneath the arch high of 3.70 m room containing a concave called "omphalos" that multiplies and distorts the image by reflection of the audience.

The bandstand in the Pritzker Pavilion , designed by architect Frank Gehry , is one of the outdoor venues for performing the most festive and cultural events in Chicago. The Pritzker Pavilion is a central feature of Millennium Park. He welcomes the Heart and the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra (Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Chorus) and the Grant Park Music Festival , one of the last classical music festivals and outdoor free United States. It also hosts a wide range of musical ensembles, and each year a major event live show. Artists ranging from rock bands to classical music through opera singers have appeared at the pavilion, which accommodates same fitness activities such as yoga. All rehearsals are open to the pavilion to the public.

The Crown Fountain , which was designed by the artist Catalan Jaume Plensa , is also a major attraction of the park. The fountain consists of a reflecting pool of black granite placed between two towers made of glass block. The towers, which measure over 15 meters high, each consist of a screen composed of diodes (LED) that display digital video reproducing the faces of famous Chicagoans portrait, with the water spouting from their lips. Water flows from the two towers as a cascade intermittently through a nozzle placed at the front of each tower. The construction and design of the Crown Fountain has cost about 17 million. When time permits, the fountain is open from May to October.

Built in 1929, the Adler Planetarium is the first planetarium in the Americas. It was founded by the philanthropist Max Adler. The Field Museum of Natural History, home to the largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Opened in 1893, it comprises four main themes, anthropology, zoology, botany and geology. In 2005, the museum has hosted 1.3 million visitors.

Lining the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago beaches are very popular in summer. Indeed, the city of Chicago has about 33 beaches on 45 km of shoreline along the shores of Lake Michigan.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is the fourth largest cultural attraction in the city, it includes nearly 35,000 works and welcomed 1.67 million visitors in 2007. Attended annually by over eight million visitors, the Navy Pier is registered since 13 September 1979 on the list of National Register of Historic Places. Her 46-meter ferris wheel offers a breathtaking view of the buildings of the financial district, especially at night. His Ferry north of Grant Park along Lake Michigan is one of the most visited attractions in the region of Midwest , attracting about 8.7 million people every year. The historic Chicago Cultural Center , serving the cause of the Chicago Public Library, now houses the tourist office, shopping arcades, exhibition halls and the Preston Bradley Hall, whose ceiling is topped by a dome 11 m of glass.

Founded in 1868, the zoo from Lincoln Park Zoo , home to a wide variety of animals. The zoo includes polar bears, penguins, gorillas, reptiles, monkeys and other species for a total of nearly 1250 animals. A Quercus macrocarpa is located at Lincoln Park Zoo is an arboreal species dating from 1830, three years before the city of Chicago is founded. There is also a pathway and specific locations within the park to entertain children, such as game rooms, farm tours with horses and ponies. In 2005, the park has attracted more than 3 million people.

Finally, the city is the third-largest recipient of conventional U.S.. Most conventions are held at the McCormick Place , just south of the stadium Soldier Field.

Buildings, places and sights remarkable

The Aquarium, John G. Shedd.

The Lincoln Park Conservatory

The Art Institute of Chicago

• The State Street : one of the most important tourist street of the city, where the Chicago Theatre and several TV studios and department stores.
• The Sears Tower : Sears Tower formerly was the tallest building in the world (442 meters and 108 floors) between 1974 and 1998. There is to date the highest skyscraper in the Americas.
• The Buckingham Fountain is a fountain located on Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway.
• The Wrigley Building , whose architecture is inspired by the tower Giralda in Seville combined influences of the French Renaissance.
• LaSalle St / La Salle Street: Financial artery are located where the two major exchanges, the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
• Streeterville , in the upscale Near North Side includes buildings and luxury stores, often skyscrapers.
• The Crown Fountain is an interactive fountain located in Millennium Park.
• The Navy Pier is a pier over a kilometer long with a nice walk along the shores of Lake Michigan.
• The Jay Pritzker Pavilion is a bandstand located south of Randolph Street.
• Lincoln Park , the largest public park in the city and the second U.S. after Central Park was named in memory of President during the Civil War. There is the Lincoln Park Conservatory , a botanical garden and the Lincoln Park Zoo , a zoo.
• The Fountain of the Great Lakes is a bronze fountain of allegorical style south of the Art Institute of Chicago.
• The Harris Theater in Millennium Park.
• The Cloud Gate (literally "Cloud Gate") is a sculpture by British artist public Anish Kapoor located in Millennium Park.
• Grant Park : gardens created in 1835 and furnished in 1893 to host the World Expo. In 1901, the Olmsted brothers want to emulate the gardens of Versailles. There are cultural institutions (the most famous is the Art Institute of Chicago) and monuments (such as Buckingham Fountain, 1927). The Chicagoans gather to music festivals in the summer. In 2004, the Millennium Park opened its doors to the public by offering contemporary monumental works.
• The Historic Michigan Boulevard District is a historic district extends around Michigan Avenue between 11th Street and Roosevelt Road.
• Oak Street is a shopping street that includes chain stores and luxury shopping malls.
• The Aquarium, John G. Shedd , one of the world's largest
• The Wrigley Field , one of the stages of baseball 's most important in North America.
• The Michigan Avenue , the "Champs Elysees" Chicago, nicknamed the Magnificent Mile.

Education

University of Chicago

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the school district that controls 613 primary schools and secondary schools in the city of Chicago . It covers some 426 000 students ^, and is headed by the chief executive officer (CEO) Ron Huberman. Like other urban school districts in the country, the Chicago Public Schools is experiencing staffing problems, lack of financial and management difficulties. In 1987 , the Secretary of State for Education William Bennett said the Chicago Public Schools was the worst in the nation (worst in the Nation). Since then, several reforms have been implemented to improve this situation: create a system of councils (Local School Councils) charter schools (Charter Schools), etc.. The worst schools were abandoned, the best were enlarged and renovated, new schools were founded .

The Archdiocese of Chicago operates for its Catholic schools in the city. Private schools whose most famous are the Latin School of Chicago and the Francis W. Parker School in the neighborhood of Lincoln Park. Mention may also schools Chicago Laboratory Schools and Chicago Booth School of Business , located in the neighborhood of Hyde Park in the South Side of town. The University of Chicago School of Business Booth maintains a campus in the city center.

The city of Chicago has no fewer than 97 universities. Other major institutions include the Illinois Institute of Technology (private) and the University of Illinois at Chicago UIC commonly called (public), the DePaul University (private) which is the largest Catholic university in the country.

Since the 1890s , Chicago became a major world cities for education and research. The city has two of the best academic centers in the United States: the University of Chicago (private) in the neighborhood of Hyde Park and Northwestern University (private) has two campuses, one in north suburban Evanston , and other in downtown Chicago. The Loyola University Chicago , another Catholic university has a campus in the neighborhood of Rogers Park in the North Side of town and another in the Loop ( Downtown ) and a medical center in the western suburbs in Maywood. It is the largest Jesuit university in the United States. Schools of medicine and law at Northwestern University are for their part in Streeterville, a neighborhood in the area of Near North Side.

With over 21,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest university in the city and includes the largest U.S. medical school (University of Illinois College of Medicine). State University of Chicago and the University of Northeastern Illinois are among the largest colleges of the city. Founded on the principles of social justice, the Roosevelt University was named in honor of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt , two weeks after his death.

The Illinois Institute of Technology located in the neighborhood of Bronzeville has renowned programs in engineering and architecture, it boasts of having hosted the famous architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for many years. The Vandercook College of Music and Shimer College share the same campus as the Illinois Institute of Technology.

University of Chicago

Rush Medical College, now part of Rush University , was the first institution of higher education in the State of Illinois and one of the first medical schools to open west of the Alleghenies. In fact, the Rush Medical College received its charter on March 2 1837 , two days before the incorporation of the city of Chicago. The Chicago State University was founded in 1867 and currently has over 6800 students.

The Chicago region has 12 accredited theological schools, representing Catholic and most Protestant movements. The Chicago Theological Seminary is the oldest institution of higher education in the city. His seminars are part of a consortium known as the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) . The Moody Bible Institute is located not far from downtown. The North Park University , affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church, located in the neighborhood of North Park. The French School of Chicago was founded in 1995. It now houses 389 students from kindergarten to graduation. This is a private institution belonging to the French school system, non-profit organization whose program taught conforms with the National Education, is taught in both languages, French and English.

Finally, art schools in Chicago are also numerous: the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Arts are known for their programs of Fine Arts. The Illinois Institute of Art Chicago is for its applied arts programs. The Columbia College Chicago is specialized in communication and the arts of spectacle , the Harrington College of Design for the design.

Sports

The United Center in 2007

Chicago was named top sports city in the United States by the U.S. magazine The Sporting News in 2006. The city has two professional teams of Major League Baseball , the Cubs and White Sox , a club football , the Bears , a team of ice hockey , the Blackhawks , and the famous team of basketball , the Bulls , who plays in the league NBA , which was one Michael Jordan. The Chicago Cubs play on the north side of town, at Wrigley Field in the neighborhood of Lake View , while the Chicago White Sox play in the neighborhood of Armour Square. The White Sox recently won the World Series Major League Baseball in 2005. Chicago is the only city in North America that has had more of a concession for major league baseball since the creation in 1900 of the American League. Chicago maintains one of two founding members remaining in NFL , who won nine championships in the NFL. The Bears play their home games at Soldier Field on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Thanks in large part to Michael Jordan , the Chicago Bulls in NBA teams are one of the most famous basketball world. With Michael Jordan , the Bulls won six NBA championships in eight seasons during the few years 1.99 thousand (1,991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998). The Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , began play in 1926 and won four Stanley Cups , the last in 2009-2010. The Bulls and Blackhawks team playing the United Center in the district of Near West Side.

The U.S. Cellular Field

Three times winners of the World Series (1906, 1917 and 2005 ) and the American League (1901, 1906, 1917, 1919, 1959 and 2005), the White Sox were behind the biggest scandal in baseball history , then known as the " Black Sox ". In 1919, eight players from the Sox accept bribes to lose the World Series. They will be delisted for life. The Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is from childhood, an ardent fan of the White Sox.

Founded in 1920 by George Halas , the "Decatur Staley's" were renamed the "Chicago Staley's" in 1921 and the Chicago Bears in 1922. They won their first title since 1921. The Bears last win at the Super Bowl was a triumph in 1985 with an overwhelming victory 46-10 against the New England Patriots. Their main rivals are the Green Bay Packers.

The football club Chicago Fire is a member of MLS. The Fire have won one league and four U.S. Open Cups since their inaugural season in 1998. In 2006 the club moved to Toyota Park , outside the city of Chicago, Bridgeview after playing his first eight seasons downtown at Soldier Field and Cardinal Stadium located in the suburbs, Naperville. The club is now the third professional football team in Chicago, the first two being the bite of Chicago NASL (and later the team's indoor MISL ) and the power of the NPSL-AISA Chicago. The precipitation of Chicago, the Arena Football League, the Chicago Bandits of the NPF and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, also play in Chicago. The women's basketball team Chicago Sky of the WNBA , began play in 2006. The arena is the UIC Pavilion.

On 14 April 2007 , Chicago has been selected by the U.S. National Olympic Committee to represent the United States as host country of the Summer Olympics of 2016. Chicago also hosted in 1959 the American Games and the Gay Games VII in 2006. The city had been chosen to host the Summer Olympics of 1904 , they were transferred to St. Louis in Missouri to coincide with the Expo. On June 4, 2008 the International Olympic Committee chose Chicago as one of four candidate cities for 2016 Games, but is eliminated in the first round.

The Wrigley Field

Dating from 1870, the stadium Wrigley Field remains one of the oldest baseball parks in the country. In 1914, Charles Weeghman decided to built a new field for the Chicago Whales of the Federal League and he wants to build at the corner of Clark and Addison. Originally named Weeghman Park, site of 14,000-seat park began February 23, 1914 and an official ceremony held March 4, 1914. Since the 1940s , the Wrigley Field has changed little. In 1982, an electronic bulletin board was placed under the scoreboard of the central field. In 1981 Tribune Company bought the Cubs and the company started talking about the act of installing lights after the 1981 season. Wrigley Field has hosted three All-Star Game Major League Baseball : in 1947 , 1962 and 1990.

After the 2003 season, the Cubs have added 200 seats directly behind home plate, bringing viewers even closer to the ground. After the 2005 season, the Cubs added an additional 1 800 seats to the bleachers, this increases the capacity of just over 41,000 sq. aces. In the future a multipurpose building that hosts a themed restaurant and cages for players launch will be built on the west side of Wrigley Field.

With 61,500 seats . There are also over 160 km of cycle paths .

The U.S. Cellular Field was inaugurated April 18, 1991 under the name of Comiskey Park (the second name) and cost 167 million. In July 2003, it was the site of the All-Star Game Major League Baseball in 2003. The company U.S. Cellular bought the naming rights to the building for 68 million over 20 years.

Each year, takes place in the city on Lake Shore Drive , the Chicago Marathon , which is part of the World Marathon Majors is recognized as one of the fastest marathons in the world.

Famous People born in Chicago

Located just north of the Loop , the neighborhood of Streeterville (part of Near North Side ) is one of the most upscale in town.

Twinnings

Each year there is a festival of twinning in Chicago where there are food and music from these collaborations .

Twin Cities to Chicago are as follows :

Religions

Chicago is the archiepiscopal or episcopal several Christian churches:

• Archdiocese of Chicago , Roman Catholic (see also: List of bishops and archbishops of Chicago ).
• Eparchy of Saint Nicolas of Chicago, Greek-rite Ukrainian Catholic (see also: List of Eparch of Saint Nicolas of Chicago ).
• Eparchy of St. Thomas-l'Aptre Chicago of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Rite Syro-Malabar (see also: List of St. Thomas Eparch l'Aptre-Chicago ).
• St. Thomas Archdiocese of Chicago.
• Episcopal Archdiocese of Chicago.

CityScapes

Skyline of Downtown Chicago from the John Hancock Center.

Skyline of Chicago from Lake Michigan.

References

Notes

References

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