View source for Chicago

{{Short description|Most populous city in Illinois, United States}}
{{About|the city in Illinois}}
{{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Chicago <!--Do not add state, per Infobox:settlement.-->
| native_name        = 
| native_name_lang   = 
| settlement_type    = [[List of municipalities in Illinois|City]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border        = infobox
| perrow        = 1/2/2/2
| total_width   = 290
| caption_align = center
| image1        = Chicago Skyline in April 2024.jpg
| caption1          = [[Chicago Loop|The Loop]]
| image2        = Chicago River ferry b.jpg
| caption2          = [[Chicago River]]
| image3        = Pink Line at State & Lake.jpg
| caption3          = [[Chicago "L"|"L" train]]
| image4        = Wrigley Field in line with home plate.jpg
| caption4          = [[Wrigley Field]]
| image5        = Navy_Pier_NW.jpg
| caption5          = [[Navy Pier]]
| image6        = Art Institute of Chicago (51575570710).jpg
| caption6          = [[Art Institute of Chicago]]
| image7        = Buckingham Fountain in Chicago, USA.jpg
| caption7          = [[Buckingham Fountain]]
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Chicago, Illinois.svg
| flag_size          = 110px
| image_seal         = Seal of Chicago, Illinois.svg
| seal_size          = 90px
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Chicago, Illinois.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| blank_emblem_size  = 100px
| blank_emblem_alt   = 
| blank_emblem_link  = List of United States county and city insignia
| mottoes            = {{langx|la|Urbs in Horto}} (City in a Garden); I Will
| image_map          = {{maplink
  | frame              = yes
  | plain              = yes
  | frame-align        = center
  | frame-width        = 270
  | frame-height       = 270
  | frame-coord        = {{coord|qid=Q1297}}
  | zoom               = 9
  | type               = shape
  | marker             = city
  | stroke-width       = 1
  | stroke-color       = #0096FF
  | fill               = #0096FF
  | fill-opacity = 0.1
  | id2                = Q1297
  | type2              = shape-inverse
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  | stroke-color2      = #5F5F5F
  | stroke-opacity2    = 0
  | fill2              = #000000
  | fill-opacity2      = 0
}}
| map_caption        = Interactive map of Chicago
| pushpin_map        = Illinois#USA
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| coordinates        = {{Coord|41|52|55|N|87|37|40|W|region:US-IL_type:city(2,746,000)|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref name="gnis"/>
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Illinois|Counties]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Illinois}}
| subdivision_name2  = [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook]] (small part of [[Chicago O'Hare Airport]] in [[DuPage County, Illinois|DuPage]])
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = {{circa|{{start date and age|1780}}}}
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]] (city)
| established_date2  = {{start date and age|1837|03|04}}
| founder            = [[Jean Baptiste Point du&nbsp;Sable]]
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council]]
| governing_body     = [[Chicago City Council]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Chicago|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Brandon Johnson]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| leader_title1      = [[City Clerk of Chicago|City Clerk]]
| leader_name1       = [[Anna M. Valencia|Anna Valencia]] (D)
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web |title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315130646/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt |url-status=live }}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 234.53
| area_total_km2     = 607.44
| area_land_sq_mi    = 227.73
| area_land_km2      = 589.82
| area_water_sq_mi   = 6.80
| area_water_km2     = 17.62
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="gnis">{{Cite GNIS|428803|City of Chicago}}</ref> ''(mean)''
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 597.18
| elevation_min_m    = 
| elevation_min_ft   = 578
| elevation_max_footnotes = <br />''– near Blue Island''
| elevation_min_footnotes = <br />''– at Lake Michigan''
| population_total   = 2746388
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Quickfacts">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/chicagocityillinois/PST045222|title=QuickFacts: Chicago city, Illinois|website=census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=February 29, 2024|archive-date=December 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218043241/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/chicagocityillinois/PST045222|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_est     = 2721308
| pop_est_as_of      = 2024
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="Quickfacts" />
| population_rank    = {{ubl| [[List of North American cities by population|5th]] in North America|[[List of United States cities by population|3rd]] in the United States|[[List of municipalities in Illinois|1st]] in Illinois}}
| population_density_sq_mi = 12059.84
| population_density_km2 = 4656.33
| population_urban_footnotes = <ref name="urban area">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html|title=List of 2020 Census Urban Areas|website=census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 8, 2023|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114022812/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_urban   = 8671746 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|3rd]])
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1,432.1
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 3,709.2
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="2020Pop">{{cite web |title=2020 Population and Housing State Data |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 22, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824081449/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_metro   = 9408576  (US: [[List of metropolitan statistical areas|3rd]])
| population_demonym = [[Chicagoan]]
| population_note    = 
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]] prefixes
| postal_code        = 606xx, 607xx, 608xx
| area_code          = [[Area code 312|312]], [[Area code 773|773]], [[Area code 872|872]]
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| website            = {{URL|chicago.gov}}
| footnotes          = 
| etymology          = {{langx|mia|šikaakwa}} ({{gloss|[[Allium tricoccum|wild onion]]}} or {{gloss|wild garlic}})
| pushpin_label      = Chicago
| leader_title2      = [[City Treasurer of Chicago|City Treasurer]]
| leader_name2       = [[Melissa Conyears|Melissa Conyears-Ervin]] (D)
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP16980|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = [[Metropolitan area|Metro]]
| demographics2_info1 = $894.862 billion (2023)
| elevation_max_m    = 
| elevation_max_ft   = 672
| utc_offset         = −06:00
| timezone_DST       = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = −05:00
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info         = {{FIPS|17|14000}}
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = {{GNIS4|0428803}}
| nicknames          = The [[Windy City (nickname)|Windy City]] and [[Nicknames of Chicago|others]]
| timezone1          = [[Central Standard Time|CST]]
| established_title1 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]] (town)
| established_date1  = {{start date and age|1833|08|12}}
}}
'''Chicago'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Chicago.ogg|ʃ|ᵻ|ˈ|k|ɑː|ɡ|oʊ}} {{respell|shih|KAH|goh}}, {{IPAc-en|local|also|ʃ|ᵻ|ˈ|k|ɔː|ɡ|oʊ}} {{respell|shih|KAW|goh}};<ref>{{Accents of English|476|hide1=y|hide2=y}}</ref> {{langx|mia|Shikaakwa}}; {{langx|oj|Zhigaagong}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carrico |first=Natalya |title='We're still here' |url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/tipi-first-nations-garden-albany-park/Content?oid=69017988 |access-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Chicago Reader |date=March 18, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213172436/https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/tipi-first-nations-garden-albany-park/Content?oid=69017988 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} is the [[List of municipalities in Illinois|most populous city]] in the U.S. state of [[Illinois]] and in the [[Midwestern United States]]. Located on the western shore of [[Lake Michigan]], it is the [[List of United States cities by population|third-most populous city in the United States]], with a population of 2.74 million at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="QuickFacts">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: Chicago city, Illinois |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/chicagocityillinois/POP010220 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 19, 2021 |archive-date=October 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007170437/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/chicagocityillinois/POP010220 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Chicago metropolitan area]] has 9.41 million residents and is the [[Metropolitan statistical area|third-largest metropolitan area]] in the country. Chicago is the [[county seat|seat]] of [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook County]], the [[List of the most populous counties in the United States|second-most populous county]] in the U.S.

Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a [[Chicago Portage|portage]] between the [[Great Lakes]] and the [[Mississippi River]] watershed. It grew rapidly in the mid-19th century.<ref>{{harvc|in3=Reiff |in2=Keating |in1=Grossman|c=Metropolitan Growth |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/821.html |access-date=December 5, 2013 |last=Keating |first=Ann Durkin |year=2004}}</ref><ref name="chicagohistory-demography">{{cite web|title=Demography: Chicago as a Modern World City|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/962.html|access-date=March 4, 2022|publisher=Encyclopedia of Chicago|archive-date=October 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012204646/https://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/962.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1871, the [[Great Chicago Fire]] destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless,<ref>{{cite web |last=Cohen |first=Jennie |date=October 7, 2011 |title=Urban Infernos Throughout History |url=http://www.history.com/news/urban-infernos-throughout-history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225065428/http://www.history.com/news/urban-infernos-throughout-history |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |access-date=June 24, 2017 |publisher=History}}</ref> but Chicago's population continued to grow.<ref name="chicagohistory-demography" /> Chicago made noted contributions to [[urban planning]] and [[Architecture of Chicago|architecture]], such as the [[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago School]], the development of the [[City Beautiful movement]], and the steel-framed [[skyscraper]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Skyscrapers |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1149.html |access-date=June 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Glancey |first1=Jonathan |date=October 5, 2015 |title=The city that changed architecture forever |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150930-chicago-birthplace-of-the-skyscraper |access-date=April 30, 2018 |work=BBC News |archive-date=May 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511131812/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150930-chicago-birthplace-of-the-skyscraper |url-status=live }}</ref>

Chicago is an international hub for finance, [[Culture of Chicago|culture]], commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and [[Transportation in Chicago|transportation]]. It has the largest and most diverse finance [[Derivative (finance)|derivatives]] market in the world, generating 20% of all volume in [[Commodity|commodities]] and [[financial futures]] alone.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Economy |url=http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/economy/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212224011/http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/economy/ |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |access-date=May 3, 2018 |website=World Business Chicago }}</ref> [[O'Hare International Airport]] is routinely ranked among the [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|world's top ten busiest airports by passenger traffic]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aci.aero/data-centre/annual-traffic-data/passengers/2017-passenger-summary-annual-traffic-data/ |title=2017 Passenger Summary – Annual Traffic Data |website=ACI World |access-date=November 16, 2019 |archive-date=May 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529042253/https://aci.aero/data-centre/annual-traffic-data/passengers/2017-passenger-summary-annual-traffic-data/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the region is also the nation's railroad hub.<ref name="arodriguez">{{cite news |title=Chicago takes on the world |work=Chicago Tribune |date=January 26, 2014 |author=Rodriguez, Alex |at=Sec. 1 p. 15}}</ref> The Chicago area has one of the highest [[List of cities by GDP|gross domestic products]] (GDP) of any urban region in the world, generating $689&nbsp;billion in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://apps.bea.gov/itable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=70&step=1 |title=CAGDP2 Gross domestic product (GDP) by county and metropolitan area |date=December 12, 2019 |access-date=December 15, 2019 |publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis |archive-date=October 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023080037/https://apps.bea.gov/itable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=70&step=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Economy of Chicago|Chicago's economy]] is [[Economic diversity|diverse]], with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce.<ref name=":0" />

Chicago is a major destination for [[Tourism in Chicago|tourism]], with 55 million visitors in 2024 to its [[List of museums and cultural institutions in Chicago|cultural institutions]], Lake Michigan [[Chicago beaches|beaches]], restaurants, and more.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mercado |first1=Melody |title=Tourism In Chicago Bounced Back In 2024 With 55 Million Visitors, $20 Billion In Spending |url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/05/19/tourism-in-chicago-bounced-back-in-2024-with-55-million-visitors-20-billion-in-spending/ |access-date=19 May 2025 |work=Block Club Chicago |date=19 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Chicago saw a boost in tourism last year. Will the pope be a blessing in 2025? |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/15/chicago-tourism-55-million-visitors/ |access-date=19 May 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=15 May 2025}}</ref> Chicago's culture has contributed much to the visual arts, [[Chicago literature|literature]], film, [[Theater in Chicago|theater]], comedy (especially [[Improvisational theatre|improvisational comedy]]), [[Cuisine of Chicago|food]], dance, and [[Music of Chicago|music]] (particularly [[Music of Chicago|jazz]], [[Chicago blues|blues]], [[Chicago soul|soul]], [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]], [[Gospel music|gospel]],<ref>{{cite book |title=A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music |publisher=University of Illinois Press |author=Marovich, Robert M. |year=2015 |location=Urbana, IL |page=7 |isbn=978-0-252-08069-2}}</ref> and [[electronic dance music]], including [[house music]]). Chicago is home to the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Lyric Opera of Chicago]], while the [[Art Institute of Chicago]] provides an influential visual arts museum and [[School of the Art Institute of Chicago|art school]]. The Chicago area also hosts the [[University of Chicago]], [[Northwestern University]], and the [[University of Illinois Chicago]], among [[List of colleges and universities in Chicago|other institutions of learning]]. Professional [[sports in Chicago]] include all [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional leagues]], including two [[Major League Baseball]] teams. The city also hosts the [[Chicago Marathon]], one of the [[World Marathon Majors]].

==Etymology and nicknames==
{{Main|Nicknames of Chicago}}
{{See also|Windy City (nickname)|List of Chicago placename etymologies}}

The name ''Chicago'' is derived from a French rendering of the [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|indigenous]] [[Miami–Illinois language|Miami–Illinois]] name {{lang|mia|Šikaakonki}}, the locative form of the word {{lang|mia|šikaakwa}} which can mean both "[[skunk]]" and "ramps," a wild relative of [[onion]] and [[garlic]] known to botanists as ''[[Allium tricoccum]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Costa |first=David J. |title=The Miami-Illinois Language |year=2003 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln, NE |isbn=9780803215146 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qCyE8fR12HsC }}</ref> The first known reference to the site of the city of Chicago as "{{lang|fr|Checagou}}" was by [[René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle|Robert de&nbsp;LaSalle]] around 1679 in a memoir.<ref>{{cite book |last=Quaife |first=Milo M. |title=Checagou: From Indian Wigwam to Modern City, 1673–1835 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.151734 |year=1933 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago, IL |oclc=1865758}}</ref> [[Henri Joutel]], in his journal of 1688, noted that the eponymous wild "garlic" grew profusely in the area.<ref name="Swenson, John F. 235–248">{{Cite journal |author=Swenson, John F. |title=Chicagoua/Chicago: The origin, meaning, and etymology of a place name |journal=Illinois Historical Journal |volume=84 |issue=4 |date=Winter 1991 |pages=235–248 |issn=0748-8149 |oclc=25174749}}</ref> According to his diary of late September 1687:

{{Blockquote|... when we arrived at the said place called "Chicagou" which, according to what we were able to learn of it, has taken this name because of the quantity of garlic which grows in the forests in this region.<ref name="Swenson, John F. 235–248" />}}

The city has had [[Nicknames of Chicago|several nicknames]] throughout its history, such as the [[Windy City (nickname)|Windy City]], Chi-Town, Second City, and City of the Big Shoulders.<ref name="Liebling's Second City">{{harvc|first=Sarah S. |last=Marcus |c=Chicago's Twentieth-Century Cultural Exports |in3=Reiff |in2=Keating |in1=Grossman |year= 2004 |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/410156.html |access-date=December 6, 2015}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Chicago}}
{{For timeline|Timeline of Chicago history}}

=== Beginnings ===
[[File:Pottawatomi Fashion at the Field Museum in Chicago.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Traditional [[Potawatomi]] regalia on display at the [[Field Museum of Natural History]]|left]]In the mid-18th century, the area was inhabited by the [[Potawatomi]], an indigenous tribe who had succeeded the [[Miami people|Miami]], [[Sauk people|Sauk]] and [[Meskwaki]] peoples in this region.<ref>{{cite book |last=Keating |first=Ann Durkin |title=Chicagoland: City and Suburbs in the Railroad Age |year=2005 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-42882-6 |lccn=2005002198 |page=25}}</ref>
[[File:Chicago-fire1.jpg|thumb|upright=1|An artist's rendering of the [[Great Chicago Fire|Great Chicago Fire of 1871]]|left]]
[[File:Home Insurance Building.JPG|thumb|upright=1|[[Home Insurance Building]] (1885)|left]]
[[File:Looking West From Peristyle, Court of Honor and Grand Basin, 1893.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Court of Honor at the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in 1893]]
The first known permanent settler in Chicago was a trader, [[Jean Baptiste Point du Sable]]. Du Sable was of [[African people|African]] descent, perhaps born in the [[List of French possessions and colonies|French colony]] of [[Saint-Domingue]] (Haiti), and he established the settlement in the 1780s. He is commonly known as the "Founder of Chicago."{{sfnp|Genzen|2007|pp=10–11, 14–15}}{{sfnp|Keating|2005|pp=30–31, 221}}<ref name="Swenson">{{cite web |last=Swenson |first=John W |year=1999 |title=Jean Baptiste Point de Sable—The Founder of Modern Chicago |url=http://www.earlychicago.com/essays.php?essay=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050116080031/http://www.earlychicago.com/essays.php?essay=7 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 16, 2005 |work=Early Chicago |publisher=Early Chicago, Inc. |access-date=August 8, 2010 }}</ref>

In 1795, following the victory of the new United States in the [[Northwest Indian War]], an area that was to be part of Chicago was turned over to the U.S. for a military post by native tribes in accordance with the [[Treaty of Greenville]]. In 1803, the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] constructed [[Fort Dearborn]], which was destroyed during the [[War of 1812]] in the [[Battle of Fort Dearborn]] by the Potawatomi before being later rebuilt.{{sfnp|Genzen|2007|pp=16–17}}

After the War of 1812, the [[Odawa people|Ottawa]], [[Ojibwe]], and Potawatomi tribes ceded additional land to the United States in the 1816 [[Treaty of St. Louis (1816)|Treaty of St. Louis]]. The Potawatomi were forcibly removed from their land after the [[1833 Treaty of Chicago]] and sent west of the [[Mississippi River]] as part of the federal policy of [[Indian removal]].{{sfnp|Buisseret|1990|pp=22–23, 68, 80–81}}{{sfnp|Keating|2005|pp=30–32}}<ref name="Timeline: Early Chicago History">{{cite web |title=Timeline: Early Chicago History |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/chicago-timeline/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325102159/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/chicago/timeline/index.html |work=Chicago: City of the Century |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation And Window to the World Communications, Inc. |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |year=2003 |access-date=May 26, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===19th century===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = Illinois-michigan-canal.png
| width1            = 225
| caption1          = The location and course of the [[Illinois and Michigan Canal]] (completed 1848)
| alt1              = 
| image2            = Corner Madison and State streets, Chicago -.webm
| width2            = 225
| caption2          = [[State Street (Chicago)|State]] and [[Madison Street (Chicago)|Madison]] streets, once known as the busiest intersection in the world (1897)
| alt2              = 
}}

On August 12, 1833, the Town of Chicago was organized with a population of about 200.<ref name="Timeline: Early Chicago History" /> Within seven years it grew to more than 6,000 people. On June 15, 1835, the first public land sales began with [[Edmund Dick Taylor]] as Receiver of Public Monies. The City of Chicago was incorporated on Saturday, March 4, 1837,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/11480.html |title=Act of Incorporation for the City of Chicago, 1837 |publisher=State of Illinois |access-date=March 3, 2011 |archive-date=March 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307032921/http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/11480.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and for several decades was the world's fastest-growing city.<ref>Walter Nugent. "[http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/962.html Demography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012204646/https://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/962.html |date=October 12, 2022 }}" in ''Encyclopedia of Chicago''. Chicago Historical Society.</ref>

As the site of the [[Chicago Portage]],{{sfnp|Keating|2005|p=27}} the city became an important transportation hub between the eastern and western United States. Chicago's first railway, [[Galena and Chicago Union Railroad]], and the [[Illinois and Michigan Canal]] opened in 1848. The canal allowed [[steamboat]]s and [[sailing ship]]s on the [[Great Lakes]] to connect to the Mississippi River.{{sfnp|Buisseret|1990|pp=86–98}}{{sfnp|Condit|1973|pp=30–31}}{{sfnp|Genzen|2007|pp=24–25}}{{sfnp|Keating|2005|pp=26–29, 35–39}}

A flourishing economy brought residents from rural communities and [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants]] from abroad. Manufacturing and retail and finance sectors became dominant, influencing the [[American economy]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Conzen |first=Michael P. |chapter=Global Chicago |chapter-url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/300132.html |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=December 6, 2015 |archive-date=November 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112152124/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/300132.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Chicago Board of Trade]] (established 1848) listed the first-ever standardized "exchange-traded" forward contracts, which were called [[futures contract]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmegroup.com/company/history/timeline-of-achievements.html |title=Timeline-of-achievements |publisher=[[CME Group]] |access-date=January 20, 2013 |archive-date=January 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107030442/http://www.cmegroup.com/company/history/timeline-of-achievements.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 1850s, Chicago gained national political prominence as the home of Senator [[Stephen Douglas]], the champion of the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]] and the "popular sovereignty" approach to the issue of the spread of slavery.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stephen Douglas |url=https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/excat/douglas5.html |publisher=University of Chicago |access-date=May 29, 2011 |archive-date=June 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609004224/http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/excat/douglas5.html |url-status=live }}</ref> These issues also helped propel another Illinoisan, [[Abraham Lincoln]], to the national stage. Lincoln was nominated in Chicago for U.S. president at the [[1860 Republican National Convention]], which was held in a purpose-built auditorium called the [[Wigwam (Chicago)|Wigwam]]. He defeated Douglas in the general election, and this set the stage for the [[American Civil War]].

To accommodate [[#Demographics|rapid population growth]] and demand for better sanitation, the city improved its infrastructure. In February 1856, Chicago's Common Council approved [[Ellis S. Chesbrough|Chesbrough]]'s plan to build the United States' first comprehensive sewerage system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sedm1912/chn.html#y1856_m02_d14 |title=Chicago Daily Tribune, Thursday Morning, February 14 |publisher=nike-of-samothrace.net |access-date=May 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325060713/http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sedm1912/chn.html#y1856_m02_d14 |archive-date=March 25, 2014}}</ref> The project [[Raising of Chicago|raised much of central Chicago]] to a new grade with the use of [[jackscrews]] for raising buildings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sites.austincc.edu/caddis/bull-moose-from-a-bully-pulpit |title=5 Bull Moose From a Bully Pulpit |publisher=Austin Community College |access-date=March 21, 2021 |author-first=Cameron |author-last=Addis |date=August 22, 2015 |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227004439/http://sites.austincc.edu/caddis/bull-moose-from-a-bully-pulpit/ |url-status=live }}</ref> While elevating Chicago, and at first improving the city's health, the untreated sewage and industrial waste now flowed into the [[Chicago River]], and subsequently into [[Lake Michigan]], polluting the city's primary freshwater source.

The city responded by tunneling {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} out into Lake Michigan to newly built [[Water cribs in Chicago|water cribs]]. In 1900, the problem of sewage contamination was largely resolved when the city completed a major engineering feat. It reversed the flow of the Chicago River so that the water flowed away from Lake Michigan rather than into it. This project began with the construction and improvement of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and was completed with the [[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal]] that connects to the [[Illinois River]], which flows into the Mississippi River.{{sfnp|Condit|1973|pp=15–18, 243–245}}{{sfnp|Genzen|2007|pp=27–29, 38–43}}{{sfnp|Buisseret|1990|pp=154–155, 172–173, 204–205}}

On October 8, 1871, the [[Great Chicago Fire]] destroyed an area about {{convert|4|mi|km}} long and {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} wide, a large section of the city at the time. At least 300 people were killed and over 100,000 were left homeless from the fire. {{sfnp|Buisseret|1990|pp=148–149}}{{sfnp|Genzen|2007|pp=32–37}}{{sfnp|Lowe|2000|pp=87–97}} However, much of the city, including railroads and [[Union Stock Yard|stockyards]], survived intact,{{sfnp|Lowe|2000|p=99}} and from the ruins of the previous wooden structures arose more modern constructions of steel and stone. These set a precedent for worldwide construction.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bruegmann |first=Robert |chapter=Built Environment of the Chicago Region |chapter-url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/181.html |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=December 5, 2013 |author-link=Robert Bruegmann |year=2005 |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505235245/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/181.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfnp|Condit|1973|pp=9–11}} During its rebuilding period, Chicago constructed the world's [[Home Insurance Building|first skyscraper]] in 1885, using [[steel frame|steel-skeleton]] construction.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Allen |first=Frederick E. |date=February 2003 |title=Where They Went to See the Future |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2003/1/2003_1_68.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220103637/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2003/1/2003_1_68.shtml |archive-date=February 20, 2007 |journal=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |volume=54 |issue=1 |access-date=December 5, 2013}}</ref>{{sfnp|Lowe|2000|pp=121, 129}}

The city grew significantly in size and population by incorporating many neighboring townships between 1851 and 1920, with the largest annexation happening in 1889, with five townships joining the city, including the [[Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois|Hyde Park Township]], which now comprises most of the [[South Side of Chicago]] and the far southeast of Chicago, and the [[Jefferson Township, Cook County, Illinois|Jefferson Township]], which now makes up most of [[Northwest Side, Chicago|Chicago's Northwest Side]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/53.html |access-date=December 14, 2015 |year=2005 |encyclopedia=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |author=Cain, Louis P. |title=Annexations}}</ref> The desire to join the city was driven by municipal services that the city could provide its residents.

Chicago's flourishing economy attracted huge numbers of new immigrants from [[Europe]] and migrants from the [[Eastern United States]]. Of the total population in 1900, more than 77% were either foreign-born or born in the United States of foreign parentage. [[Germans]], [[Irish people|Irish]], [[Polish people|Poles]], [[Swedes]], and [[Czechs]] made up nearly two-thirds of the foreign-born population (by 1900, whites were 98.1% of the city's population).<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Chicago |volume= 6 | pages = 118–125; see page 124; first para |quote= Population.—Of the total population in 1900 not less than 34.6% were foreign-born; the number of persons either born abroad, or born in the United States of foreign parentage (i.e. father or both parents foreign), was 77.4% of the population, and in the total number of males of voting age the foreign-born predominated (53.4%). }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref>

[[Labor history of the United States|Labor conflicts]] followed the industrial boom and the rapid expansion of the labor pool during the [[Gilded Age]], including the [[Haymarket affair]] on May 4, 1886, and in 1894 the [[Pullman Strike]]. Anarchist and socialist groups played prominent roles in creating very large and highly organized labor actions. Concern for social problems among Chicago's immigrant poor led [[Jane Addams]] and [[Ellen Gates Starr]] to found [[Hull House]] in 1889.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Hull House Maps Its Neighborhood |chapter-url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/410008.html |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=April 11, 2013 |archive-date=May 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509185234/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/410008.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Programs that were developed there became a model for the new field of [[social work]].<ref name="hullhouse">{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Mary Ann |chapter=Hull House |chapter-url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/615.html |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=April 12, 2013 |archive-date=March 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328134724/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/615.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the 1870s and 1880s, Chicago attained national stature as the leader in the movement to improve public health. City laws and later, state laws that upgraded standards for the medical profession and fought urban epidemics of [[cholera]], [[smallpox]], and [[yellow fever]] were both passed and enforced. These laws became templates for public health reform in other cities and states.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Clinton |last=Sandvick |year=2009 |title=Enforcing Medical Licensing in Illinois: 1877–1890 |journal=Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine |volume=82 |issue=2 |pages=67–74 |pmid=19562006 |pmc=2701151}}</ref>

The city established many large, well-landscaped [[Chicago Park District|municipal parks]], which also included public sanitation facilities. The chief advocate for improving public health in Chicago was [[John Henry Rauch|John H. Rauch, M.D.]] Rauch established a plan for Chicago's park system in 1866. He created [[Lincoln Park]] by closing a cemetery filled with shallow graves, and in 1867, in response to an outbreak of cholera he helped establish a new Chicago Board of Health. Ten years later, he became the secretary and then the president of the first Illinois State Board of Health, which carried out most of its activities in Chicago.<ref>{{cite journal |first=William K. |last=Beatty |year=1991 |title=John H. Rauch&nbsp;– Public Health, Parks and Politics |journal=Proceedings of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago |volume=44 |pages=97–118}}</ref>

In the 1800s, Chicago became the nation's railroad hub, and by 1910 over 20 railroads operated passenger service out of six different downtown terminals.{{sfnp|Condit|1973|pp=43–49, 58, 318–319}}<ref>{{Holland-Classic|pages=66–91}}</ref> In 1883, Chicago's railway managers needed a general time convention, so they developed the standardized system of North American [[time zone]]s.<ref>{{cite book |author=United States. Office of the Commissioner of Railroads |title=Report to the Secretary of the Interior |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GmfNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA19 |year=1883 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=19 |access-date=July 8, 2020 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709122354/https://books.google.com/books?id=GmfNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA19 |url-status=live }}</ref> This system for telling time spread throughout the continent.

In 1893, Chicago hosted the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] on former marshland at the present location of [[Jackson Park (Chicago)|Jackson Park]]. The Exposition drew 27.5&nbsp;million visitors, and is considered the most influential [[world's fair]] in history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago's Rich History |url=http://www.choosechicago.com/attendees/about_chicago/Pages/chicago_history.aspx |publisher=Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau |access-date=June 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610015848/http://www.choosechicago.com/attendees/about_chicago/Pages/chicago_history.aspx |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfnp|Lowe|2000|pp=148–154, 158–169}} The [[University of Chicago]], formerly at another location, moved to the same South Side location in 1892. The term "midway" for a fair or carnival referred originally to the [[Midway Plaisance]], a strip of park land that still runs through the University of Chicago campus and connects the [[Washington Park (Chicago park)|Washington]] and Jackson Parks.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Exhibits on the Midway Plaisance, 1893 |chapter-url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/11421.html |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=April 12, 2013 |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029013143/http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/11421.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Harper |first=Douglas |title=midway |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/midway |work=Chicago Manual Style (CMS) |publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=April 12, 2013 |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616220151/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/midway |url-status=live }}</ref>

===20th and 21st centuries===
====1900 to 1939====
[[File:Chicago Photographed from Ray Knabenshue's Dirigible Air Ship.webm|thumb|upright=1|Aerial motion film photography of Chicago in 1914 as filmed by [[A. Roy Knabenshue]]]]
During [[World War I]] and the 1920s there was a major expansion in industry. The availability of jobs attracted African Americans from the [[Southern United States]]. Between 1910 and 1930, the African American population of Chicago increased dramatically, from 44,103 to 233,903.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Martin |first=Elizabeth Anne |title=Detroit and the Great Migration, 1916–1929 |url=https://bentley.umich.edu/research/publications/migration/ch1.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615144911/http://bentley.umich.edu/research/publications/migration/ch1.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 15, 2008 |journal=Bentley Historical Library Bulletin |publisher=University of Michigan |access-date=December 5, 2013 |volume=40 |year=1993}}</ref> This [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] had an immense cultural impact, called the [[Chicago Black Renaissance]], part of the [[New Negro Movement]], in art, literature, and music.<ref>{{cite book |author=Darlene Clark Hine |chapter-url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/240.html |chapter=Chicago Black Renaissance |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago |year=2005 |access-date=August 6, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017083203/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/240.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Continuing racial tensions and violence in the city, such as the [[Chicago race riot of 1919]], also occurred.<ref>{{cite book |first=Steven |last=Essig |chapter-url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1032.html |chapter=Race Riots |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago |year=2005 |access-date=August 6, 2013 |archive-date=June 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623041337/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1032.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ratification of the 18th amendment to the Constitution in 1919 made the production and sale (including exportation) of alcoholic beverages illegal in the United States. This ushered in the beginning of what is known as the gangster era, a time that roughly spans from 1919 until 1933 when [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] was repealed. The 1920s saw [[American gangsters during the 1920s|gangsters]], including [[Al Capone]], [[Dion O'Banion]], [[Bugs Moran]] and [[Tony Accardo]] battle law enforcement and each other on the streets of Chicago during the [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition era]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gang (crime)&nbsp;– History |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225308/gang |publisher=Britannica Online Encyclopedia |year=2009 |access-date=June 1, 2009 |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416115239/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225308/gang |url-status=live }}</ref> Chicago was the location of the infamous [[St. Valentine's Day Massacre]] in 1929, when Al Capone sent men to gun down members of a rival gang, North Side, led by Bugs Moran, leaving seven rival members dead.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=John |title=The St. Valentine's Day Massacre |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-valentinesmassacre-story,0,1233196.story |access-date=April 12, 2013 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510021619/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-valentinesmassacre-story,0,1233196.story |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Breaking the Landlords' Lease on Peace.jpg|thumb|Chicago tenants picket against rent increases (March 1920)]]
From 1920 to 1921, [[1920–1921 Chicago rent strikes|the city was affected by a series of tenant rent strikes]], which led to the formation of the Chicago Tenants Protective association, passage of the Kessenger tenant laws, and of a heat ordinance that legally required flats to be kept above 68&nbsp;°F during winter months by landlords.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Robbins |first=Mark W. |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.9343785 |title=Middle Class Union: Organizing the 'Consuming Public' in Post-World War I America |date=2017 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-13033-7 |chapter=5. Rent War! Middle-Class Tenant Organizing |doi=10.3998/mpub.9343785 |jstor=10.3998/mpub.9343785 |access-date=April 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404195206/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.9343785 |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 24, 1921 |title=U.S. Lists Rent War Flats; Tax Dodgers Hunted |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-us-lists-rent-war-flat/156947272/ |access-date=October 11, 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |pages=3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 30, 1921 |title=Rent Hog Gets Wallop in Bills Passed in Senate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/belleville-daily-advocate-rent-hog-gets/156947338/ |access-date=October 11, 2024 |work=Belleville Daily Advocate |pages=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 28, 1921 |title=Love Flees Cold Flats, Tenants' Leader Argues: Heated Charges Fly in Heat Ordinance Fight |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/115494379/ |access-date=October 11, 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |pages=7 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 7, 1922 |title=Fine Landlord $25 In Test Case On New Heat Law |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-fine-landlord-25-in-tes/156947510/ |access-date=October 11, 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |pages=3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 30, 2021 |title=Progress by Degrees: A History of the Chicago Heat Ordinance - RentConfident, Chicago IL |url=https://blog.rentconfident.com/2823/progress-by-degrees-a-history-of-the-chicago-heat-ordinance/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430034732/https://blog.rentconfident.com/2823/progress-by-degrees-a-history-of-the-chicago-heat-ordinance/ |archive-date=April 30, 2021 |access-date=April 11, 2024 |website=The RentConfident Blog}}</ref>

Chicago was the first American city to have a homosexual-rights organization. The organization, formed in 1924, was called the [[Society for Human Rights]]. It produced the first American publication for homosexuals, ''[[Friendship and Freedom]]''. Police and political pressure caused the organization to disband.<ref>{{cite web |title=Timeline: Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/stonewall-inn-through-years/ |publisher=PBS |access-date=April 12, 2013 |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522061316/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/stonewall/ |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Unemployed men queued outside a depression soup kitchen opened in Chicago by Al Capone, 02-1931 - NARA - 541927.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Men outside a soup kitchen during the [[Great Depression]] (1931)]]

The Great Depression brought unprecedented suffering to Chicago, in no small part due to the city's heavy reliance on heavy industry. Notably, industrial areas on the south side and neighborhoods lining both branches of the Chicago River were devastated; by 1933 over 50% of industrial jobs in the city had been lost, and unemployment rates amongst blacks and Mexicans in the city were over 40%. The Republican political machine in Chicago was utterly destroyed by the economic crisis, and every mayor since 1931 has been a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]].<ref name="Great Depression"/>

From 1928 to 1933, the city witnessed a tax revolt, and the city was unable to meet payroll or provide relief efforts. The fiscal crisis was resolved by 1933, and at the same time, federal relief funding began to flow into Chicago.<ref name="Great Depression">{{cite web |title=Great Depression |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/542.html |website=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago History Museum |access-date=April 27, 2018 |archive-date=April 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411165807/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/542.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Chicago was also a hotbed of labor activism, with [[Unemployed Councils]] contributing heavily in the early depression to create solidarity for the poor and demand relief; these organizations were created by socialist and communist groups. By 1935 the [[Workers Alliance of America]] began organizing the poor, workers, the unemployed. In the spring of 1937 Republic Steel Works witnessed the [[Memorial Day massacre of 1937]] in the neighborhood of East Side.

In 1933, Chicago Mayor [[Anton Cermak]] was fatally wounded in [[Miami, Florida]], during a [[List of United States presidential assassination attempts and plots#Franklin D. Roosevelt|failed assassination]] attempt on President-elect [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. In 1933 and 1934, the city celebrated its centennial by hosting the [[Century of Progress]] International Exposition [[World's Fair]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/index_uic_cop.php?CISOROOT=/uic_cop |title=Century of Progress World's Fair, 1933–1934 (University of Illinois at Chicago) : Home |publisher=Collections.carli.illinois.edu |access-date=July 3, 2011 |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718172313/http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/index_uic_cop.php?CISOROOT=/uic_cop |url-status=live }}</ref> The theme of the fair was technological innovation over the century since Chicago's founding.<ref>{{cite book |author=Robert W. Rydell |chapter-url=http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/225.html |chapter=Century of Progress Exposition |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=July 3, 2011 |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514034330/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/225.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====1940 to 1979====
[[File:2004-09-07 1800x2400 chicago picasso.jpg|thumb|The [[Chicago Picasso]] (1967) inspired a new era in urban public art.]]
During [[World War II]], the city of Chicago alone produced more steel than the United Kingdom every year from 1939 – 1945, and more than [[Nazi Germany]] from 1943 – 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chicago's Long and Extraordinary Labor History |url=https://ibew.org/ibew40thconvention/DailyArticles/2205/220427_Labor-History |access-date=October 24, 2023 |website=ibew.org}}</ref>
[[File:1968 Democratic National Convention, Chicago. Sept 68 C15 8 1313, Photo by Bea A Corson, Chicago. Purchased at estate sale in 2011 by Victor Grigas Released Public Domain.tiff|thumb|upright=1|Protesters in [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]] outside the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]]]]
The Great Migration, which had been on pause due to the Depression, resumed at an even faster pace in the [[Second Great Migration (African American)|second wave]], as hundreds of thousands of blacks from the South arrived in the city to work in the steel mills, railroads, and shipping yards.<ref>{{cite web |title=World War II |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1384.html |website=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago History Museum |access-date=April 27, 2018 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328181817/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1384.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On December 2, 1942, physicist [[Enrico Fermi]] conducted the world's first controlled [[Chicago Pile-1|nuclear reaction]] at the University of Chicago as part of the top-secret [[Manhattan Project]]. This led to the creation of the atomic bomb by the United States, which it used in [[World War II]] in 1945.<ref>{{cite web |title=CP-1 (Chicago Pile 1 Reactor) |url=http://www.ne.anl.gov/About/reactors/early-reactors.shtml |work=Argonne National Laboratory |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=April 12, 2013 |archive-date=May 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508171228/https://www.ne.anl.gov/About/reactors/early-reactors.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mayor [[Richard J. Daley]], a Democrat, was elected in 1955, in the era of [[political machine|machine politics]]. In 1956, the city conducted its last major expansion when it annexed the land under O'Hare airport, including a small portion of DuPage County.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Szymczak |first=Patricia |date=June 18, 1989 |title=O'Hare suburbs under fire |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-06-18-8902100436-story.html |access-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720015834/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-06-18-8902100436-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

By the 1960s, white residents in several neighborhoods left the city for the suburban areas – in many American cities, a process known as [[white flight]] – as Blacks continued to move beyond the [[Black Belt (region of Chicago)|Black Belt]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Steffes |first=Tracey L |year=2015 |title=Managing School Integration and White Flight: The Debate over Chicago's Future in the 1960s |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144214566970 |journal=Journal of Urban History |volume=42 |issue=4 |doi=10.1177/0096144214566970 |s2cid=147531740 |access-date=June 24, 2022 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112327/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0096144214566970 |url-status=live | issn=0096-1442|url-access=subscription }}</ref> While home loan discriminatory [[redlining]] against blacks continued, the real estate industry practiced what became known as [[blockbusting]], completely changing the racial composition of whole neighborhoods.<ref name="Mehlhorn">{{cite journal |last=Mehlhorn |first=Dmitri |title=A Requiem for Blockbusting: Law, Economics, and Race-Based Real Estate Speculation |journal=Fordham Law Review |volume=67 |pages=1145–1161 |date=December 1998}}</ref> Structural changes in industry, such as globalization and job outsourcing, caused heavy job losses for lower-skilled workers. At its peak during the 1960s, some 250,000 workers were employed in the steel industry in Chicago, but the steel crisis of the 1970s and 1980s reduced this number to just 28,000 in 2015. In 1966, [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and [[Albert Raby]] led the [[Chicago Freedom Movement]], which culminated in agreements between Mayor Richard J. Daley and the movement leaders.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lentz |first=Richard |title=Symbols, the News Magazines, and Martin Luther King |year=1990 |publisher=LSU Press |isbn=0-8071-2524-5 |page=230}}
</ref>

Two years later, the city hosted the tumultuous [[1968 Democratic National Convention]], which featured physical confrontations both inside and outside the convention hall, with anti-war protesters, journalists and bystanders being beaten by police.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mailer |first=Norman |title=Brief History Of Chicago's 1968 Democratic Convention |url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/conventions/chicago/facts/chicago68/index.shtml |work=Facts on File, CQ's Guide to U.S. Elections |publisher=CNN |access-date=May 5, 2013 |archive-date=March 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318074348/http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/conventions/chicago/facts/chicago68/index.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Major construction projects, including the Sears Tower (now known as the [[Willis Tower]], which in 1974 became the [[List of tallest buildings and structures in the world|world's tallest building]]), [[University of Illinois at Chicago]], [[McCormick Place]], and [[O'Hare International Airport]], were undertaken during Richard J. Daley's tenure.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cillizza |first=Chris |title=The Fix – Hall of Fame – The Case for Richard J. Daley |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-the-case-for-rich.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=September 23, 2009 |access-date=April 22, 2013 |archive-date=February 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201063930/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-the-case-for-rich.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1979, [[Jane Byrne]], the city's first female mayor, was elected. She was notable for temporarily moving into the crime-ridden [[Cabrini-Green]] housing project and for leading Chicago's school system out of a financial crisis.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dold |first=R. Bruce |title=Jane Byrne elected mayor of Chicago |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-byrne-story,0,7583194.story |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=February 27, 1979 |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715034553/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-byrne-story,0,7583194.story |url-status=live }}</ref>

====1980 to present====
In 1983, [[Harold Washington]] became the first black mayor of Chicago. Washington's first term in office directed attention to poor and previously neglected minority neighborhoods. He was re‑elected in 1987 but died of a heart attack soon after.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rivlin |first=Gary |title=The legend of Harold Washington |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/11/25/the-legend-of-harold-washington/ |access-date=April 12, 2013 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 25, 2012 |author2=Larry Bennett |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510035458/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-25/news/ct-oped-1125-washington-20121125_1_harold-washington-first-african-american-mayor-economic-development |url-status=live }}</ref> Washington was succeeded by 6th ward alderperson [[Eugene Sawyer]], who was elected by the Chicago City Council and served until a special election.

[[Richard M. Daley]], son of Richard J. Daley, was elected in 1989. His accomplishments included improvements to parks and creating incentives for [[sustainable development]], as well as closing [[Meigs Field]] in the middle of the night and destroying the runways. After successfully running for re-election five times, and becoming Chicago's longest-serving mayor, Richard M. Daley declined to run for a seventh term.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chicago and the Legacy of the Daley Dynasty |url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2016992,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911050717/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2016992,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 11, 2010 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=April 12, 2013 |date=September 9, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=National Building Museum to honor Daley for greening of Chicago |url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/04/national-building-museum-to-honor-daley-and-chicago-for-the-greening-of-chicago-.html |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=April 12, 2013 |date=April 8, 2009 |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510023109/http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/04/national-building-museum-to-honor-daley-and-chicago-for-the-greening-of-chicago-.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1992, a construction accident near the [[Kinzie Street Bridge]] produced a breach connecting the Chicago River to a tunnel below, which was part of an [[Chicago Tunnel Company|abandoned freight tunnel system]] extending throughout the downtown [[Chicago Loop|Loop]] district. The [[Chicago flood|tunnels filled]] with {{convert|250|e6USgal|m3|-6}} of water, affecting buildings throughout the district and forcing a shutdown of electrical power.<ref name="CBS2">{{cite news |title=1992 Loop Flood Brings Chaos, Billions In Losses |publisher=CBS2 Chicago |url=http://cbs2chicago.com/vault/local_story_104140940.html |date=April 14, 2007 | access-date = January 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927231222/http://cbs2chicago.com/vault/local_story_104140940.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref> The area was shut down for three days and some buildings did not reopen for weeks; losses were estimated at $1.95&nbsp;billion.<ref name="CBS2"/>

On February 23, 2011, [[Rahm Emanuel]], a former [[White House Chief of Staff]] and member of the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], won the mayoral election.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna41715205 |title=News: Rahm Emanuel wins Chicago mayoral race |publisher=NBC News |date=February 23, 2011 |access-date=July 3, 2011 |archive-date=June 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601010954/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41715205 |url-status=live }}</ref> Emanuel was sworn in as mayor on May 16, 2011, and won re-election in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tareen |first1=Sophia |last2=Burnett |first2=Sarah |title=Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wins 2nd term in runoff victory |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/chicago-mayor-rahm-emanuel-wins-2nd-term-in-runoff-victory-2015-4 |website=Business Insider |access-date=April 3, 2019 |date=April 7, 2015 |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403015441/https://www.businessinsider.com/chicago-mayor-rahm-emanuel-wins-2nd-term-in-runoff-victory-2015-4 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Lori Lightfoot]], the city's first African American woman mayor and its first openly LGBTQ mayor, was elected to succeed Emanuel as mayor in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bosman |first1=Julie |last2=Smith |first2=Mitch |last3=Davey |first3=Monica |title=Lori Lightfoot Is Elected Chicago Mayor, Becoming First Black Woman to Lead City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/us/chicago-election-results.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/us/chicago-election-results.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited |website=The New York Times |access-date=April 3, 2019 |date=April 2, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> All three city-wide elective offices were held by women (and women of color) for the first time in Chicago history: in addition to Lightfoot, the city clerk was [[Anna M. Valencia|Anna Valencia]] and the city treasurer was [[Melissa Conyears|Melissa Conyears-Ervin]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/with-mayor-lori-lightfoots-inauguration-3-women-of-color-now-hold-top-citywide-offices-chicago-was-ready-for-this/ar-AABDWHV |title=With Mayor Lori Lightfoot's inauguration, 3 women of color now hold top citywide offices: 'Chicago was ready for this' | last=Perez | first=Juan Jr. |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=May 21, 2019 |publisher=MSN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713152154/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/with-mayor-lori-lightfoots-inauguration-3-women-of-color-now-hold-top-citywide-offices-chicago-was-ready-for-this/ar-AABDWHV |archive-date=July 13, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On May 15, 2023, [[Brandon Johnson]] assumed office as the 57th mayor of Chicago.<ref name="cbsnews-mayor">{{cite web|url= https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/live-updates/inauguration-day-mayor-brandon-johnson-chicago/|title= Inauguration Day: Brandon Johnson sworn in as Chicago's 57th mayor|date=May 15, 2023|website=CBS News|access-date=September 3, 2025}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Chicago}}
{{Wide image|Chicago Skyline in September 2023 pano.jpg|1100px|Chicago skyline in September 2023|center|alt=}}

===Topography===
[[File:Chicago-00.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the [[Chicago Loop]] in 2012]]
[[File:Full chicago skyline.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Downtown and the North Side with beaches lining the waterfront]]
[[File:Chicago by Sentinel-2.jpg|thumb|upright=1|A satellite image of Chicago]]
Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois on the southwestern shores of freshwater Lake Michigan. It is the principal city in the [[Chicago Metropolitan Area]], situated in both the [[Midwestern United States]] and the [[Great Lakes region (North America)|Great Lakes region]]. The city rests on a [[continental divide]] at the site of the Chicago Portage, connecting the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes [[drainage basin|watersheds]]. In addition to it lying beside Lake Michigan, two rivers—the Chicago River in downtown and the [[Calumet River]] in the industrial far South Side—flow either entirely or partially through the city.{{sfnp|Condit|1973|pp=5–6}}{{sfnp|Genzen|2007|pp=6–9}}

Chicago's history and economy are closely tied to its proximity to Lake Michigan. While the Chicago River historically handled much of the region's waterborne cargo, today's huge [[lake freighter]]s use the city's [[Port of Chicago|Lake Calumet Harbor]] on the South Side. The lake also provides another positive effect: moderating Chicago's climate, making waterfront neighborhoods slightly warmer in winter and cooler in summer.<ref>{{cite web |last=Angel |first=Jim |title=State Climatologist Office for Illinois |url=http://www.isws.illinois.edu/atmos/statecli/general/chicago-climate-narrative.htm |work=Illinois State Water Survey |publisher=[[Prairie Research Institute]] |access-date=August 4, 2013 |archive-date=July 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724032003/http://www.isws.illinois.edu/atmos/statecli/General/chicago-climate-narrative.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

When Chicago was founded in 1837, most of the early building was around the mouth of the Chicago River, as can be seen on a map of the city's original 58 blocks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/11175.html |title=Thompson's Plat of 1830 |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |year=2004 |access-date=July 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070423202023/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/11175.html |archive-date=April 23, 2007}}</ref> The overall [[Land grading|grade]] of the city's central, built-up areas is relatively consistent with the natural flatness of its overall natural geography, generally exhibiting only slight differentiation otherwise. The average land elevation is {{convert|579|ft|+1|abbr=on}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]]. While measurements vary somewhat,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.chipublib.org/blogs/post/the-elevation-of-chicago-a-statistical-mystery/ |title=The Elevation of Chicago: A Statistical Mystery |website=Chicago Public Library |date=September 29, 2014 |language=en-US |access-date=November 22, 2018 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609092728/https://www.chipublib.org/blogs/post/the-elevation-of-chicago-a-statistical-mystery/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the lowest points are along the lake shore at {{convert|578|ft|+1|abbr=on}}, while the highest point, at {{convert|672|ft|abbr=on}}, is the morainal ridge of [[Beverly, Chicago|Blue Island]] in the city's far south side.<ref name=neiu>{{cite web |title=Chicago Facts |url=http://www.neiu.edu/~jmhemzac/courses/docs/ofs2005-09%20small2.pdf |work=[[Northeastern Illinois University]] |access-date=August 28, 2013 |page=46 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110213300/https://www.neiu.edu/~jmhemzac/courses/docs/ofs2005-09%20small2.pdf |archive-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref>

[[Lake Shore Drive]] runs adjacent to a large portion of Chicago's waterfront. Some of the parks along the waterfront include [[Lincoln Park]], [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]], [[Burnham Park (Chicago)|Burnham Park]], and [[Jackson Park (Chicago)|Jackson Park]]. There are 24 public [[Chicago beaches|beaches]] across {{convert|26|mi|km|0}} of the waterfront.<ref name=usabeaches>{{cite news |last=Fulton |first=Jeff |title=Public Beaches in Chicago |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/public-beaches-chicago-53741.html |work=[[USA Today]] |access-date=August 28, 2013 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054140/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/public-beaches-chicago-53741.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Landfill extends into portions of the lake providing space for [[Navy Pier]], [[Northerly Island]], the [[Museum Campus Chicago|Museum Campus]], and large portions of the [[McCormick Place]] Convention Center. Most of the city's high-rise commercial and residential buildings are close to the waterfront.

An informal name for the entire [[Chicago metropolitan area]] is "Chicagoland", which generally means the city and all its suburbs, though different organizations have slightly different definitions.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/communities/ |title=Chicago Tribune Classifieds map of Chicagoland |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=May 4, 2009 |archive-date=July 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713090859/https://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/communities/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Chicagoland Region |url=http://www.enjoyillinois.com/topSpots/region.aspx?area=chicagoland |work=EnjoyIllinois.com |publisher=Illinois Department of Tourism |access-date=August 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928043624/http://www.enjoyillinois.com/topSpots/region.aspx?area=chicagoland |archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fast Facts About The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce |url=http://www.chicagolandchamber.org/sub/fast_facts.asp |publisher=Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209003914/http://www.chicagolandchamber.org/sub/fast_facts.asp |archive-date=February 9, 2009 |access-date=January 6, 2014}}</ref>

===Communities===
{{See also|Community areas in Chicago|List of neighborhoods in Chicago}}
[[File:Chicago community areas map.svg|thumb|upright=1|[[Community areas in Chicago|Community areas]] of Chicago]]
Major sections of the city include the central business district, called [[Chicago Loop|the Loop]], and the North, [[South Side, Chicago|South]], and [[West Side, Chicago|West Sides]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1177.html |title=South Side |publisher=Encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org |date=August 1, 1971 |access-date=June 10, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017032129/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1177.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The three sides of the city are represented on the [[Flag of Chicago]] by three horizontal white stripes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Municipal Flag of Chicago |url=http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/cplarchive/symbols/flag.php |publisher=Chicago Public Library |access-date=March 22, 2013 |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615003832/http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/cplarchive/symbols/flag.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The North Side is the city's most densely populated residential section, and many high-rises are on this side of the city along the lakefront.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lakeview (Chicago, Illinois) |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/cook-county/chicago/lakeview-(chicago-illinois)-PLGEO100100501254600.topic |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=September 25, 2013 |archive-date=September 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928071057/http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/cook-county/chicago/lakeview-(chicago-illinois)-PLGEO100100501254600.topic |url-status=live }}</ref> The South Side is the city's largest section, encompassing roughly 60% of its land area<!--this conflicts with the adjacent map-->. The South Side contains most of the facilities of the [[Port of Chicago]].<ref>{{cite web |title=CPS Teacher Housing: Chicago Communities |url=http://teacherhousing.cps.k12.il.us/communities.aspx |publisher=[[Chicago Public Schools]] |access-date=March 22, 2013 |archive-date=March 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321030228/http://teacherhousing.cps.k12.il.us/communities.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the late 1920s, sociologists at the University of Chicago subdivided the city into 77 distinct [[Community areas in Chicago|community areas]], which can further be subdivided into over 200 informally defined [[Neighborhoods in Chicago|neighborhoods]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.streetadvisor.com/chicago-cook-county-illinois/questions/list-of-chicago-neighborhoods |title=List of Chicago Neighborhoods – Chicago |publisher=StreetAdvisor |access-date=June 10, 2013 |archive-date=July 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110730092727/http://www.streetadvisor.com/chicago-cook-county-illinois/questions/list-of-chicago-neighborhoods |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago and its Neighborhoods |url=http://www.articlecell.com/Article/Chicago-and-its-Neighborhoods/669201 |publisher=articlecell |access-date=March 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130410125240/http://www.articlecell.com/Article/Chicago-and-its-Neighborhoods/669201 |archive-date=April 10, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Streetscape===
{{main|Roads and expressways in Chicago}}
Chicago's streets were laid out in a [[Grid plan|street grid]] that grew from the city's original townsite plot, which was bounded by Lake Michigan on the east, North Avenue on the north, Wood Street on the west, and 22nd Street on the south.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wbez.org/series/curious-city/gulp-how-chicago-gobbled-its-neighbors-109583 |title=Gulp! How Chicago Gobbled Its Neighbors |access-date=April 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115150008/http://www.wbez.org/series/curious-city/gulp-how-chicago-gobbled-its-neighbors-109583 |archive-date=January 15, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Streets following the [[Public Land Survey System]] section lines later became arterial streets in outlying sections. As new additions to the city were platted, city ordinance required them to be laid out with eight streets to the mile in one direction and sixteen in the other direction, about one street per 200 meters in one direction and one street per 100 meters in the other direction. The grid's regularity provided an efficient means of developing new real estate property. A scattering of diagonal streets, many of them originally Native American trails, also cross the city (Elston, Milwaukee, Ogden, Lincoln, etc.). Many additional diagonal streets were recommended in the [[Burnham Plan|Plan of Chicago]], but only the extension of [[Ogden Avenue (Chicago)|Ogden Avenue]] was ever constructed.{{sfnp|Condit|1973|pp=31, 52–53}}

In 2021, Chicago was ranked the fourth-most walkable large city in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.walkscore.com/IL/Chicago |title=Chicago neighborhoods on Walk Score |work=walkscore.com |access-date=July 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713155443/https://www.walkscore.com/IL/Chicago |archive-date=July 13, 2024}}</ref> Many of the city's residential streets have a wide patch of grass or trees between the street and the sidewalk itself. This helps to keep pedestrians on the sidewalk further away from the street traffic. Chicago's [[Western Avenue (Chicago)|Western Avenue]] is the longest continuous urban street in the world.<ref name="El-KhouryRobbins2004">{{cite book |author1=Rodolphe El-Khoury |author2=Edward Robbins |title=Shaping the City: Studies in History, Theory and Urban Design |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dbv-zU6M9WIC&pg=PA60 |access-date=May 9, 2013 |date=June 19, 2004 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-415-26189-0 |pages=60– |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112336/https://books.google.com/books?id=Dbv-zU6M9WIC&pg=PA60 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other notable streets include [[Michigan Avenue (Chicago)|Michigan Avenue]], [[State Street (Chicago)|State Street]], [[95th Street (Chicago)|95th Street]], [[Cicero Avenue]], [[Clark Street (Chicago)|Clark Street]], and [[Belmont Avenue (Chicago)|Belmont Avenue]]. The [[City Beautiful movement]] inspired Chicago's boulevards and parkways.<ref>{{cite book |first=Russell |last=Lopez |date=2012 |chapter=Nineteenth-Century Reform Movements |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zbjFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA41 |department=The 1893 Columbian Exhibition |title=Building American Public Health: Urban Planning, Architecture, & the Quest for Better Health in the United States |page=41 |isbn=978-1-137-00243-3 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |access-date=September 19, 2019 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112348/https://books.google.com/books?id=zbjFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA41 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Architecture===
{{Main|Architecture of Chicago}}{{Further|List of tallest buildings in Chicago|List of Chicago Landmarks}}
[[File:2010-03-03 1856x2784 chicago chicago building.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Chicago Building]] (1904–05) is a prime example of the [[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago School]], displaying both variations of the Chicago window.]]
The destruction caused by the Great Chicago Fire led to the largest building boom in the history of the nation. In 1885, the first [[steel frame|steel-framed high-rise building]], the Home Insurance Building, rose in the city as Chicago ushered in the [[Early skyscrapers|skyscraper era]],{{sfnp|Lowe|2000|pp=121, 129}} which would then be followed by many other cities around the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Home Insurance Building |url=http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/3168/The-Home-Insurance-Building.php |website=Chicago Architecture Info |access-date=September 23, 2014 |archive-date=September 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917212325/http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/3168/The-Home-Insurance-Building.php |url-status=dead}}</ref> Today, Chicago's skyline is among the world's tallest and densest.<ref>[http://www.ultrapolisproject.com/ultrapolis_017.htm World's Tallest Cities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308161625/http://www.ultrapolisproject.com/ultrapolis_017.htm |date=March 8, 2007 }}. ''UltrapolisProject.com''.</ref>

Some of the United States' tallest towers are located in Chicago; [[Willis Tower]] (formerly Sears Tower) is the second tallest building in the [[Western Hemisphere]] after [[One World Trade Center]], and [[Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago)|Trump International Hotel and Tower]] is the third tallest in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings-usa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603063912/http://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings-usa |url-status=usurped |archive-date=June 3, 2013 |title=U.S.A.'s tallest buildings – Top 20 |work=[[Emporis]] |access-date=September 14, 2013}}</ref> The Loop's historic buildings include the [[Chicago Board of Trade Building]], the [[Fine Arts Building (Chicago)|Fine Arts Building]], [[35&nbsp;East Wacker]], and the [[Chicago Building]], [[860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments]] by [[Mies van der Rohe]]. Many other architects have left their impression on the Chicago skyline such as [[Daniel Burnham]], [[Louis Sullivan]], Charles B. Atwood, John Root, and [[Helmut Jahn]].{{sfnp|Bach|1980|p=[https://archive.org/details/chicagosfamousbu00cond/page/n60 9]}}{{sfnp|Lowe|2000|pp=118–127}}

The [[Merchandise Mart]], once the [[list of largest buildings in the world|largest building in the world]], had its own [[zip&nbsp;code]] until 2008, and stands near the junction of the North and South branches of the Chicago River.<ref name="prid03">{{cite book |last=Pridmore |first=Jay |title=The Merchandise Mart |year=2003 |publisher=Pomegranate Communications |isbn=0-7649-2497-4 |lccn=2003051164}}</ref> Presently, the four tallest buildings in the city are Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower, also a building with its own zip code), [[Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago)|Trump International Hotel and Tower]], the [[Aon Center (Chicago)|Aon Center]] (previously the Standard Oil Building), and the [[John Hancock Center]]. [[Industrial district]]s, such as some areas on the [[South Side (Chicago)|South Side]], the areas along the [[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal]], and the [[Northwest Indiana]] area are clustered.{{sfnp|Bach|1980|pp=70, 99–100, 146–147}}

Chicago gave its name to the Chicago School and was home to the [[Prairie School]], two movements in architecture.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chicago School of Architecture |last=Condit |first=Carl W. |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-226-11455-4}}</ref> Multiple kinds and scales of houses, townhouses, condominiums, and apartment buildings can be found throughout Chicago. Large swaths of the city's residential areas away from the lake are characterized by brick [[bungalow]]s built from the early 20th century through the end of World War II. Chicago is also a prominent center of the [[Polish Cathedral style]] of [[church architecture]]. The Chicago suburb of [[Oak Park, Illinois|Oak Park]] was home to famous architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]], who had designed The [[Robie House]] located near the University of Chicago.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Donald |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House: The Illustrated Story of an Architectural Masterpiece |date=1984 |publisher=Dover Publications |location=New York |isbn=0-486-24582-9 |pages=19–25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Frederick C. Robie House |url=http://www.flwright.org/researchexplore/robiehouse |publisher=Frank Lloyd Wright Trust |access-date=September 23, 2014 |archive-date=September 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910224118/http://flwright.org/researchexplore/robiehouse |url-status=live }}</ref>

A popular tourist activity is to take an architecture boat tour along the Chicago River.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.architecture.org/experience-caf/tours/detail/chicago-architecture-foundation-river-cruise-aboard-chicagos-first-lady-cruises/ |title=Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise Aboard Chicago's First Lady Cruises |website=Chicago Architecture Foundation – CAF |language=en |access-date=May 29, 2018 |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619205552/https://www.architecture.org/experience-caf/tours/detail/chicago-architecture-foundation-river-cruise-aboard-chicagos-first-lady-cruises/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Monuments and public art===
{{Main|List of public art in Chicago}}
[[File:Replica of the Statue of the Republic (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Replica of [[Daniel Chester French]]'s [[Statue of The Republic]] at the site of the World's Columbian Exposition]]

Chicago is famous for its outdoor [[public art]] with donors establishing funding for such art as far back as [[Benjamin F. Ferguson|Benjamin Ferguson]]'s 1905 trust.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/chicago/2013/10/street-art-tour-murals-hyde-park-university-chicago-illinois_slideshow_item0_1 |title=The Public Art Scene You're Missing in Chicago |date=October 1, 2013 |publisher=Conde Nast Traveler |access-date=November 18, 2013 |archive-date=October 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016194149/http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/chicago/2013/10/street-art-tour-murals-hyde-park-university-chicago-illinois_slideshow_item0_1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A number of Chicago's public art works are by modern figurative artists. Among these are [[Four Seasons (Chagall)|Chagall's Four Seasons]]; the [[Chicago Picasso]]; [[Miró's Chicago]]; [[Alexander Calder|Calder]]'s [[Flamingo (sculpture)|Flamingo]]; [[Claes Oldenburg|Oldenburg]]'s [[Batcolumn]]; [[Henry Moore|Moore]]'s [[Large Interior Form, 1953–54]], [[Man Enters the Cosmos]] and [[Nuclear Energy (sculpture)|Nuclear Energy]]; [[Jean Dubuffet|Dubuffet]]'s [[Monument with Standing Beast]], [[Magdalena Abakanowicz|Abakanowicz]]'s [[Agora (sculpture)|Agora]]; and [[Anish Kapoor]]'s [[Cloud Gate]] which has become an icon of the city. Some events which shaped the city's history have also been memorialized by art works, including the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Northern Migration]] ([[Alison Saar|Saar]]) and the [[Illinois Centennial Memorial Column|centennial of statehood for Illinois]]. Finally, two fountains near the Loop also function as monumental works of art: [[Jaume Plensa|Plensa]]'s [[Crown Fountain]] as well as [[Daniel Burnham|Burnham]] and Bennett's [[Buckingham Fountain]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crown Fountain in Millennium Park |url=https://www.chicago.gov/content/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_s_publicartcrownfountaininmillenniumpark.html |access-date=October 24, 2023 |website=chicago.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain {{!}} Chicago Park District |url=https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/clarence-f-buckingham-memorial-fountain |access-date=October 24, 2023 |website=www.chicagoparkdistrict.com}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{main|Climate of Chicago|Tornadoes in Chicago}}
[[File:Steam Rising from Chicago River.jpg|thumb|upright|The Chicago River during the [[Early 2014 North American cold wave|January 2014 cold wave]]]]
The city mostly lies within the typical hot-summer [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dfa''), and experiences four distinct seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://stateclimatologist.web.illinois.edu/climate-of-illinois/climate-of-chicago/ |title=Climate of Chicago – Illinois State Climatologist |language=en-US |access-date=March 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324165100/https://stateclimatologist.web.illinois.edu/climate-of-illinois/climate-of-chicago/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mölders |first1=Nicole |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWr1AwAAQBAJ&q=hot-summer+humid+continental+climate+CHICAGO&pg=PA521 |title=Lectures in Meteorology |last2=Kramm |first2=Gerhard |date=July 5, 2014 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-02144-7 |language=en |access-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112337/https://books.google.com/books?id=nWr1AwAAQBAJ&q=hot-summer+humid+continental+climate+CHICAGO&pg=PA521 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=3527&cityname=Chicago,+Illinois,+United+States+of+America |title=Chicago, Illinois Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase) |website=Weatherbase |access-date=March 24, 2020 |archive-date=May 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519043008/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=3527&cityname=Chicago,+Illinois,+United+States+of+America |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Summer]]s are hot and humid, with frequent [[heat waves]]. The July daily average temperature is {{convert|75.4|°F|1}}, with afternoon temperatures peaking at {{convert|84.5|°F|1}}. In a normal summer, temperatures reach at least {{convert|90|°F|0}} on 17&nbsp;days, with lakefront locations staying cooler when winds blow off the lake. [[Winter]]s are relatively cold and snowy. [[Blizzard]]s do occur, such as in [[January 31 – February 2, 2011 North American blizzard|winter 2011]].<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/chi-110201-monster-snowstorm-2011-pictures-photogallery.html Photos: The blizzard of 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422210415/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/chi-110201-monster-snowstorm-2011-pictures-photogallery.html |date=April 22, 2019 }} ''Chicago Tribune''</ref> There are many sunny but cold days. The normal winter high from December through March is about {{convert|36|°F|0}}. January and February are the coldest months. A [[January–February 2019 North American cold wave|polar vortex in January 2019]] nearly broke the city's cold record of {{convert|-27|°F|0}}, which was set on January 20, 1985.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/weather/winter-weather-thursday-wxc/index.html Extreme cold in Midwest will finally begin to ease grasp] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131210531/https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/weather/winter-weather-thursday-wxc/index.html |date=January 31, 2019 }} [[CNN]], Holly Yan and Madeline Holcombe, January 31, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/ct-met-viz-chicago-record-coldest-days-htmlstory.html At 23 below, Wednesday marked Chicago's 4th coldest temperature recorded] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423013906/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/ct-met-viz-chicago-record-coldest-days-htmlstory.html |date=April 23, 2019 }} ''Chicago Tribune'', Jonathon Berlin and Kori Rumore, January 31, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/us/university-of-iowa-student-dies-during-polar-vortex-7-other-deaths-linked-to-wintry-blast University of Iowa student dies during polar vortex; 7 other deaths linked to wintry blast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131172237/https://www.foxnews.com/us/university-of-iowa-student-dies-during-polar-vortex-7-other-deaths-linked-to-wintry-blast |date=January 31, 2019 }} [[Fox News]], Stephen Sorace, January 31, 2019</ref> Measurable snowfall can continue through the first or second week of April.<ref>[https://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/weather-history-when-does-chicago-typically-see-its-final-snow-of-the-season/2804459/ Weather History: When Does Chicago Typically See Its Final Snow of the Season?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313144928/https://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/weather-history-when-does-chicago-typically-see-its-final-snow-of-the-season/2804459/ |date=March 13, 2023 }} NBC, April 11, 2022</ref>

[[Spring (season)|Spring]] and [[autumn]] are mild, short seasons, typically with low humidity. [[Dew point]] temperatures in the summer range from an average of {{convert|55.8|°F|1}} in June to {{convert|61.7|°F|1}} in July.<ref name=NOAA/> They can reach nearly {{convert|80|°F}}, such as during the July 2019 heat wave. The city lies within [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] plant [[hardiness zone]] 6a, transitioning to 5b in the suburbs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ |title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |publisher=USDA/Agricultural Research Center, PRISM Climate Group Oregon State University |access-date = June 16, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140227032333/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ |archive-date = February 27, 2014}}</ref>

According to the [[National Weather Service]], Chicago's highest official temperature reading of {{convert|105|F|abbr=on}} was recorded on July 24, 1934.<!--AS MEASURED AT UCHICAGO, THE OFFICIAL REPORTING STATION AT THE TIME; THE 109F ON 1934-07-23 WAS AT MIDWAY--><ref name="temperature records">[http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/?n=chi_records Chicago's Official Records] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028054101/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/?n=chi_records |date=October 28, 2012 }}. National Weather Service. Retrieved November 25, 2012.</ref> [[Chicago Midway International Airport|Midway Airport]] reached {{convert|109|°F|abbr=on}} one day prior and recorded a [[heat index]] of {{convert|125|°F|°C}} during the [[1995 Chicago heat wave|1995 heatwave]].<ref name="Chicago Top 20 of 20th century"/> The lowest official temperature of {{convert|-27|°F|0}} was recorded on [[January 1985 Arctic outbreak|January 20, 1985]], at O'Hare Airport.<ref name = NOAA/><ref name="Chicago Top 20 of 20th century"/> Most of the city's rainfall is brought by [[thunderstorm]]s, averaging 38 a year. The region is prone to [[severe thunderstorm]]s during the spring and summer which can produce large hail, damaging winds, and occasionally tornadoes.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Study of Chicago's Significant Tornadoes |url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/?n=Sigchitorn |work=[[National Weather Service]] |publisher=[[NOAA]] |access-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105160039/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/?n=Sigchitorn |url-status=live }}</ref> Notably, the F4 [[1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak#Oak Lawn–Evergreen Park–Chicago South Side, Illinois|Oak Lawn tornado]] moved through the South Side of the city on April 21, 1967, moving onto Lake Michigan as a waterspout.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/lot/1967_April_Tornadoes |title=One of the worst tornado outbreaks for northern IL with three F4s devastates Belvidere, Lake Zurich, & Oak Lawn, IL |publisher=[[National Weather Service Chicago, Illinois]] |access-date=14 April 2025 }}</ref> Downtown Chicago was struck by an F3 tornado on May 6, 1876, again moving out over Lake Michigan.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/lot/severe/chitorlist.pdf |title=Significant Tornadoes in the Chicago Metropolitan Area |date=October 2022 |publisher=[[National Weather Service Chicago, Illinois]] }}</ref>

Like other major cities, Chicago experiences an [[urban heat island]], making the city and its suburbs milder than surrounding rural areas, especially at night and in winter. The proximity to Lake Michigan tends to keep the Chicago lakefront somewhat cooler in summer and less brutally cold in winter than inland parts of the city and suburbs away from the lake,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epa.gov/heatisland/pilot/archives/Chicago.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101090214/http://epa.gov/heatisland/pilot/archives/Chicago.pdf |archive-date=November 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |title=Heat Island Effect |access-date=April 20, 2016}}</ref> which is sufficient to give lakefront areas such as [[Northerly Island]] a [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] (''Cfa'') climate using Köppen's {{cvt|-3|C|order=flip}} winter isotherm (as opposed to the firmly continental climate of inland areas such as [[Midway International Airport|Midway]] and [[O'Hare International Airport]]s),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Koppen-climate-classification/World-distribution-of-major-climatic-types |title=World distribution of major climatic types |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |edition=Online |access-date=May 3, 2025}}</ref> even though those areas are still continental (''Dca'') under Trewartha due to winters averaging below {{cvt|0|C|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Millison |first1=Andrew |url=https://open.oregonstate.education/permaculturedesign/chapter/climate-classification-systems/ |title=Climate Classification Systems |date=August 2019 |publisher=Oregon State University |access-date=May 3, 2025}}</ref> Northeast winds from wintertime [[low-pressure area|cyclones]] departing south of the region sometimes bring the city [[lake-effect snow]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/ct-wea-asktom-0307-20180306-column.html |title=Ask Tom: Does Chicago Get Lake-Effect Snow? |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=January 6, 2018 |archive-date=March 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307034058/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/ct-wea-asktom-0307-20180306-column.html |url-status=live |last1=Skilling |first1=Tom }}</ref>

{{Chicago weatherbox}}
{{weatherbox |single line =yes |collapsed = yes |width = auto
|location = [[Northerly Island]], 2005–2023 Temperature normals
|precipitation colour = green

| Jan record high F  =
| Feb record high F  =
| Mar record high F  =
| Apr record high F  =
| May record high F  =
| Jun record high F  =
| Jul record high F  =
| Aug record high F  =
| Sep record high F  =
| Oct record high F  =
| Nov record high F  =
| Dec record high F  =
| year record high F =
| Jan avg record high F  = 51
| Feb avg record high F  = 55
| Mar avg record high F  = 70
| Apr avg record high F  = 80
| May avg record high F  = 87
| Jun avg record high F  = 92
| Jul avg record high F  = 94
| Aug avg record high F  = 93
| Sep avg record high F  = 90
| Oct avg record high F  = 82
| Nov avg record high F  = 68
| Dec avg record high F  = 58
| year avg record high F =
| Jan high F  =33.2
| Feb high F  =34.8
| Mar high F  =46.4
| Apr high F  =55.7
| May high F  =67.0
| Jun high F  =76.9
| Jul high F  =81.8
| Aug high F  =81.1
| Sep high F  =74.9
| Oct high F  =62.4
| Nov high F  =49.8
| Dec high F  =38.0
| year high F =
| Jan mean F  =27.2
| Feb mean F  =28.3
| Mar mean F  =39.9
| Apr mean F  =48.6
| May mean F  =59.3
| Jun mean F  =69.4
| Jul mean F  =75.2
| Aug mean F  =74.9
| Sep mean F  =68.5
| Oct mean F  =55.9
| Nov mean F  =43.5
| Dec mean F  =32.3
| year mean F =
| Jan low F  =21.1
| Feb low F  =21.9
| Mar low F  =33.3
| Apr low F  =41.4
| May low F  =51.6
| Jun low F  =62.0
| Jul low F  =68.7
| Aug low F  =68.7
| Sep low F  =62.0
| Oct low F  =49.5
| Nov low F  =37.3
| Dec low F  =26.7
| year low F =
| Jan avg record low F  = 0
| Feb avg record low F  = 3
| Mar avg record low F  = 20
| Apr avg record low F  = 31
| May avg record low F  = 41
| Jun avg record low F  = 52
| Jul avg record low F  = 62
| Aug avg record low F  = 61
| Sep avg record low F  = 50
| Oct avg record low F  = 37
| Nov avg record low F  = 21
| Dec avg record low F  = 8
| year avg record low F =
| Jan record low F  =
| Feb record low F  =
| Mar record low F  =
| Apr record low F  =
| May record low F  =
| Jun record low F  =
| Jul record low F  =
| Aug record low F  =
| Sep record low F  =
| Oct record low F  =
| Nov record low F  =
| Dec record low F  =
| year record low F =

|source = National Weather Service<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=lot |title=NOAA Online Weather Data: Chicago Northerly Island |access-date=26 February 2024 |publisher = [[National Weather Service|NWS]]}}</ref>
}}
{|style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:1.2em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
!Colspan=14|Sunshine data for Chicago
|-
!Month
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
!style="border-left-width:medium"|Year
|-
!Mean daily daylight hours
|style="background:#F0F011;color:#000000;"|10.0
|style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;"|11.0
|style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;"|12.0
|style="background:#FFFF44;color:#000000;"|13.0
|style="background:#FFFF66;color:#000000;"|15.0
|style="background:#FFFF66;color:#000000;"|15.0
|style="background:#FFFF66;color:#000000;"|15.0
|style="background:#FFFF55;color:#000000;"|14.0
|style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;"|12.0
|style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;"|11.0
|style="background:#F0F011;color:#000000;"|10.0
|style="background:#E9E900;color:#000000;"|9.0
|style="background:#FFFF35;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|12.2
|-
!Colspan=14 style="background:#f8f9fa;font-weight:normal;font-size:95%;"|Source: Weather Atlas<ref name="Weather Atlas">{{cite web |url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/illinois-usa/chicago-climate |title=Chicago, Illinois, USA – Monthly weather forecast and Climate data |publisher=Weather Atlas |access-date=February 7, 2019 |archive-date=April 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415040947/https://www.weather-us.com/en/illinois-usa/chicago-climate |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Chicago}}
{{US Census population
| 1840 = 4470
| 1850 = 29963
| 1860 = 112172
| 1870 = 298977
| 1880 = 503185
| 1890 = 1099850
| 1900 = 1698575
| 1910 = 2185283
| 1920 = 2701705
| 1930 = 3376438
| 1940 = 3396808
| 1950 = 3620962
| 1960 = 3550404
| 1970 = 3366957
| 1980 = 3005072
| 1990 = 2783726
| 2000 = 2896016
| 2010 = 2695598
| 2020 = 2746388
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 2721308
| estref = <ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Chicago city, Illinois |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/chicagocityillinois |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=15 May 2025}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = United States Census Bureau<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 19, 2007|archive-date=July 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717060613/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|url-status=live}}</ref><br />2010–2020<ref name="QuickFacts"/>
}}
During its first hundred years, Chicago was one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. When founded in 1833, fewer than 200 people had settled on what was then the American frontier. By the time of its first census, seven years later, the population had reached over 4,000. In the forty years from 1850 to 1890, the city's population grew from slightly under 30,000 to over 1&nbsp;million. By the 1890 census, Chicago was the second most populous city in the United States. By 1900, it was the fifth largest in the world behind Berlin, Paris, New York, and London,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011201f.htm |title=Top 10 Cities of the Year 1900 |publisher=Geography.about.com |access-date=May 4, 2009 |archive-date=September 20, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050920013856/http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011201f.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the largest city founded in the prior century. Within sixty years of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the population went from about 300,000 to over 3&nbsp;million,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ahaa/imagebase/chimaps/mcclendon.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121211094742/http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ahaa/imagebase/chimaps/mcclendon.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 11, 2012 |title=Chicago Growth 1850–1990: Maps by Dennis McClendon |access-date=August 19, 2007 |publisher=University Illinois Chicago}}
</ref> and reached its highest ever recorded population of 3.6&nbsp;million for the 1950 census.

From the last two decades of the 19th century, Chicago was the destination of waves of immigrants from Ireland, Southern, Central and Eastern Europe, including [[Italian Americans|Italians]], [[American Jews|Jews]], [[Russian Americans|Russians]], [[Polish Americans|Poles]], [[Greek Americans|Greeks]], [[Lithuanian Americans|Lithuanians]], [[Bulgarian Americans|Bulgarians]], [[Albanian Americans|Albanians]], [[Romanian Americans|Romanians]], [[Turkish Americans|Turks]], [[Croatian Americans|Croatians]], [[Serbian Americans|Serbs]], [[Bosnian Americans|Bosnians]], [[Montenegrin Americans|Montenegrins]] and [[Czech Americans|Czechs]].<ref name="Cohen">Lizabeth Cohen, ''Making a New Deal: Industrial Workers in Chicago, 1919–1939''. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1990; pp.&nbsp;33–34.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Russians|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1104.html|access-date=January 6, 2022|website=encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org|archive-date=March 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318074704/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1104.html|url-status=live}}</ref> To these ethnic groups, the basis of the city's industrial [[working class]], were added an additional influx of [[African Americans]] from the [[Southern United States|American South]] as part of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]]—with Chicago's black population doubling between 1910 and 1920 and doubling again between 1920 and 1930.<ref name=Cohen/> Chicago has a [[Bosnians in Chicago|significant Bosnian population]], many of whom arrived in the 1990s and 2000s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bosnians |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/157.html |access-date=July 2, 2023 |website=encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org |archive-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319201618/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/157.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 1920s and 1930s, the great majority of African Americans moving to Chicago settled in a so‑called "[[Black Belt (region of Chicago)|Black Belt]]" on the city's [[South Side, Chicago|South Side]].<ref name=Cohen/> A large number of blacks also settled on the [[West Side, Chicago|West Side]]. By 1930, two-thirds of Chicago's black population lived in sections of the city which were 90% black in racial composition.<ref name=Cohen/> Around that time, a lesser known fact about African Americans on the [[List of neighborhoods in Chicago|North Side]] is that the block of 4600 Winthrop Avenue in [[Uptown, Chicago|Uptown]] was the only block African Americans could live or open establishments.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Giles |first=Sharon |url=https://www.amazon.com/CAN-YOU-TOO-Inspirations-award-winning/dp/B0C522W4Z5 |title=If we can do it, you can, too! |year=2023 |isbn=9798379235413 |editor-last=Sha |editor-first=Mandy |pages=44–46 |chapter=Uptown Girl |publisher=Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp |editor-last2=Lee |editor-first2=Cassandra}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Reddy |first=Gayatri |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Winthrop Family and Black Resilience on the North Side of Chicago |work=The Chicago Reporter |url=https://www.chicagoreporter.com/winthrop-family-and-black-resilience-on-the-north-side-of-chicago/ |access-date=December 20, 2023}}</ref> Chicago's South Side emerged as United States second-largest urban black concentration, following New York's [[Harlem]]. In 1990, Chicago's South Side and the adjoining south suburbs constituted the largest black majority region in the entire United States.<ref name=Cohen/> Since the 1980s, Chicago has had a massive exodus of African Americans (primarily from the South and West sides) to its suburbs or outside its metropolitan area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://greatcities.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Black-Population-Loss-in-Chicago.pdf |title=Fact Sheet: Black Population Loss in Chicago |publisher=Great Cities Institute University of Illinois at Chicago |date=July 2019 |access-date=April 3, 2024}}</ref> The above average crime and cost of living were leading reasons for the fast declining African American population in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago-black-population-decline-crime-job-loss/6d880f62-ba00-4b44-9e0a-57c50fc4f51d | title=Chicago areas with steep Black population decline see more violence and job loss |work=WBEZ Chicago |last=Loury |first=Alden | date=June 13, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/11/22/as-the-black-population-continues-to-drop-in-chicago-and-illinois-few-regret-their-move-i-have-peace/ | title=As the Black population continues to drop in Chicago and Illinois, few regret their move: 'I have peace' | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=November 22, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://scrippsnews.com/stories/chicago-is-seeing-an-exodus-of-black-americans/ | title=Chicago is Seeing an Exodus of Black Americans |work=Scripps News |last=Schamisso |first=Ben |date=February 7, 2022 |access-date=April 3, 2024 }}</ref>

Most of Chicago's foreign-born population were born in [[Mexico]], [[Poland]] or [[India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/chicagos-immigrants-break-old-patterns|title=Chicago's Immigrants Break Old Patterns|date=September 2003 }}</ref> A 2020 study estimated the total Jewish population of the Chicago metropolitan area, both religious and irreligious, at 319,500.<ref name="2020populationstudy.juf.org">{{Cite web |title=Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study (MCJPS) Interactive Mapping Tool |url=https://2020populationstudy.juf.org/Metro_Chicago.html |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=[[Jewish United Fund]]}}</ref>

Chicago's population declined in the latter half of the 20th century, from over 3.6&nbsp;million in 1950 down to under 2.7&nbsp;million by 2010. By the time of the official census count in 1990, it was overtaken by [[Los Angeles]] as the United States' second largest city.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0413/041337.html |title=It's official: Los Angeles ousts Chicago as No. 2 city |author=Marshall Ingwerson |journal=The Christian Science Monitor |date=April 13, 1984 |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-date=August 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816235400/https://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0413/041337.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The city has seen a rise in population for the 2000 census and after a decrease in 2010, it rose again for the 2020 census.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/ |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |title=U.S. Census website |access-date=September 1, 2014 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to U.S. census estimates {{as of|2019|July|lc=y}}, Chicago's largest racial or ethnic group is non-Hispanic White at 32.8% of the population, Blacks at 30.1% and the Hispanic population at 29.0% of the population.<ref name="ACP One Year CP05">{{cite web |title=Comparative Demographic Estimates – 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates Chicago |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/ |access-date=September 20, 2019 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/census-hispanics-surpass-blacks-as-chicagos-2nd-largest-racial-group/ |work=Chicago Sun-Times |title=Census: Hispanics surpass blacks as Chicago's 2nd-largest racial group |first=Mitchell |last=Armentrout |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929215921/https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/census-hispanics-surpass-blacks-as-chicagos-2nd-largest-racial-group/ |archive-date=September 29, 2017 |date=September 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/09/15/hispanic-population-surges-in-chicago/ |publisher=CBS News |title=Hispanic Population Surges In Chicago, New Census Data Shows |first=Jeremy |last=Ross |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304055916/http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/09/15/hispanic-population-surges-in-chicago/ |archive-date=March 4, 2022 |date=September 15, 2017}}</ref><ref name="census1">{{cite web |title=Illinois – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |access-date=April 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! class="unsortable"|Racial composition
!2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=9700000US3408220&y=2020&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P4|publisher=US Census Bureau|title=2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)|access-date=February 4, 2022|archive-date=July 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712094355/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=9700000US3408220&y=2020&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P4|url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1714000.html |title=Chicago (city), Illinois |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231062823/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1714000.html |archive-date=December 31, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>!! 1990<ref name="census1"/> !! 1970<ref name="census1"/> !! 1940<ref name="census1"/>
|-
|[[White Americans|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|31.4%||31.7% ||37.9% ||59.0%{{efn|name="fifteen"|From 15% sample}} ||91.2%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|29.8%||28.9% ||19.6% ||7.4%{{efn|name="fifteen"}} ||0.5%
|-
|[[African American|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|28.7%||32.3% ||39.1% ||32.7% ||8.2%
|-
|[[Asian American|Asian]] (non-Hispanic)
|6.9%||5.4% ||3.7% ||0.9% ||0.1%
|-
|[[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] (non-Hispanic)
|2.6% ||1.3% ||n/a ||n/a ||n/a
|}
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Chicago.png|thumb|Ethnic origins in Chicago|right]]
[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Chicago (5560488484).png|thumb|Map of racial distribution in Chicago, 2010 U.S. census. Each dot is 25 people: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ff0000|White}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#0000ff|Black}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#00ffaa|Asian}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffa600|Hispanic}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffff07|Other}}]]

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;
|+ Racial and ethnic composition as of the 2020 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Chicago+city,+Illinois&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1 |access-date=October 27, 2023 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=P2&g=160XX00US1714000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=October 27, 2023 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
|-
! class="unsortable"|Race or Ethnicity<br />
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Race Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total{{efn|The total for each race includes those who reported that race alone or in combination with other races. People who reported a combination of multiple races may be counted multiple times, so the sum of all percentages will exceed 100%.}}
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]]
|aline=right| {{bartable|35.9|%|2||background:gray}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|45.6|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[African Americans|Black or African American]]
|aline=right| {{bartable|29.2|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|30.8|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Hispanic and Latino origins are separate from race in the U.S. Census. The Census does not distinguish between Latino origins alone or in combination. This row counts Hispanics and Latinos of any race.}}
|aline=right| {{bartable}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|29.8|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|aline=right| {{bartable|7.0|%|2||background:purple}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|8.0|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]
|aline=right| {{bartable|1.3|%|2||background:gold}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|2.6|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Mixed]]
|aline=right| {{bartable|10.8|%|2||background:pink}}
|aline=right| {{bartable}}
|-
| Other
|aline=right| {{bartable|15.8|%|2||background:brown}}
|aline=right| {{bartable}}
|}

Chicago has the third-largest [[LGBT]] population in the United States. In 2018, the Chicago Department of Health, estimated 7.5% of the adult population, approximately 146,000 Chicagoans, were LGBTQ.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/cdph/LGBTQHealth/CDPH_2017LGBT_Report_r6a.pdf |title=Healthy Chicago databook: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Health |publisher=Chicago Department of Public Health |date=March 2018 |access-date=November 9, 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230223718/https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/cdph/LGBTQHealth/CDPH_2017LGBT_Report_r6a.pdf |archive-date=December 30, 2020 }}</ref> In 2015, roughly 4% of the population identified as LGBT.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/182051/san-francisco-metro-area-ranks-highest-lgbt-percentage.aspx |title=San Francisco Metro Area Ranks Highest in LGBT Percentage. |work=gallup.com |date=March 20, 2015 |access-date=August 15, 2016 |archive-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022104058/http://www.gallup.com/poll/182051/san-francisco-metro-area-ranks-highest-lgbt-percentage.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/upshot/the-metro-areas-with-the-largest-and-smallest-gay-population.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/upshot/the-metro-areas-with-the-largest-and-smallest-gay-population.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited |title=The Metro Areas With the Largest, and Smallest, Gay Populations |date=March 21, 2015 |work=The New York Times}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Since the 2013 legalization of [[same-sex marriage in Illinois]], over 10,000 same-sex couples have wed in [[Cook County]], a majority of them in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-same-sex-marriage-licenses-cook-county-20160418-story.html |title=Same-sex marriage licenses could hit 10,000 in Cook County this summer |date=April 18, 2016 |work=Chicago Tribune |author=Leonor Vivanco |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609085107/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-same-sex-marriage-licenses-cook-county-20160418-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shields |first1=Nick |title=10,000th same-sex couple issued marriage license in Cook County |url=http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/newsroom/newsfromclerk%5CPages/10,000thsame-sexcoupleissuedmarriagelicenseinCookCounty.aspx |website=Cook County Clerk |access-date=January 6, 2017 |format=Press release |date=August 31, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213111023/http://cookcountyclerk.com/newsroom/newsfromclerk/Pages/10,000thsame-sexcoupleissuedmarriagelicenseinCookCounty.aspx |archive-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref>

Chicago became a "de jure" [[sanctuary city]] in 2012 when Mayor [[Rahm Emanuel]] and the City Council passed the Welcoming City Ordinance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chapter 2–173 Welcoming City Ordinance |url=https://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/mayor/Office%20of%20New%20Americans/PDFs/WelcomeCityOrdinance.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202050847/https://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/mayor/Office%20of%20New%20Americans/PDFs/WelcomeCityOrdinance.pdf |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live |work=Municipal Code of Chicago |access-date=January 25, 2017}}</ref>

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's [[American Community Survey]] data estimates for 2022, the median income for a household in the city was $70,386, and the per capita income was $45,449. Male full-time workers had a median income of $68,870 versus $60,987 for females.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B19326 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B19326&geo_ids=16000US1714000&primary_geo_id=16000US1714000 |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=censusreporter.org}}</ref> About 17.2% of the population lived below the poverty line.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census profile: Chicago, IL |url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1714000-chicago-il/ |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=Census Reporter |language=en}}</ref> In 2018, Chicago ranked seventh globally for the highest number of ultra-high-net-worth residents with roughly 3,300 residents worth more than $30&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |title=These are the cities with the most ultra-rich people |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/finance-banking/these-are-cities-most-ultra-rich-people |website=Crain's Chicago Business |date=September 6, 2018 |access-date=September 10, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611141809/https://www.chicagobusiness.com/finance-banking/these-are-cities-most-ultra-rich-people |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to the 2022 American Community Survey, the specific ancestral groups having 10,000 or more persons in Chicago were:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=16000US1714000&primary_geo_id=16000US1714000#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=censusreporter.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03001&geo_ids=16000US1714000&primary_geo_id=16000US1714000 |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=censusreporter.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02018 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02018&geo_ids=16000US1714000&primary_geo_id=16000US1714000 |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=censusreporter.org}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=16em}}
* Mexican (586,906)
* German (200,726)
* Irish (184,983)
* Polish (129,468)
* Puerto Rican (101,625)
* Italian (100,915)
* English (87,282)
* Chinese (67,951)
* Indian (48,535)
* Filipino (39,048)
* French (25,629)
* Russian (24,707)
* Swedish (21,795)
* Arab (19,432)
* West Indian (18,636)
* Guatemalan (18,205)
* Scottish (17,121)
* Korean (16,224)
* Ecuadorian (15,935)
* Nigerian (15,064)
* Greek (14,946)
* Norwegian (13,391)
* Colombian (13,785)
* Ukrainian (12,956)
* Vietnamese (12,280)
* Cuban (11,765)
* Czech (11,313)
* Romanian (11,237)
* Lithuanian (11,235)
* Dutch (11,196){{div col end}}

Persons who did not report or classify an ancestry were 548,790.

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religion in Chicago (2014)<ref name="Religion1">{{cite web |url=https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/metro-area/chicago-metro-area/ |title=Religious Landscape Study |date=May 11, 2015 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326020605/https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/metro-area/chicago-metro-area/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Religion2">[http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/29/major-u-s-metropolitan-areas-differ-in-their-religious-profiles/ Major U.S. metropolitan areas differ in their religious profiles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609103107/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/29/major-u-s-metropolitan-areas-differ-in-their-religious-profiles/ |date=June 9, 2021 }}, Pew Research Center</ref>
| label1 = [[Protestantism]]
| value1 = 35
| color1 = DodgerBlue
| label2 = [[Roman Catholicism]]
| value2 = 34
| color2 = #d4213d
| label3 = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]
| value3 = 1
| color3 = Purple
| label4 = [[Jehovah's Witness]]
| value4 = 1
| color4 = Aquamarine
| label5 = [[Irreligious|No religion]]
| value5 = 22
| color5 = Honeydew
| label6 = [[Judaism]]
| value6 = 3
| color6 = Blue
| label7 = [[Islam]]
| value7 = 2
| color7 = Green
| label8 = [[Buddhism]]
| value8 = 1
| color8 = Yellow
| label9 = [[Hinduism]]
| value9 = 1
| color9 = Orange
}}
According to a 2014 study by the [[Pew Research Center]], [[Christianity]] is the most prevalently practiced religion in Chicago (71%),<ref name="Religion2"/> with the city being the fourth-most religious metropolis in the United States after [[Dallas]], [[Atlanta]] and [[Houston]].<ref name="Religion2"/> [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholicism]] and [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]] are the largest branches (34% and 35% respectively), followed by [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] with 1% each.<ref name="Religion1"/> Chicago also has a sizable non-Christian population. Non-Christian groups include [[Irreligion in the United States|Irreligious]] (22%), [[Judaism in the United States|Judaism]] (3%), [[Islam in the United States|Islam]] (2%), [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]] (1%) and [[Hinduism in the United States|Hinduism]] (1%).<ref name="Religion1"/>

Chicago is the headquarters of several religious denominations, including the [[Evangelical Covenant Church]] and the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]]. It is the seat of several [[Diocese of Chicago (disambiguation)|dioceses]]<!--intentional link to DAB apge-->. The [[Fourth Presbyterian Church (Chicago)|Fourth Presbyterian Church]] is one of the largest [[Presbyterian]] congregations in the United States based on memberships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presbyterianmission.org/wp-content/uploads/Comparative_Statistics_2014-for-PCUSA.pdf#page=11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801154345/https://www.presbyterianmission.org/wp-content/uploads/Comparative_Statistics_2014-for-PCUSA.pdf |archive-date=August 1, 2016 |url-status=live |title=Table 6 Fifteen Largest PC(USA) Congregations Based on Membership Size, 2014 |publisher=Research Services, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |format=PDF |access-date=January 8, 2017}}</ref> Since the 20th century Chicago has also been the headquarters of the [[Assyrian Church of the East]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Baum |first1=Wilhelm |author-link1=Wilhelm Baum (historian) |last2=Winkler |first2=Dietmar W. |title=The Church of the East: A Concise History |year=2003 |location=London-New York |publisher=Routledge-Curzon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CnSCAgAAQBAJ |isbn=978-1-134-43019-2 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112352/https://books.google.com/books?id=CnSCAgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014 the [[Catholic Church]] was the largest individual Christian denomination (34%), with the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago]] being the largest Catholic jurisdiction. [[Evangelical Protestantism]] form the largest theological Protestant branch (16%), followed by [[Mainline Protestant]]s (11%), and historically [[Black church]]es (8%). Among denominational Protestant branches, [[Baptists]] formed the largest group in Chicago (10%); followed by Nondenominational (5%); [[Lutheran]]s (4%); and [[Pentecostal]]s (3%).<ref name="Religion1"/>

Non-Christian faiths accounted for 7% of the religious population in 2014. [[Judaism]] has at least 261,000 adherents which is 3% of the population. A 2020 study estimated the total Jewish population of the Chicago metropolitan area, both religious and irreligious, at 319,500.<ref name="2020populationstudy.juf.org"/>

The first two [[Parliament of the World's Religions]] in 1893 and 1993 were held in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news |last=Avant |first=Gerry |title=Parliament of World's Religions |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xj5TAAAAIBAJ&pg=5129,4279121 |date=September 11, 1993 |access-date=September 25, 2018 |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611141937/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xj5TAAAAIBAJ&pg=5129%2C4279121 |url-status=live }}</ref> Many international religious leaders have visited Chicago, including [[Mother Teresa]], the [[14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]]<ref name="Watts2009">{{cite book |first=Greg |last=Watts |title=Mother Teresa: Faith in the Darkness |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5pqWTRO3CU4C&pg=PA67 |year=2009 |publisher=Lion Books |isbn=978-0-7459-5283-3 |pages=67– |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112829/https://books.google.com/books?id=5pqWTRO3CU4C&pg=PA67 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Pope John Paul&nbsp;II]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Robert |title=Pope John Paul II in Chicago |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-pope-story,0,3834966.story |access-date=September 27, 2013 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=October 5, 1979 |archive-date=July 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708052326/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-pope-story,0,3834966.story |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Pope Leo XIV]] was born in Chicago in 1955 and graduated from the [[Catholic Theological Union]] in Hyde Park.<ref>{{Cite web |last=FitzPatrick |first=Lauren |date=2025-05-03 |title=From Chicago's south suburbs to helping choose the next pope |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/religion/2025/05/03/robert-prevost-pope-francis-conclave-catholic-church-dolton-saint-mary-assumption-parish |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Chicago}}

{{See also|List of companies in the Chicago metropolitan area}}
[[File:Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (51574643886).jpg|thumb|upright=1|[[Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago]]]]
[[File:Chicago Board Of Trade Building.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Chicago Board of Trade Building]]]]
Chicago has the third-largest [[gross metropolitan product]] in the United States—about $670.5&nbsp;billion according to September 2017 estimates.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_metro/gdp_metro_newsrelease.htm |title=Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, 2016 |website=bea.gov |access-date=June 7, 2018 |archive-date=January 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111210606/https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_metro/gdp_metro_newsrelease.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The city has also been rated as having the most balanced economy in the United States, due to its high level of diversification.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/about/upload/20ChicagoSunTimes6-23-03.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031129081651/http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/about/upload/20ChicagoSunTimes6-23-03.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 29, 2003 |title=Moody's: Chicago's Economy Most Balanced in US (January 23, 2003)}}. Accessed from ''World Business Chicago''.</ref> The Chicago metropolitan area has the third-largest science and engineering work force of any metropolitan area in the nation.<ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060800133.html |title=Washington area richest, most educated in US: report |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 8, 2006 |access-date=April 17, 2010 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222034437/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060800133.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Chicago was the base of commercial operations for industrialists [[John Crerar (industrialist)|John Crerar]], [[John Whitfield Bunn]], [[Richard Teller Crane]], [[Marshall Field]], [[John Farwell]], [[Julius Rosenwald]], and many other commercial visionaries who laid the foundation for Midwestern and global industry.

Chicago is a major world financial center, with the second-largest central business district in the United States, following [[Midtown Manhattan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The ten largest US central business districts {{!}} Modern Cities |url=https://www.moderncities.com/article/2018-jan-the-ten-largest-us-central-business-districts |access-date=February 1, 2020 |work=moderncities.com |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727211333/https://www.moderncities.com/article/2018-jan-the-ten-largest-us-central-business-districts |url-status=live }}</ref> The city is the seat of the [[Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago]], the Bank's Seventh District. The city has major financial and [[futures exchange]]s, including the [[Chicago Stock Exchange]], the [[Chicago Board Options Exchange]] (CBOE), and the [[Chicago Mercantile Exchange]] (the "Merc"), which is owned, along with the [[Chicago Board of Trade]] (CBOT), by Chicago's [[CME Group]]. In 2017, Chicago exchanges traded 4.7&nbsp;billion in derivatives.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} [[Chase (bank)|Chase Bank]] has its commercial and retail banking headquarters in Chicago's [[Chase Tower (Chicago)|Chase Tower]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/About-JPMC/jpmorgan-history.htm |title=JPMorgan History &#124; The History of Our Firm |publisher=Jpmorganchase.com |access-date=November 6, 2010 |archive-date=January 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117003703/http://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/About-JPMC/jpmorgan-history.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Academically, Chicago has been influential through the [[Chicago school of economics]], which fielded 12 [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences|Nobel Prize]] winners.

The city and its surrounding metropolitan area contain the third-largest labor pool in the United States with about 4.63&nbsp;million workers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Area Employment — February 2018 |url=https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/news-release/areaemployment_chicago.htm |website=bls.gov/regions/midwest |publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date=May 3, 2018 |archive-date=September 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922112723/https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/news-release/areaemployment_chicago.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Illinois is home to 66 [[Fortune 1000|''Fortune'' 1000]] companies, including those in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2007/states/IL.html |title=FORTUNE 500 2007: States – Illinois |access-date=September 13, 2007 |publisher=CNNMoney.com |archive-date=September 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908020234/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2007/states/IL.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The city of Chicago also hosts 12 ''Fortune'' Global 500 companies and 17 ''Financial Times'' 500 companies. The city claims three [[Dow Jones Industrial Average|Dow&nbsp;30]] companies: [[aerospace]] giant [[Boeing]], which moved its headquarters from [[Seattle]] to the Chicago Loop in 2001;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2008t.html |title=The World According to GaWC 2008 |work=Globalization and World Cities Research Network |publisher=GaWC Loughborough University |access-date=April 29, 2009 |archive-date=August 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826010640/http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2008t.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[McDonald's]]; and [[Walgreens Boots Alliance]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dow 30 Companies |publisher=CNNMoney |url=https://money.cnn.com/data/dow30/ |access-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-date=April 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424101006/http://money.cnn.com/data/dow30/ |url-status=live }}</ref> For six consecutive years from 2013 through 2018, Chicago was ranked the nation's top metropolitan area for corporate relocations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Named Nation's Top Metro Area for Corporate Relocation For the Sixth Straight Year |url=http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/chicago-named-nations-top-metro-area-for-corporate-relocation-for-the-sixth-straight-year/ |website=World Business Chicago |access-date=July 21, 2019 |date=March 25, 2019 |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721185936/http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/chicago-named-nations-top-metro-area-for-corporate-relocation-for-the-sixth-straight-year/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, three [[Fortune 500|''Fortune'' 500]] companies left Chicago in 2022, leaving the city with 35, still second to New York City.<ref name=ChicagoBusinessExodus3>{{cite web|url=https://www.illinoispolicy.org/chicagos-fortune-500-headquarters-are-shrinking/|title=Chicago's Fortune 500 headquarters are shrinking|author=Dylan Sharkey|publisher=Illinois Policy|quote=Chicago has lost three Fortune 500 headquarters in 2022.|date=October 17, 2022|access-date=November 9, 2022|archive-date=November 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115231134/https://www.illinoispolicy.org/chicagos-fortune-500-headquarters-are-shrinking/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Manufacturing, printing, publishing, and food processing also play major roles in the city's economy. Several medical products and services companies are based in the Chicago area, including [[Baxter International]], [[Boeing]], [[Abbott Laboratories]], and the Healthcare division of [[General Electric]]. Prominent food companies based in Chicago include the world headquarters of [[Conagra]], [[Ferrara Candy Company]], [[Kraft Heinz]], [[McDonald's]], [[Mondelez International]], and [[Quaker Oats]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Poinski |title=Why Chicago is the nation's capital of food and beverage manufacturing |url=https://www.fooddive.com/news/why-chicago-is-the-nations-capital-of-food-and-beverage-manufacturing/560943/ |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=Food Dive |language=en-US}}</ref> Chicago has been a hub of the [[retail]] sector since its early development, with [[Montgomery Ward]], [[Sears]], and [[Marshall Field's]]. Today the Chicago metropolitan area is the headquarters of several retailers, including [[Walgreens]], [[Sears Holdings Corporation|Sears]], [[Ace Hardware]], [[Claire's]], [[ULTA Beauty]], and [[Crate & Barrel]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=75 Companies in Chicago Pushing the City to New Heights 2024 {{!}} Built In Chicago |url=https://www.builtinchicago.org/articles/largest-companies-in-chicago-tech |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=Built In |language=en}}</ref>

Late in the 19th century, Chicago was part of the [[Bike boom#1890s|bicycle craze]], with the Western Wheel Company, which introduced [[stamping (metalworking)|stamping]] to the production process and significantly reduced costs,<ref>{{harvnb|Norcliffe|2001|p=107}}</ref> while early in the 20th century, the city was part of the automobile revolution, hosting the [[Brass Era car]] builder Bugmobile, which was founded there in 1907.<ref>{{harvnb|Clymer|1950|p=178}}</ref> Chicago was also the site of the [[Schwinn Bicycle Company]].

Chicago is a major world convention destination. The city's main convention center is McCormick Place. With its four interconnected buildings, it is the largest convention center in the nation and third-largest in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.exhibitorhost.com/US_Largest_Convention_Centers.html |title=Retrieved January 26, 2010 |publisher=Exhibitorhost.com |date=September 26, 1987 |access-date=April 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315090242/http://www.exhibitorhost.com/US_Largest_Convention_Centers.html |archive-date=March 15, 2010}}</ref> Chicago also ranks third in the U.S. (behind [[Las Vegas]] and [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]) in number of conventions hosted annually.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Dave |title=Las Vegas rules convention world |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-04-26-convention-cities_x.htm |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=April 26, 2006 |access-date=January 6, 2014 |archive-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427054312/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-04-26-convention-cities_x.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Chicago's minimum wage for non-tipped employees is one of the highest in the nation and reached $15 in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Minimum Wage |url=https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp/supp_info/minimumwageinformation.html#:~:text=As%20of%20July%201%2C%202020,with%2021%20or%20more%20workers. |website=chicago.gov |access-date=July 24, 2020 |language=en |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724030007/https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp/supp_info/minimumwageinformation.html#:~:text=As%20of%20July%201%2C%202020,with%2021%20or%20more%20workers. |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Elejalde-Ruiz |first1=Alexia |title=Chicago City Council raises minimum wage to $15 by 2021, but restaurant servers still will get lower tipped wage |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-chicago-minimum-wage-approved-20191126-esp6g6do6nhzjfl7i7yphbfmrm-story.html |access-date=February 1, 2020 |work=Chicago Tribune |archive-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127023209/https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-chicago-minimum-wage-approved-20191126-esp6g6do6nhzjfl7i7yphbfmrm-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Culture and contemporary life==
{{Main|Culture of Chicago}}
{{Further|List of people from Chicago}}
[[File:Navy Pier 1190x1585.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of [[Navy Pier]] located in the [[Streeterville]] neighborhood, one of the most visited attractions in the [[Midwestern United States]].]]
The city's waterfront location and nightlife attracts residents and tourists alike. Over a third of the city population is concentrated in the lakefront neighborhoods from [[Rogers Park, Chicago|Rogers Park]] in the north to [[South Shore, Chicago|South Shore]] in the south.<ref name="2000-demographics-map">{{cite web |title=Chicago Demographics |url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/doit/general/GIS/Chicago_Maps/Census_Maps/Population_Total.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014173623/http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/doit/general/GIS/Chicago_Maps/Census_Maps/Population_Total.pdf |archive-date=October 14, 2013 |url-status=live |work=City of Chicago |access-date=August 21, 2013}}</ref> The city has many upscale dining establishments as well as many ethnic restaurant districts. These districts include the [[Mexican American]] neighborhoods, such as [[Pilsen, Chicago|Pilsen]] along 18th street, and ''La Villita'' along 26th Street; the [[Puerto Ricans in Chicago|Puerto Rican]] enclave of [[Paseo Boricua]] in the [[Humboldt Park, Chicago|Humboldt Park]] neighborhood; [[Greektown, Chicago|Greektown]], along South [[Halsted Street]], immediately west of downtown;<ref>{{cite web |last=Zeldes |first=Leah A. |title=Opaa! Chicago Taste of Greece flies this weekend |work=Dining Chicago |publisher=Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. |date=August 27, 2009 |url=http://blog.diningchicago.com/2009/08/27/chicago-taste-of-greece-flies-this-weekend/ |access-date = September 14, 2013 |archive-date = May 24, 2016 |archive-url = http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160524005447/http://blog.diningchicago.com/2009/08/27/chicago-taste-of-greece-flies-this-weekend/ |url-status = dead}}</ref> [[Little Italy, Chicago|Little Italy]], along Taylor Street; [[Chinatown, Chicago|Chinatown]] in [[Armour Square, Chicago|Armour Square]]; [[Polish Patches]] in [[West Town, Chicago|West Town]]; [[Koreatown#Chicago, Illinois|Little Seoul]] in [[Albany Park, Chicago|Albany Park]] around Lawrence Avenue; [[Little Vietnam, Chicago|Little Vietnam]] near [[Broadway (Chicago)|Broadway]] in Uptown; and the [[Desi]] area, along [[Devon Avenue (Chicago)|Devon Avenue]] in [[West Ridge, Chicago|West Ridge]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ethnic Dining in Chicago |url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/chicago/0006020445.html |work=[[Frommers]] |access-date=September 14, 2013 |archive-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701000940/http://www.frommers.com/destinations/chicago/0006020445.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Downtown is the center of Chicago's financial, cultural, governmental, and commercial institutions and the site of Grant Park and many of the city's skyscrapers. Many of the city's financial institutions, such as the CBOT and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, are located within a section of downtown called "The Loop", which is an eight-block by five-block area of city streets that is encircled by elevated rail tracks. The term "The Loop" is largely used by locals to refer to the entire downtown area as well. The central area includes the [[Near North Side, Chicago|Near North Side]], the [[Near South Side, Chicago|Near South Side]], and the [[West Loop|Near West Side]], as well as the Loop. These areas contribute famous [[List of tallest buildings in Chicago|skyscrapers]], abundant restaurants, [[Magnificent Mile|shopping]], [[Museum Campus|museums]], [[Soldier Field]], convention facilities, [[List of Chicago parks|parkland]], and [[Beaches in Chicago|beaches]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

[[File:Nature Boardwalk Lincoln Park.JPG|thumb|[[Nature Boardwalk]] at [[Lincoln Park Zoo]] on the North Side]]
Lincoln Park contains [[Lincoln Park Zoo]] and [[Lincoln Park Conservatory]]. The [[River North Gallery District, Near North Side, Chicago|River North Gallery District]] features the nation's largest concentration of contemporary art galleries outside of New York City.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kim|first=Joanne|date=November 6, 2015|title=How River North changed from the city's industrial center to a booming art district|publisher=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|url=https://www.timeout.com/chicago/blog/how-river-north-changed-from-the-citys-industrial-center-to-a-booming-art-district-110615|access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref> [[Lake View, Chicago|Lake View]] is home to [[Boystown, Chicago|Boystown]], the city's large [[LGBT]] nightlife and culture center. The [[Chicago Pride Parade]], held the last Sunday in June, is one of the world's largest with over a million people in attendance.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2019/06/28/chicago-pride-parade |title=How Chicago's Pride Parade Grew from a Small March to a Big Event |date=June 28, 2019 |website=WTTW Chicago |language=en-US |access-date=October 9, 2019 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609093009/https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2019/06/28/chicago-pride-parade |url-status=live }}</ref>
North [[Halsted Street]] is the main thoroughfare of Boystown.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Peregrin |first1=Tony |title=Instagreeter Program Launches in Boystown |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/ct-redeye-xpm-2012-04-25-31356727-story.html |access-date=April 1, 2019 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=April 25, 2012 |archive-date=April 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409172429/https://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/ct-redeye-xpm-2012-04-25-31356727-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The South Side neighborhood of [[Hyde Park, Chicago|Hyde Park]] is the home of former U.S. President [[Barack Obama]]. It also contains the University of Chicago, ranked one of the world's top ten universities,<ref>{{cite web |title=The World University Rankings |url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking/institution/university-of-chicago |work=[[Times Higher Education]] |access-date=September 2, 2013 |archive-date=May 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529203500/https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking/institution/university-of-chicago |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Museum of Science and Industry]]. The {{convert|6|mi|adj=on}} long [[Burnham Park (Chicago)|Burnham Park]] stretches along the waterfront of the South Side. Two of the city's largest parks are also located on this side of the city: Jackson Park, bordering the waterfront, hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, and is the site of the aforementioned museum; and slightly west sits [[Washington Park (Chicago park)|Washington Park]]. The two parks themselves are connected by a wide strip of parkland called the [[Midway Plaisance]], running adjacent to the University of Chicago. The South Side hosts one of the city's largest parades, the annual African American [[Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic]], which travels through [[Bronzeville, Chicago|Bronzeville]] to Washington Park. [[Ford Motor Company]] has an [[Chicago Assembly|automobile assembly plant]] on the South Side in [[Hegewisch, Chicago|Hegewisch]], and most of the facilities of the Port of Chicago are also on the South Side.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The West Side holds the [[Garfield Park Conservatory]], one of the largest collections of tropical plants in any U.S. city. Prominent Latino cultural attractions found here include [[Humboldt Park (Chicago park)|Humboldt Park]]'s [[Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture]] and the annual Puerto Rican People's Parade, as well as the [[National Museum of Mexican Art]] and [[St. Adalbert's in Chicago|St. Adalbert's Church]] in [[Pilsen, Chicago|Pilsen]]. The Near West Side holds the [[University of Illinois at Chicago]] and was once home to [[Oprah Winfrey]]'s [[Harpo Studios]], the site of which has been rebuilt as the global headquarters of McDonald's.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Luna |first=Nancy |title=Inside McDonald's new headquarters in Chicago |url=https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/inside-mcdonald-s-new-headquarters-in-chicago |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=www.nrn.com |language=en}}</ref>

The city's distinctive accent, made famous by its use in classic films like ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' and television programs like the ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' skit "[[Bill Swerski's Superfans]]", is an advanced form of [[Inland Northern American English]]. This dialect can also be found in other cities bordering the Great Lakes such as [[Cleveland]], [[Milwaukee]], [[Detroit]], and [[Buffalo, New York]], and most prominently features a rearrangement of certain vowel sounds, such as the [[Phonological history of English short A|short 'a']] sound as in "cat", which can sound more like "kyet" to outsiders. The accent remains well associated with the city.<ref>Gordon, Matthew J. (2004). "New York, Philadelphia, and other northern cities: phonology". Kortmann, Bernd, Kate Burridge, Rajend Mesthrie, Edgar W. Schneider and Clive Upton (eds). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=mtd3a-56ysUC& A Handbook of Varieties of English] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112831/https://books.google.com/books?id=mtd3a-56ysUC& |date=July 9, 2023 }}''. Volume 1: Phonology, Volume 2: Morphology and Syntax. Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter. p. 297.</ref>

===Entertainment and the arts {{anchor|Entertainment, the arts, and performing arts}}===
{{Further|Theater in Chicago|Visual arts of Chicago|Music of Chicago}}
{{see also|List of theaters in Chicago}}
[[File:Chicago Theatre blend.jpg|thumb|[[Chicago Theatre]]]]
Renowned Chicago theater companies include the [[Goodman Theatre]] in the Loop; the [[Steppenwolf Theatre Company]] and [[Victory Gardens Theater]] in Lincoln Park; and the [[Chicago Shakespeare Theater]] at Navy Pier. [[Broadway In Chicago]] offers Broadway-style entertainment at five theaters: the [[Nederlander Theatre (Chicago)|Nederlander Theatre]], [[CIBC Theatre]], [[Cadillac Palace Theatre]], [[Auditorium Building]] of [[Roosevelt University]], and [[Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place]]. [[Polish language]] productions for [[Poles in Chicago|Chicago's large Polish speaking population]] can be seen at the historic [[Gateway Theatre (Chicago)|Gateway Theatre]] in [[Jefferson Park, Chicago|Jefferson Park]]. Since 1968, the [[Joseph Jefferson Award]]s are given annually to acknowledge excellence in theater in the Chicago area. Chicago's theater community spawned modern [[improvisational theater]], and includes the prominent groups [[The Second City]] and [[IO Theater|I.O.]] (formerly ImprovOlympic).{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]] (CSO) performs at [[Symphony Center]], and is recognized as one of the best orchestras in the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97291390 |title=Chicago Symphony Tops U.S. Orchestras |first=Tom |last=Huizenga |publisher=NPR |date=November 21, 2008 |access-date=December 31, 2008 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028111319/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97291390 |url-status=live }}</ref> Also performing regularly at [[Symphony Center]] is the [[Chicago Sinfonietta]], a more diverse and multicultural counterpart to the CSO. In the summer, many outdoor concerts are given in Grant Park and [[Millennium Park]]. [[Ravinia Festival]], located {{convert|25|mi|km|0}} north of Chicago, is the summer home of the CSO, and is a favorite destination for many Chicagoans. The [[Civic Opera House (Chicago)|Civic Opera House]] is home to the [[Lyric Opera of Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lyric Opera House history |url=https://www.lyricopera.org/about/history/lyric-opera-house-history/ |access-date=October 24, 2023 |website=lyricopera.org |language=en}}</ref> The [[Lithuanian Opera Company of Chicago]] was founded by [[Lithuanians in the Chicago area|Lithuanian Chicagoans]] in 1956,<ref name="lithopera">{{cite web |url = http://www.lithoperachicago.org/ |title = About the Lithuanian Opera Company, Inc. in Chicago |access-date = September 14, 2006 |publisher = Lithuanian Opera Co. |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051221183321/http://lithoperachicago.org/index.html |archive-date = December 21, 2005}}</ref> and presents operas in [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]].

The [[Joffrey Ballet]] and [[Chicago Festival Ballet]] perform in various venues, including the [[Harris Theater (Chicago, Illinois)|Harris Theater]] in [[Millennium Park]]. Chicago has several other contemporary and jazz dance troupes, such as the [[Hubbard Street Dance Chicago]] and [[Chicago Dance Crash]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

[[File:Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, Estados Unidos, 2012-10-20, DD 09.jpg|thumb|[[Jay Pritzker Pavilion]]]]
Other live-music genre which are part of the city's cultural heritage include [[Chicago blues]], [[Chicago soul]], [[jazz]], and [[gospel music|gospel]]. The city is the birthplace of [[house music]] (a popular form of electronic dance music) and [[industrial music]], and is the site of an influential [[Chicago hip hop|hip hop scene]]. In the 1980s and 90s, the city was the global center for house and industrial music, two forms of music created in Chicago, as well as being popular for [[alternative rock]], [[punk rock|punk]], and [[New wave music|new wave]]. The city has been a center for [[rave]] culture, since the 1980s. A flourishing independent rock music culture brought forth Chicago [[independent music|indie]]. [[List of festivals in Chicago|Annual festivals]] feature various acts, such as [[Lollapalooza]] and the [[Pitchfork Music Festival]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} Lollapalooza originated in Chicago in 1991 and at first travelled to many cities, but as of 2005 its home has been Chicago.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lollapalooza {{!}} History & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Lollapalooza |access-date=October 13, 2022 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica  |language=en |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013002415/https://www.britannica.com/art/Lollapalooza |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2007 report on the Chicago music industry by the [[Harris School of Public Policy Studies|University of Chicago Cultural Policy Center]] ranked Chicago third among metropolitan U.S. areas in "size of music industry" and fourth among all U.S. cities in "number of concerts and performances".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://74.220.219.62/~natkinne/chicago-music.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/chicagomusiccity_summary1.pdf |title=Chicago Music City: A Summary Report on the Music Industry in Chicago |author1=Lawrence Rothfield |author2=Don Coursey |author3=Sarah Lee |author4=Daniel Silver |author5=Wendy Norri |work=The Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago |date=November 21, 2007 |access-date=November 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116022404/http://74.220.219.62/~natkinne/chicago-music.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/chicagomusiccity_summary1.pdf |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Chicago has a distinctive [[fine art]] tradition. For much of the twentieth century, it nurtured a strong style of figurative [[surrealism]], as in the works of [[Ivan Albright]] and [[Ed Paschke]]. In 1968 and 1969, members of the [[Chicago Imagists]], such as [[Roger Brown (artist)|Roger Brown]], [[Leon Golub]], [[Robert Lostutter]], [[Jim Nutt]], and [[Barbara Rossi (artist)|Barbara Rossi]] produced bizarre representational paintings. [[Henry Darger]] is one of the most celebrated figures of [[outsider art]].<ref name="June Skinner Sawyers">{{cite book|author=June Skinner Sawyers|title=Chicago Portraits New Edition|year=2012|publisher=Northwestern University Press |isbn=978-0-8101-2649-7|pages=84}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in Chicago}}

{{see also|List of beaches in Chicago}}
[[File:Chicago River Morning (44455011711).jpg|thumb|Ferries offer sightseeing tours and water-taxi transportation along the [[Chicago River]] and [[Lake Michigan]].]]
{{As of|2014|alt=In 2014}}, Chicago attracted 50.17&nbsp;million domestic leisure travelers, 11.09&nbsp;million domestic business travelers and 1.308&nbsp;million overseas visitors.<ref name="visitors">{{cite web |title=2014 Chicago Tourism Profile |url=http://www.choosechicago.com/includes/content/docs/media/Chicago-Visitation-Annual-2014-6.20.15-.pdf |publisher=Choose Chicago |year=2015 |access-date=June 10, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116012209/http://www.choosechicago.com/includes/content/docs/media/Chicago-Visitation-Annual-2014-6.20.15-.pdf |archive-date=January 16, 2016}}</ref> These visitors contributed more than {{US$|13.7}} billion to Chicago's economy.<ref name="visitors"/> Upscale shopping along the Magnificent Mile and State Street, thousands of restaurants, as well as Chicago's eminent architecture, continue to draw tourists. The city is the United States' third-largest [[convention (meeting)|convention]] destination. A 2017 study by [[Walk Score]] ranked Chicago the sixth-most walkable of fifty largest cities in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/ |title=2017 City and Neighborhood Rankings |year=2017 |publisher=Walk Score |access-date=August 10, 2019 |archive-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131231927/https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Most conventions are held at McCormick Place, just south of [[Soldier Field]]. Navy Pier, located just east of [[Streeterville]], is {{convert|3000|ft|abbr=on}} long and houses retail stores, restaurants, museums, exhibition halls and auditoriums. Chicago was the first city in the world to ever erect a Ferris wheel. The Willis Tower (formerly named Sears Tower) is a popular destination for tourists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower |url=https://theskydeck.com/ |access-date=November 21, 2022 |website=Skydeck Chicago |language=en-US |archive-date=November 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121203121/https://theskydeck.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Museums ===
{{further|List of museums and cultural institutions in Chicago}}
[[File:Chicago Field Museum.jpg|thumb|The [[Field Museum of Natural History]]]]
Among the city's museums are the [[Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum]], the [[Field Museum of Natural History]], and the [[Shedd Aquarium]]. The [[Museum Campus]] joins the southern section of Grant Park, which includes the renowned [[Art Institute of Chicago]]. Buckingham Fountain anchors the downtown park along the lakefront. The University of Chicago's [[Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa]] has an extensive collection of [[ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Near East]]ern archaeological artifacts. Other museums and galleries in Chicago include the [[Chicago History Museum]], the [[Driehaus Museum]], the [[DuSable Museum of African American History]], the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago|Museum of Contemporary Art]], the [[Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum]], the [[Polish Museum of America]], the [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]], the [[Chicago Architecture Foundation]], and the [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Museum of Science and Industry]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glusac |first=Elaine |date=February 27, 2018 |title=14 Best Museums in Chicago |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-museums-in-chicago |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=Condé Nast Traveler |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Messner |first=Matthew |date=December 29, 2017 |title=Chicago's DuSable Museum of African American History converts a horse stable into a powerful space |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2017/12/chicagos-dusable-museum-roundhouse/ |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=The Architect's Newspaper |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 3, 2019 |title=Museum of Science and Industry changing name after $125M gift from Ken Griffin |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2019/10/3/20896953/museum-of-science-industry-changing-name-125-million-gift-ken-griffin |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{See also|Culture of Chicago#Food and drink|Chicago farmers' markets|List of Michelin starred restaurants in Chicago}}
[[File:Chicago-style-pizza-03.jpg|thumb|[[Chicago-style pizza|Chicago-style deep-dish pizza]]]]
Chicago lays claim to a large number of regional specialties that reflect the city's ethnic and working-class roots. Included among these are its nationally renowned [[Chicago-style pizza|deep-dish pizza]]; this style is said to have originated at [[Uno Chicago Grill|Pizzeria Uno]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bendersky |first=Ari |title=Chicago's Deep Dish History: It All Started With Uno's |url=http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/05/08/chicagos-deep-dish-history-the-beginning.php |work=Eater.com |date=May 8, 2012 |access-date=April 27, 2013 |archive-date=July 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722101232/http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/05/08/chicagos-deep-dish-history-the-beginning.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The Chicago-style thin crust is also popular in the city.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fischer, MD |first=Stuart J. |title=Chicago: Landmarks, Pizza, Politics, and Jazz |url=http://www.aaos.org/news/acadnews/2013/AAOS16_3_20.asp |work=American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons |access-date=April 27, 2013 |archive-date=April 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402141408/http://www.aaos.org/news/acadnews/2013/AAOS16_3_20.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> Certain Chicago pizza favorites include [[Lou Malnati's]] and [[Giordano's]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The pizza bible : the world's favorite pizza styles, from Neapolitan, deep-dish, wood-fired, Sicilian, calzones and focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and more |last=Gemignani, Tony. |isbn=978-1-60774-605-8 |edition=First |oclc=879642419 |year=2014|publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed }}</ref>

The [[Chicago-style hot dog]], typically an all-beef hot dog, is loaded with an array of toppings that often includes pickle relish, [[Mustard (condiment)#Yellow mustard|yellow mustard]], pickled [[Chili pepper|sport peppers]], [[tomato]] wedges, [[dill pickle]] spear and topped off with [[celery salt]] on a [[poppy seed]] [[hot dog bun|bun]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_8208,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030415193753/http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0%2C1977%2CFOOD_9936_8208%2C00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 15, 2003 |title=Classic Chicago Hot Dog |year=1999 |access-date=September 3, 2007 |work=Emril Lagasse}}</ref> Enthusiasts of the Chicago-style hot dog frown upon the use of [[ketchup]] as a garnish, but may prefer to add [[giardiniera]].<ref name="Recipe Detail: Chicago Style Hot Dog">{{cite web |url=http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?erube_fh=wttw&wttw.submit.CPRecipieDetail=1&wttw.RecipieID=26 |title=Recipe Detail: Chicago Style Hot Dog |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080815101621/https://www.wttw.com/main.taf?erube_fh=wttw&wttw.submit.CPRecipieDetail=1&wttw.RecipieID=26 |archive-date=August 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Slow Food guide to Chicago: Restaurants, markets, bars |last=Gibson |first=Kelly |author2=Portia Belloc Lowndes |year=2008 |publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing |isbn=978-1-931498-61-6 |page=384 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mg1wcViP7vgC&q=Chicago%20%22hot%20dog%22%20ketchup&pg=PA238 |quote=no self-respecting Chicagoan would think of using ketchup as a condiment&nbsp;... |access-date=February 18, 2010 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112835/https://books.google.com/books?id=Mg1wcViP7vgC&q=Chicago%20%22hot%20dog%22%20ketchup&pg=PA238 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Fodor's Chicago 2010 |last=Fodor's |year=2009 |publisher=Fodor's |isbn=978-1-4000-0860-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/fodorschicago20100fodo/page/n353 352] |url=https://archive.org/details/fodorschicago20100fodo |url-access=registration |quote=Make sure to never add ketchup to your Chicago-style hot dog: a major no-no among hot dog aficionados. |access-date=February 18, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Polish Market in Chicago.jpeg|thumb|A [[Poles in Chicago|Polish]] market in Chicago]]
A distinctly Chicago sandwich, the [[Italian beef]] sandwich is thinly sliced beef simmered in [[au jus]] and served on an Italian roll with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera. A popular modification is the Combo—an Italian beef sandwich with the addition of an Italian sausage. The [[Maxwell Street Polish]] is a grilled or deep-fried [[kielbasa]]—on a hot dog roll, topped with grilled onions, yellow mustard, and hot sport peppers.<ref name="sandwich">{{cite web |last=Zeldes |first=Leah A. |title=City of the big sandwiches: Four uncommon Chicago meals on a bun |work=Dining Chicago |publisher=Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. |date=January 22, 2010 |url=http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/01/22/city-of-the-big-sandwiches-four-uncommon-chicago-meals-on-a-bun/ |access-date = June 16, 2010 |archive-date = May 11, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110511175141/http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/01/22/city-of-the-big-sandwiches-four-uncommon-chicago-meals-on-a-bun/ |url-status = dead}}</ref>

[[Chicken Vesuvio]] is roasted bone-in chicken cooked in oil and garlic next to garlicky oven-roasted potato wedges and a sprinkling of green peas. The [[Cuisine of Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]]-influenced [[jibarito]] is a sandwich made with flattened, fried green plantains instead of bread. The [[Mother-in-law (sandwich)|mother-in-law]] is a [[tamale]] topped with chili and served on a hot dog bun.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sula |first=Mike |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/restaurants/080515/ |title=Omnivorous: On the Trail of the Delta Tamale |work=Chicago Reader |date=December 26, 1996 |access-date=July 3, 2011 |archive-date=May 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505235318/http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/restaurants/080515/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The tradition of serving the [[Greek cuisine|Greek]] dish [[saganaki]] while aflame has its origins in Chicago's Greek community.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theparthenon.com/history.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020608155056/http://theparthenon.com/history.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 8, 2002 |title=History |publisher=The Parthenon |access-date=May 30, 2011}}</ref> The appetizer, which consists of a square of fried cheese, is doused with [[Metaxa]] and [[flambéed]] table-side.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Leah A |last=Zeldes |title=How to Eat Like a Chicagoan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021001023605/http://www.chicagorestaurant.com/show_article.php?aID=13 |url=http://www.chicagorestaurant.com/show_article.php?aID=13 |archive-date=October 1, 2002 |work=Chicago's Restaurant Guide |date=September 30, 2002 |access-date=September 30, 2002}}</ref> [[Chicago-style barbecue]] features hardwood smoked [[rib tips]] and [[hot links]] which were traditionally cooked in an aquarium smoker, a Chicago invention.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 26, 2022 |title=Don't forget South Side barbecue in Chicago as Texas-style ascends |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-chicago-style-barbecue-texas-qs-tips-and-links-20220926-bc6dwbv6nzhp3pkm367pmn63ca-story.html |access-date=July 27, 2023 |website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> [[List of festivals in Chicago|Annual festivals]] feature various Chicago signature dishes, such as [[Taste of Chicago]] and the Chicago Food Truck Festival.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Marcella |last=Raymond |title=Weekend festival celebrates food trucks in Chicago |url=https://wgntv.com/news/trending/weekend-festival-celebrates-food-trucks-in-chicago |date=June 22, 2019 |work=Chicago's Very Own WGN 9 |access-date=March 14, 2021 |archive-date=June 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621061542/https://wgntv.com/news/trending/weekend-festival-celebrates-food-trucks-in-chicago/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

One of the world's most decorated restaurants and a recipient of three [[Michelin Guide|Michelin]] stars, [[Alinea (restaurant)|Alinea]] is located in Chicago. Well-known chefs who have had restaurants in Chicago include: [[Charlie Trotter]], [[Rick Tramonto]], [[Grant Achatz]], and [[Rick Bayless]]. In 2003, ''[[Robb Report]]'' named Chicago the country's "most exceptional dining destination".<ref>{{cite web |title=Robb Report Editors Name Chicago As Country's Finest Dining Destination |url=http://robbreport.com.sg/News-and-Press/Robb-Report-Editors-Name-Chicago-As-Countrys-Finest-Dining-Destination |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107032639/http://robbreport.com.sg/News-and-Press/Robb-Report-Editors-Name-Chicago-As-Countrys-Finest-Dining-Destination |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 7, 2014 |work=[[Robb Report]]}}</ref>

===Literature===
{{Further|Chicago literature}}

Chicago literature finds its roots in the city's tradition of lucid, direct journalism, lending to a strong tradition of [[social realism]]. In the ''[[Encyclopedia of Chicago]]'', [[Northwestern University]] Professor Bill Savage describes Chicago fiction as prose which tries to "capture the essence of the city, its spaces and its people." The challenge for early writers was that Chicago was a frontier outpost that transformed into a global metropolis in the span of two generations. Narrative fiction of that time, much of it in the style of "high-flown romance" and "genteel realism", needed a new approach to describe the urban social, political, and economic conditions of Chicago.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/448.html |title=Fiction |work=chicagohistory.org |access-date=August 9, 2012 |archive-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118043823/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/448.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Nonetheless, Chicagoans worked hard to create a literary tradition that would stand the test of time,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/755.html |title=Literary Cultures |work=chicagohistory.org |access-date=August 9, 2012 |archive-date=October 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011210402/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/755.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and create a "city of feeling" out of concrete, steel, vast lake, and open prairie.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1390.html |title=Literary Images of Chicago |work=chicagohistory.org |access-date=August 9, 2012 |archive-date=October 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008200636/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1390.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Much notable Chicago fiction focuses on the city itself, with social criticism keeping exultation in check.

At least three short periods in the [[history of Chicago]] have had a lasting influence on [[American literature]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/257.html |title=Chicago Literary Renaissance |work=chicagohistory.org |access-date=August 9, 2012 |archive-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921183952/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/257.html |url-status=live }}</ref> These include from the time of the Great Chicago Fire to about 1900, what became known as the Chicago Literary Renaissance in the 1910s and early 1920s, and the period of the [[Great Depression]] through the 1940s.

What would become the influential ''[[Poetry (magazine)|Poetry]]'' magazine was founded in 1912 by [[Harriet Monroe]], who was working as an [[art]] [[critic]] for the ''Chicago Tribune''. The magazine discovered such poets as [[Gwendolyn Brooks]], [[James Merrill]], and [[John Ashbery]].<ref name="ny">Goodyear, Dana, [https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/02/19/070219fa_fact_goodyear "The Moneyed Muse: What can two hundred million dollars do for poetry?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630105939/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/02/19/070219fa_fact_goodyear |date=June 30, 2014 }}, article, ''[[The New Yorker]]'', February 19 and 26 double issue, 2007</ref> [[T.&nbsp;S.&nbsp;Eliot]]'s first professionally published poem, "[[The Love Song of J.&nbsp;Alfred Prufrock]]", was first published by ''Poetry''. Contributors have included [[Ezra Pound]], [[William Butler Yeats]], [[William Carlos Williams]], [[Langston Hughes]], and [[Carl Sandburg]], among others. The magazine was instrumental in launching the [[Imagist]] and [[Objectivist poets|Objectivist]] poetic movements. From the 1950s through 1970s, American poetry continued to evolve in Chicago.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SpxbAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT271 |title=Encyclopedia of the New York School Poets |last=Diggory |first=Terence |date=April 22, 2015 |publisher=Infobase Learning |isbn=978-1-4381-4066-7 |language=en |access-date=April 20, 2018 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112921/https://books.google.com/books?id=SpxbAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT271 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 1980s, a modern form of poetry performance began in Chicago, the [[poetry slam]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yRG1XpKfemwC&pg=PA255 |title=Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times |last=Rodriguez |first=Luis |date=January 4, 2011 |publisher=Seven Stories Press |isbn=978-1-60980-057-4 |language=en |access-date=April 20, 2018 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112835/https://books.google.com/books?id=yRG1XpKfemwC&pg=PA255 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in Chicago}}

{{multiple image
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| image1            = Soldier Field S.jpg
| caption1          = [[Soldier Field]]
| image2            = Wrigley Field 2018 - 42195054760.jpg
| caption2          = [[Wrigley Field]]
| image3            = United Center 1.jpg
| caption3          = [[United Center]]
| image4            = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. (2023) - 062.jpg
| caption4          = [[Rate Field]]
}}

The city has two [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) teams: the [[Chicago Cubs]] of the National League play in Wrigley Field on the North Side; and the [[Chicago White Sox]] of the American League play in Rate Field on the South Side. The two teams have faced each other in a World Series only once, in 1906.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 26, 2017 |title=When will the White Sox and Cubs meet in the World Series? Sooner than you think |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20157170/a-chicago-cubs-white-sox-world-series-sooner-think |access-date=October 24, 2023 |publisher=ESPN |language=en}}</ref>

The Cubs are the oldest Major League Baseball team to have never changed their city;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Santo |first1=Ron |author-link1=Ron Santo |last2=Pepe |first2=Phil |author-link2=Phil Pepe |date=April 1, 2005 |title=Few and Chosen Cubs: Defining Cubs Greatness Across the Eras |location=Chicago, IL |publisher=Triumph Books |chapter=Preface by Phil Pepe |page=[https://archive.org/details/fewchosen00rons/page/ xxi] |isbn=978-1-57243-710-4 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/fewchosen00rons/page/}}</ref> they have played in Chicago since 1871.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ |title=MLB Teams and Baseball Encyclopedia |work=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=April 20, 2016 |archive-date=May 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516091149/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They had the dubious honor of having the longest championship drought in American professional sports, failing to win a World Series between 1908 and 2016. The White Sox have played on the South Side continuously since 1901. They have won three World Series titles (1906, 1917, 2005) and six American League pennants, including the first in 1901.

The [[Chicago Bears]], one of the last two remaining charter members of the [[National Football League]] (NFL), have won nine [[List of NFL champions|NFL Championships]], including the 1985 [[Super Bowl&nbsp;XX]]. The Bears play their home games at Soldier Field.

The [[Chicago Bulls]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) is one of the most recognized basketball teams in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cahill |first=Dan |date=December 22, 2015 |title=Bulls are second-most popular U.S. team on Facebook |url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/bulls-are-second-most-popular-u-s-team-on-facebook-gallery/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]  |access-date=December 21, 2016 |archive-date=August 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816195431/http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/bulls-are-second-most-popular-u-s-team-on-facebook-gallery/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During the 1990s, with [[Michael Jordan]] leading them, the Bulls won six NBA championships in eight seasons.<ref name="bulls_dynasty">{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Clare |title=The Bulls Dynasty |url=http://www.nba.com/history/bulls_dynasty.html |publisher=[[National Basketball Association]] |access-date=November 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209024614/http://www.nba.com/history/bulls_dynasty.html |archive-date=December 9, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Markovits |first=Andrei S. |author-link1=Andrei Markovits |title=Gaming the World: How Sports Are Reshaping Global Politics and Culture |year=2010 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton |isbn=978-0-691-13751-3 |page=89 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o2QpA0fGyiIC&pg=PA89 |author2=Rensmann, Lars |access-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112830/https://books.google.com/books?id=o2QpA0fGyiIC&pg=PA89 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Chicago Blackhawks]] of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) began play in 1926, and are one of the "[[Original Six]]" teams of the NHL. The Blackhawks have won six [[Stanley Cup]]s, including in 2010, 2013, and [[2015 Stanley Cup Finals|2015]]. Both the Bulls and the Blackhawks play at the [[United Center]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions {{!}} United Center |url=https://www.unitedcenter.com/venue/frequently-asked-questions/ |access-date=October 24, 2023 |website=www.unitedcenter.com}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+ Major league professional teams in Chicago (ranked by attendance)
|-
! scope="col" |Club
! scope="col" |League
! scope="col" |Sport
! scope="col" |Venue
! scope="col" |Attendance
! scope="col" |Founded
! scope="col" |Championships
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" |Chicago Bears
| align="center" |[[National Football League|NFL]]
|[[American football|Football]]
|Soldier Field
| align="center" |61,142
| align="center" |1919
|9 [[NFL Championships|Championships]] (1 [[Super Bowl]])
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" |[[Chicago Cubs]]
| align="center" |[[Major League Baseball|MLB]]
|[[Baseball]]
|Wrigley Field
| align="center" |41,649
| align="center" |1870
|3 [[World Series]]
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" |[[Chicago White Sox]]
| align="center" |[[Major League Baseball|MLB]]
|[[Baseball]]
|[[Rate Field]]
| align="center" |40,615
| align="center" |1900
|3 [[World Series]]
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" |[[Chicago Blackhawks]]
| align="center" |[[National Hockey League|NHL]]
|[[Ice hockey]]
| rowspan="2" |United Center
| align="center" |21,653
| align="center" |1926
|6 [[Stanley Cup]]s
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" |[[Chicago Bulls]]
| align="center" |[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
|[[Basketball]]
| align="center" |20,776
| align="center" |1966
|6 [[NBA Finals|NBA Championships]]
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" |[[Chicago Fire FC|Chicago Fire]]
| align="center" |[[Major League Soccer|MLS]]
|[[association football|Soccer]]
|Soldier Field
| align="center" |17,383
| align="center" |1997
|1 [[MLS Cup]], 1 [[Supporters Shield]]
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" |[[Chicago Sky]]
| align="center" |[[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]
|[[Basketball]]
|[[Wintrust Arena]]
| align="center" |10,387
| align="center" |2006
|1 [[WNBA Finals|WNBA Championships]]
|-
!scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" |[[Chicago Stars FC]]
|align="center" |[[National Women's Soccer League|NWSL]]
|[[Soccer]]
|[[SeatGeek Stadium]]
|align="center" |5,863
|align="center" |2013
|None
|}

[[File:20070909 Chicago Half Marathon.JPG|thumb|[[Chicago Half Marathon]] on [[Lake Shore Drive]] on the South Side]]
[[Chicago Fire FC]] is a member of [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) and plays at Soldier Field. The Fire have won one league title and four [[Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup|U.S.&nbsp;Open Cups]], since their founding in 1997. In 1994, the United States hosted a successful [[1994 FIFA World Cup|FIFA World Cup]] with games played at Soldier Field.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 4, 2014 |title=World Cup 2014 countdown: Diana Ross and the opening ceremony of USA |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/world-cup-2014-countdown-diana-ross-and-the-opening-ceremony-of-usa-94-9169002.html |website=The Independent}}</ref>

The [[Chicago Stars FC]] are a team in the [[National Women's Soccer League]] (NWSL). They previously played in [[Women's Professional Soccer]] (WPS), of which they were a founding member, before joining the NWSL in 2013. They play at [[SeatGeek Stadium]] in [[Bridgeview, Illinois]].

The [[Chicago Sky]] is a professional basketball team playing in the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA). They play home games at the [[Wintrust Arena]]. The team was founded before the 2006 WNBA season began.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 7, 2005 |title=Gvozdenovic still has hoop dreams |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-gvozdenovic-still-has-ho/156947659/ |access-date=October 11, 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |pages=4–12 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

The [[Chicago Marathon]] has been held each year since 1977 except for 1987, when a half marathon was run in its place. The Chicago Marathon is one of six [[World Marathon Majors]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagomarathon.com/pdf/World%20Marathon%20Majors.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020023826/http://www.chicagomarathon.com/pdf/World%20Marathon%20Majors.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 20, 2006 |access-date=July 25, 2007 |title=World Marathon Majors |publisher=The LaSalle Bank Marathon}}</ref>

Five area colleges play in [[Division I (NCAA)|Division&nbsp;I]] conferences: two from major conferences—the [[DePaul Blue Demons]] ([[Big East Conference]]) and the [[Northwestern Wildcats]] ([[Big Ten Conference]])—and three from other D1 conferences—the [[Chicago State Cougars]] ([[Northeast Conference]]); the [[Loyola Ramblers]] ([[Atlantic 10 Conference]]); and the [[UIC Flames]] ([[Missouri Valley Conference]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=NCAA Members By Division |url=http://web1.ncaa.org/onlineDir/exec2/divisionListing?sortOrder=0&division=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415102306/http://web1.ncaa.org/onlineDir/exec2/divisionListing?sortOrder=0&division=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 15, 2013 |work=[[NCAA]] |access-date=September 25, 2013}}</ref>

Chicago has also entered into [[esports]] with the creation of the [[OpTic Chicago]], a professional [[Call of Duty]] team that participates within the [[Call of Duty League|CDL]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 11, 2020 |title=OpTic Chicago officially confirmed for CDL 2021 |url=https://www.charlieintel.com/call-of-duty-league/optic-chicago-officially-confirmed-for-cdl-2021-64483/ |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=Charlie INTEL |language=en}}</ref>

==Parks and greenspace==
{{Main|Parks in Chicago|Chicago Boulevard System|Cook County Forest Preserves}}

[[File:Buckingham Fountain in Chicago at night.jpg|thumb|[[Buckingham Fountain]] is located in [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]] in the [[Chicago Loop|Loop]].]]
When Chicago was incorporated in 1837, it chose the motto ''Urbs in Horto'', a [[Latin]] phrase which means "City in a Garden". Today, the [[Chicago Park District]] consists of more than 570 parks with over {{convert|8000|acre}} of [[municipal park]]land. There are 31 sand [[List of beaches in Chicago, Illinois|beaches]], a plethora of museums, two world-class conservatories, and 50 nature areas.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/about-us/history/ |publisher=Chicago Park District |access-date=September 23, 2014 |archive-date=December 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219142505/http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/about-us/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Lincoln Park, the largest of the city's parks, covers {{convert|1200|acre}} and has over 20&nbsp;million visitors each year, making it third in the number of visitors after [[Central Park]] in [[New York City]], and the [[National Mall and Memorial Parks]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web |title=City Park Facts Report |url=http://www.tpl.org/sites/default/files/files_upload/2014_CityParkFacts.pdf |publisher=[[The Trust for Public Land]] |access-date=September 23, 2014 |page=30 |date=February 2014 |archive-date=September 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920120721/http://www.tpl.org/sites/default/files/files_upload/2014_CityParkFacts.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There is a historic [[Chicago boulevard system|boulevard system]],<ref>[http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/ParkBlvdsHD_NR_map_14July2011.pdf "Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District" map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928161117/http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/ParkBlvdsHD_NR_map_14July2011.pdf |date=September 28, 2015 }}, City of Chicago. Retrieved March 31, 2016.</ref> a network of wide, tree-lined [[boulevard]]s which connect a number of Chicago [[parks in Chicago|parks]].<ref name=WTTW>{{cite web |publisher=WTTW |url=http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=74,3 |title=Biking the Boulevards with Geoffrey Baer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322071810/http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=74%2C3 |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |access-date=March 31, 2016}}</ref> The boulevards and the parks were authorized by the Illinois legislature in 1869.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bledstein |first=Burton J. |url=http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/hist/hull-maxwell/vicinity/nws1/urban_slum/maps/IndMaps-Docs/1880parks.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612212814/http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/hist/hull-maxwell/vicinity/nws1/urban_slum/maps/IndMaps-Docs/1880parks.pdf |archive-date=June 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |title=Chicago's Park & Boulevard System |publisher=University of Illinois at Chicago |access-date=April 7, 2016}}</ref> A number of [[neighborhoods of Chicago|Chicago neighborhoods]] emerged along these roadways in the 19th century.<ref name=WTTW/> The building of the boulevard system continued intermittently until 1942. It includes nineteen boulevards, eight parks, and six [[town square|squares]], along twenty-six miles of interconnected streets.<ref>[https://tclf.org/landscapes/chicago-park-boulevard-system-historic-district "Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322070826/http://tclf.org/landscapes/chicago-park-boulevard-system-historic-district |date=March 22, 2016 }}, The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Retrieved March 31, 2016.</ref> The ''Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District'' was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2018.<ref name=weekly>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2019-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |title=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 02/01/2019 Through 2/7/2019 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=February 17, 2019 |archive-date=February 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210044359/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/weekly-list-20190208.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=NR2018>{{Cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District |url=http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/pdfs/803178.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218202015/http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/pdfs/803178.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 18, 2019 |date=November 9, 2018 |website=gis.hpa.state.il.us |access-date=February 18, 2019}}</ref>

With berths for more than 6,000 boats, the Chicago Park District operates the nation's largest municipal harbor system.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harbors |url=http://www.chicagoharbors.info/slip-information/ |work=Chicago Park District |access-date=October 9, 2013 |archive-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606111045/http://www.chicagoharbors.info/slip-information/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to ongoing beautification and renewal projects for the existing parks, a number of new parks have been added in recent years, such as the [[Ping Tom Memorial Park]] in Chinatown, [[DuSable Park (Chicago)|DuSable Park]] on the Near North Side, and most notably, Millennium Park, which is in the northwestern corner of one of Chicago's oldest parks, Grant Park in the Chicago Loop.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The wealth of greenspace afforded by Chicago's parks is further augmented by the [[Cook County Forest Preserves]], a network of open spaces containing forest, [[prairie]], [[wetland]], streams, and lakes that are set aside as natural areas which lie along the city's outskirts,<ref>{{cite web |title=Forest Preserve District of Cook County |url=http://library.uic.edu/collections/fpdcc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505022445/http://library.uic.edu/collections/fpdcc |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 5, 2012 |work=University of Illinois at Chicago |access-date=August 28, 2013}}</ref> including both the [[Chicago Botanic Garden]] in [[Glencoe, Illinois|Glencoe]] and the [[Brookfield Zoo]] in [[Brookfield, Illinois|Brookfield]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Affiliates |url=http://fpdcc.com/about/affiliates/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308144514/http://fpdcc.com/about/affiliates/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |work=[[Forest Preserve District of Cook County]] |access-date=August 28, 2013}}</ref> Washington Park is also one of the city's biggest parks; covering nearly {{convert|400|acres|-1|abbr=on}}. The park is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in South Side Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=National Park Service |year=2004 |title=National Register of Historic Places |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/04000871 |access-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509121638/https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/04000871 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Law and government==
===Government===
{{Main|Government of Chicago}}

[[File:Daley Plaza 060716.jpg|thumb|upright=1|[[Daley Plaza]] and the [[Chicago Picasso]], with [[City Hall-County Building (Chicago)|City Hall-County Building]] visible in background. At right, the [[Richard J. Daley Center|Daley Center]] contains the state law courts.]]
The government of the City of Chicago is divided into executive and [[legislature|legislative]] branches. The [[mayor of Chicago]] is the chief executive, elected by general election for a term of four years, with no term limits. The incumbent mayor is [[Brandon Johnson]]. The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the various departments. As well as the mayor, Chicago's clerk and treasurer are also elected citywide. The [[Chicago City Council|City Council]] is the legislative branch and is made up of 50 [[Alderman#United States|alderpersons]], one elected from each [[wards of the United States|ward]] in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=City Council, Your Ward & Alderperson |url=https://www.chicago.gov/content/city/en/about/council.html |access-date=December 10, 2023 |website=chicago.gov |language=en}}</ref> The council takes official action through the passage of [[local ordinance|ordinances]] and resolutions and approves the city budget.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Government |url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/chicagogovt.html |work=City of Chicago |access-date=October 13, 2013 |archive-date=November 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111074509/https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/chicagogovt.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Chicago Police Department]] provides law enforcement and the [[Chicago Fire Department]] provides fire suppression and emergency medical services for the city and its residents. Civil and criminal law cases are heard in the [[Cook County Circuit Court]] of the State of Illinois court system, or in the [[Northern District of Illinois]], in the federal system. In the state court, the public prosecutor is the Illinois [[state's attorney]]; in the Federal court it is the United States [[District Attorney|attorney]].

===Politics===
{{Main|Political history of Chicago}}

{| class="wikitable floatright" 
|+ Presidential election results in Chicago<ref name="Dave's">{{cite web|title=Dave's Redistricting|url=https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::8a4586ad-4c58-489b-828c-4477cfd0ce88|access-date=June 7, 2023|archive-date=February 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228051204/https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::8a4586ad-4c58-489b-828c-4477cfd0ce88|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | Year
! style="text-align:center;" | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! style="text-align:center;" | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! style="text-align:center;" | Others
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2024 United States presidential election in Illinois|2024]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''78.3%''' ''775,699''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|20.6% ''203,817''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% ''11,776''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2020 United States presidential election in Illinois|2020]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''82.5%''' ''944,735''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|15.8% ''181,234''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.6% ''18,772''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2016 United States presidential election in Illinois|2016]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''82.9%''' ''912,945''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|12.3% ''135,320''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.8% ''53,262''
|}

During much of the last half of the 19th century, Chicago's politics were dominated by a growing [[Cook County Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] organization. During the 1880s and 1890s, Chicago had a powerful radical tradition with large and highly organized [[socialist]], [[anarchist]] and [[labor organization]]s.{{sfnp|Schneirov|1998|pp=173–174}} For much of the 20th century, Chicago has been among the largest and most reliable Democratic strongholds in the United States; with Chicago's Democratic vote the state of Illinois has been "[[Red states and blue states|solid blue]]" in [[United States presidential election|presidential elections]] since 1992. Even before then, it was not unheard of for Republican presidential candidates to win handily in downstate Illinois, only to lose statewide due to large Democratic margins in Chicago. The citizens of Chicago have not elected a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] mayor since 1927, when [[William Hale Thompson|William Thompson]] was voted into office. The strength of the party in the city is partly a consequence of Illinois state politics, where the Republicans have come to represent rural and farm concerns while the Democrats support urban issues such as Chicago's public school funding.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Chicago contains less than 25% of the state's population, but it is split between eight of Illinois' 17 [[Illinois's congressional districts|districts]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. All eight of the city's representatives are Democrats; only two Republicans have represented a significant portion of the city since 1973, for one term each: [[Robert P. Hanrahan]] from 1973 to 1975, and [[Michael Patrick Flanagan]] from 1995 to 1997.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

[[Machine politics]] persisted in Chicago after the decline of similar machines in other large U.S. cities.{{sfnp|Montejano|1999|pp=33–34}} During much of that time, the city administration found opposition mainly from a liberal "independent" faction of the Democratic Party. The independents finally gained control of city government in 1983 with the election of [[Harold Washington]] (in office 1983–1987). From 1989 until May 16, 2011, Chicago was under the leadership of its longest-serving mayor, [[Richard M. Daley]], the son of Richard J. Daley. Because of the dominance of the Democratic Party in Chicago, the Democratic [[Partisan primary|primary]] vote held in the spring is generally more significant than the general elections in November for U.S. House and Illinois State seats. The aldermanic, mayoral, and other city offices are filled through nonpartisan elections with runoffs as needed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=7 big ideas for making Illinois more (small-d) democratic – CHANGE Illinois |date=March 28, 2022 |url=https://www.changeil.org/2022/03/7-big-ideas-for-making-illinois-more-small-d-democratic/ |access-date=June 18, 2022 |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816041513/https://www.changeil.org/2022/03/7-big-ideas-for-making-illinois-more-small-d-democratic/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The city is home of former United States President [[Barack Obama]] and First Lady [[Michelle Obama]]; Barack Obama was formerly a state legislator representing Chicago and later a U.S. senator. The Obamas' residence is located near the University of Chicago in [[Kenwood, Chicago|Kenwood]] on the city's south side.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/07/27/with-michelle-obama-in-town-speculation-about-future-for-their-home/ |title=With Michelle Obama In Town, Speculation About Future For Their Home |first=Derrick |last=Blakley |work=cbslocal.com |date=July 27, 2016 |access-date=July 30, 2016 |archive-date=July 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730175417/http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/07/27/with-michelle-obama-in-town-speculation-about-future-for-their-home/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Crime===
{{Main|Crime in Chicago|Timeline of organized crime in Chicago}}

[[File:Chicago Police Ford Police Interceptor Utility 7905 (Front left view) b.jpg|thumb|[[Ford Explorer]] [[SUV]] as a [[Chicago Police Department]] vehicle, 2021]]
Chicago's crime rate in 2020 was 3,926 per 100,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |title=2021 Year End Summary Crime Statistics |url=https://home.chicagopolice.org/statistics-data/crime-statistics/ |publisher=Chicago Police Department |access-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715025318/https://home.chicagopolice.org/statistics-data/crime-statistics/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Chicago experienced major rises in [[violent crime]] in the 1920s, in the late 1960s, and in the 2020s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Police Annual Report 1967 |url=https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/News/Statistical |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041413/https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/News/Statistical%20Reports/Annual%20Reports/1967_AR.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=July 26, 2015 |publisher=Chicago Police Department |format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="Chicago Police Annual Report 2017">{{cite web |title=Chicago Police Annual Report 2017 |url=https://home.chicagopolice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2017-Annual-Report.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203184344/https://home.chicagopolice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2017-Annual-Report.pdf |archive-date=December 3, 2018 |access-date=December 24, 2018 |website=chicagopolice.org |publisher=Chicago Police Department |page=68}}</ref> Chicago's biggest [[criminal justice]] challenges have changed little over the last 50 years, and statistically reside with homicide, [[armed robbery]], gang violence, and [[aggravated battery]]. Chicago has a higher murder rate than the larger cities of New York and Los Angeles. However, while it has a large absolute number of crimes due to its size, Chicago is not among the top-25 most violent cities in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Monkovic |first1=Toni |last2=Asher |first2=Jeff |date=June 16, 2021 |title=Why People Misperceive Crime Trends (Chicago Is Not the Murder Capital) |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/16/upshot/murder-crime-trends-chicago.html |access-date=July 9, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425160403/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/16/upshot/murder-crime-trends-chicago.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fieldstadt |first=Elisha |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Highest murder rates in the U.S. - The most deadly cities |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/murder-map-deadliest-u-s-cities/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |publisher=CBS News |language=en-US |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107070825/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/murder-map-deadliest-u-s-cities/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Murder rates in Chicago vary greatly depending on the neighborhood in question.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Moser |first=Whet |date=August 14, 2012 |title=Gawker Glosses Chicago's Murder Problem |url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/August-2012/Gawker-Glosses-Chicagos-Murder-Problem/ |url-status=dead |journal=Chicago |publisher=Chicago Tribune Media Group |issue=August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903085301/http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/August-2012/Gawker-Glosses-Chicagos-Murder-Problem/ |archive-date=September 3, 2014 |access-date=August 28, 2014}}</ref> The neighborhoods of [[Englewood, Chicago|Englewood]] on the South Side, and [[Austin, Chicago|Austin]] on the West side, for example, have homicide rates that are ten times higher than other parts of the city.<ref>{{cite news |last=Christensen |first=Jen |date=March 14, 2014 |title=Tackling Chicago's 'crime gap' |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/13/us/chicago-crime-gap/ |access-date=August 28, 2014 |archive-date=August 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827235801/http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/13/us/chicago-crime-gap/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Chicago has an estimated population of over 100,000 active gang members from nearly 60 factions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Gang Violence: By The Numbers |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/fullpage/chicago-gang-violence-numbers-17509042 |access-date=December 17, 2015 |website=ABC News |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222090102/http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/fullpage/chicago-gang-violence-numbers-17509042 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=January 26, 2012 |title=Chicago Most Gang-Infested City in U.S., Officials Say |url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-crime-commision-gang-book-138174334.html |access-date=December 17, 2015 |publisher=NBC Chicago |archive-date=January 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102151110/http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-crime-commision-gang-book-138174334.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to reports in 2013, "most of Chicago's violent crime comes from gangs trying to maintain control of drug-selling territories,"<ref name="bloomberg1">{{cite news |last1=Lippert |first1=John |first2=Nacha |last2=Cattan |first3=Mario |last3=Parker |date=September 17, 2013 |title=Heroin Pushed on Chicago by Cartel Fueling Gang Murders |publisher=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-17/heroin-pushed-on-chicago-by-cartel-fueling-gang-murders.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 12, 2013 |archive-date=October 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006065328/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-17/heroin-pushed-on-chicago-by-cartel-fueling-gang-murders.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and is specifically related to the activities of the [[Sinaloa Cartel]], which is active in several American cities.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Morning Edition |date=September 17, 2013 |title=Probing Ties Between Mexican Cartel And Chicago's Violence |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/09/17/223309103/probing-ties-between-mexican-drug-cartel-and-chicagos-violence |access-date=October 12, 2013 |archive-date=October 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014124759/http://www.npr.org/2013/09/17/223309103/probing-ties-between-mexican-drug-cartel-and-chicagos-violence |url-status=live }}</ref> Violent crime rates vary significantly by area of the city, with more economically developed areas having low rates, but other sections have much higher rates of crime.<ref name="bloomberg1" /> In 2013, the violent crime rate was 910 per 100,000 people;<ref>{{cite web |title=Rahm Emanuel's performance as Chicago mayor |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/section/measuring-rahm-emanuel#rate |first1=Greg |last1=Hinz |first2=Thomas |last2=Corfman |access-date=April 20, 2016 |work=Crain's Chicago Business |archive-date=April 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419142049/http://www.chicagobusiness.com/section/measuring-rahm-emanuel#rate |url-status=dead }}</ref> the murder rate was 10.4 per 100,000 – while high crime districts saw 38.9 murders, low crime districts saw 2.5 murders per 100,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rahm Emanuel's performance as Chicago mayor |first1=Greg |last1=Hinz |first2=Thomas |last2=Corfman |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/section/measuring-rahm-emanuel#murder |access-date=April 20, 2016 |work=Crain's Chicago Business |archive-date=April 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419142049/http://www.chicagobusiness.com/section/measuring-rahm-emanuel#murder |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Chicago's long history of public [[corruption]] regularly draws the attention of federal law enforcement and federal prosecutors.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 24, 2012 |title=Chicago's 'hall of shame' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2012-02-24-ct-met-aldermen-convicted-0224-20120224-story.html |access-date=June 20, 2020 |website=Chicago Tribune |archive-date=June 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621051228/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2012-02-24-ct-met-aldermen-convicted-0224-20120224-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> From 2012 to 2019, 33 Chicago alderpersons were convicted on corruption charges, roughly one third of those elected in the time period. A report from the Office of the Legislative Inspector General noted that over half of Chicago's elected alderpersons took illegal campaign contributions in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |author=Austin Berg |date=November 16, 2015 |title=More than half of Chicago aldermen took illegal campaign cash in 2013 &#124; City Limits |url=http://www.chicagonow.com/city-limits/2015/11/more-than-half-of-chicago-aldermen-took-illegal-campaign-cash-in-2013/ |access-date=December 17, 2015 |website=Chicagonow.com |archive-date=May 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527150531/http://www.chicagonow.com/city-limits/2015/11/more-than-half-of-chicago-aldermen-took-illegal-campaign-cash-in-2013/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Most corruption cases in Chicago are prosecuted by the [[US Attorney|U.S. Attorney]]'s office, as legal [[jurisdiction]] makes most offenses punishable as a federal crime.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 13, 2014 |title=Northern District of Illinois – Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil |access-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614164719/https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==
===Schools and libraries===
[[File:Harold Washington Library, Chicago, Illinois (9181548762).jpg|thumb|When it was opened in 1991, the central [[Harold Washington Library]] appeared in ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the largest municipal public library building in the world.]]

[[Chicago Public Schools]] (CPS) is the governing body of the [[school district]] that contains over 600 public elementary and high schools citywide, including several selective-admission magnet schools. There are eleven selective enrollment high schools in the Chicago Public Schools, designed to meet the needs of Chicago's most academically advanced students. These schools offer a rigorous curriculum with mainly honors and [[Advanced Placement]] (AP) courses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cps.edu/Schools/High_schools/Pages/Selectiveenrollment.aspx |title=Chicago Public Schools : Selective enrollment |access-date=August 30, 2010 |publisher=Chicago Public Schools |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827013715/http://www.cps.edu/Schools/High_schools/Pages/Selectiveenrollment.aspx |archive-date=August 27, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Walter Payton College Prep High School]] is ranked number one in the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/search?state-urlname=illinois |title=These Are the Best High Schools in Illinois |work=usnews.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628233843/https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/search?state-urlname=illinois |archive-date=June 28, 2018}}</ref>

Chicago high school rankings are determined by the average test scores on state achievement tests.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/2846182,chicago-area-high-school-rank.article |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101050631/http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/2846182%2Cchicago-area-high-school-rank.article |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 1, 2010 |title=Top 100 Chicago-area high schools |access-date=October 30, 2010 |work=Chicago Sun-Times}}</ref> The district, with an enrollment exceeding 400,545 students (2013–2014 20th Day Enrollment), is the third-largest in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |title=At-a-glance: Stats and Facts |url=http://www.cps.edu/About_CPS/At-a-glance/Pages/Stats_and_facts.aspx |publisher=Chicago Public Schools |access-date=October 2, 2014 |date=September 17, 2014 |archive-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730153238/https://www.cps.edu/About_CPS/At-a-glance/Pages/Stats_and_facts.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref> On September 10, 2012, teachers for the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike for the first time since 1987 over pay, resources, and other issues.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timeoutchicagokids.com/guides-resources/178436/chicago-teachers-on-strike |title=Chicago teachers on strike |publisher=Time Out Chicago Kids |access-date=September 10, 2012 |archive-date=September 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916033301/http://www.timeoutchicagokids.com/guides-resources/178436/chicago-teachers-on-strike |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to data compiled in 2014, Chicago's "choice system", where students who test or apply and may attend one of a number of public high schools (there are about 130), sorts students of different achievement levels into different schools (high performing, middle performing, and low performing schools).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lutton |first1=Linda |first2=Brendan |last2=Metzger |title=The Big Sort |url=http://www.wbez.org/news/big-sort-110502 |publisher=[[WBEZ]] |access-date=October 2, 2014 |date=July 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006113818/http://www.wbez.org/news/big-sort-110502 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Chicago has a network of [[Lutheran school]]s,<ref>{{harvnb|Pogorzelski|Maloof|2008|p=58}}</ref> and several private schools are run by other denominations and faiths, such as the [[Ida Crown Jewish Academy]] in [[West Ridge, Chicago|West Ridge]]. The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago]] operates [[Catholic school]]s, including [[List of Jesuit secondary schools in the United States#Illinois|Jesuit preparatory schools]] and others. A number of private schools are completely secular. There is also the private [[Chicago Academy for the Arts]], a high school focused on six different artistic disciplines, and the public [[Chicago High School for the Arts]], a high school focused on five disciplines (visual arts, theatre, musical theatre, dance, and music).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chiarts.org/ |title=Chicago High School for the Arts |website=chiarts.org |access-date=September 26, 2016 |archive-date=September 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926191506/http://chiarts.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Chicago Public Library]] system operates three regional libraries and 77 neighborhood branches, including the central library.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chicago Public Library |url=https://www.chicago.gov/content/city/en/depts/cpl.html |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=chicago.gov |language=en |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709113333/https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cpl.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Colleges and universities===
{{main list|List of colleges and universities in Chicago
}}
[[File:Harper Midway Chicago.jpg|thumb|upright=1|The [[University of Chicago]] campus as seen from the [[Midway Plaisance]]]]
<!-- PLEASE TRY TO LIST THE SUBURBAN SCHOOLS AT THE ILLINOIS ARTICLE -->
Since the 1850s,<!-- CTS was founded in 1855 --> Chicago has been a world center of higher education and research with several universities. These institutions consistently rank among the top "National Universities" in the United States, as determined by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/il |title=2024 Best Colleges in Illinois |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |access-date=October 4, 2023}}</ref> Highly regarded universities in Chicago and the surrounding area are the University of Chicago; Northwestern University; [[Illinois Institute of Technology]]; [[Loyola University Chicago]]; [[DePaul University]]; [[Columbia College Chicago]] and the [[University of Illinois Chicago]]. Other notable schools include: [[Chicago State University]]; the [[School of the Art Institute of Chicago]]; [[East–West University]]; [[National Louis University]]; [[North Park University]]; [[Northeastern Illinois University]]; [[Robert Morris University Illinois]]; [[Roosevelt University]]; [[Saint Xavier University]]; [[Rush University]]; and [[Shimer College]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.free-4u.com/Colleges/Chicago-IL-Colleges.html |title=Chicago, Illinois Colleges and Universities |publisher=Free-4u.com |access-date=January 8, 2017 |archive-date=October 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016001739/http://www.free-4u.com/Colleges/Chicago-IL-Colleges.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[William Rainey Harper]], the first president of the University of Chicago, was instrumental in the creation of the [[junior college]] concept, establishing nearby [[Joliet Junior College]] as the first in the nation in 1901.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.jjc.edu/about/pages/default.aspx |year=2009 |publisher=Joliet Junior College |access-date=July 19, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801202244/http://www.jjc.edu/ABOUT/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=August 1, 2009}}</ref> His legacy continues with the multiple [[community college]]s in the Chicago proper, including the seven [[City Colleges of Chicago]]: [[Richard J. Daley College]], [[Kennedy–King College]], [[Malcolm X College]], [[Olive–Harvey College]], [[Truman College]], [[Harold Washington College]], and [[Wilbur Wright College]], in addition to the privately held [[MacCormac College]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Chicago also has a high concentration of post-baccalaureate institutions, graduate schools, seminaries, and theological schools, such as the [[Adler School of Professional Psychology]], [[The Chicago School]] the [[Erikson Institute]], [[Institute for Clinical Social Work]], [[Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago]], [[Catholic Theological Union]], [[Moody Bible Institute]], and [[University of Chicago Divinity School]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

==Media==
{{Further|Media in Chicago|3=Chicago International Film Festival}}
[[File:W-G-N Studios Tribune Square, Chicago (60792).jpg|thumb|upright=1|[[WGN (AM)|WGN]] began in the early days of radio and developed into a multi-platform broadcaster, including a cable television super-station.]]
[[File:Harpo Studio sign.jpg|thumb|Chicago was home of ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'' from 1986 until 2011, and of other Harpo Production operations until 2015.]]

===Television===
The Chicago metropolitan area is a major media hub and the third-largest media market in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvjobs.com/cgi-bin/markets/market2.cgi |title=Nielsen Media 2009–2010 Local Market Estimates |date=September 27, 2009 |work=Nielsen Media Research |publisher=Broadcast Employment Services |access-date=May 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828033056/http://tvjobs.com/cgi-bin/markets/market2.cgi |archive-date=August 28, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Each of the big five [[List of United States over-the-air television networks|U.S. television networks]], [[NBC]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] and [[The CW]], directly owns and operates a [[high-definition television]] station in Chicago ([[WMAQ-TV|WMAQ]] 5, [[WLS-TV|WLS]] 7, [[WBBM-TV|WBBM]] 2, [[WFLD]] 32 and [[WGN-TV]] 9, respectively). WGN is owned by the CW through a majority stake held in the network by the [[Nexstar Media Group]], which acquired it from its founding owner [[Tribune Broadcasting]] in 2019. WGN was once carried, with some programming differences, as "[[WGN America]]" on [[Cable television|cable and satellite TV]] nationwide and in parts of the [[Caribbean]]. WGN America eventually became [[NewsNation]] in 2021.

Chicago has also been the home of several prominent talk shows, including ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'', ''[[Steve Harvey (talk show)|Steve Harvey Show]]'', ''[[The Rosie Show]]'', ''[[The Jerry Springer Show]]'', ''[[The Phil Donahue Show]]'', ''[[The Jenny Jones Show]]'', and more. The city also has one [[PBS]] member station (its second: [[WYCC]] 20, removed its affiliation with PBS in 2017<ref>{{cite web |url=https://interactive.wttw.com/faq-wycc-broadcast-mhz-worldview |title=Window to The World Communications presents WYCC MHz Worldview beginning April 23, 2018 {{!}} WTTW Chicago |work=Window To The World Communications |date=April 23, 2018 |publisher=WTTW |access-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330013115/https://interactive.wttw.com/faq-wycc-broadcast-mhz-worldview |url-status=live }}</ref>): [[WTTW]] 11, producer of shows such as ''[[Sneak Previews]]'', ''[[The Frugal Gourmet]]'', ''[[Lamb Chop's Play-Along]]'' and ''[[The McLaughlin Group]]''. {{as of|2018}}, ''[[Windy City Live]]'' is Chicago's only daytime talk show, which is hosted by Val Warner and [[Ryan Chiaverini]] at ABC7 Studios with a live weekday audience. Since 1999, ''[[Judge Mathis]]'' also films his syndicated arbitration-based reality [[court show]] at the [[NBC Tower]]. Beginning in January 2019, ''[[Newsy]]'' began producing 12 of its 14 hours of live news programming per day from its new facility in Chicago.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

====Television stations====
Most of Chicago's television stations are owned and operated by the big television network companies.
They are:
* [[WBBM-TV]] (2), owned and operated by [[CBS]].
* [[WMAQ-TV]] (5), owned and operated by [[NBC]].
* [[WLS-TV]] (7), owned and operated by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].
* [[WGN-TV]] (9), a [[The CW|CW]] station owned and operated by network majority owner [[Nexstar Media Group]].
* [[WTTW]] (11), a [[PBS]] member station owned by Window to the World Communications, Inc.
* [[WCIU-TV]] (26), an independent station (with a secondary [[MeTV]] affiliation) owned by [[Weigel Broadcasting]].
* [[WFLD]] (32), owned and operated by [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]].
* [[WWTO-TV]] (35), owned and operated by TBN, licensed in [[Naperville]].
* [[WCPX-TV]] (38), owned and operated by [[Ion Television]].
* [[WSNS-TV]] (44), owned and operated by [[Telemundo]].
* [[WPWR-TV]] (50), owned and operated by [[MyNetworkTV]] ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]), licensed to [[Gary, Indiana]].
* [[WYIN]] (56), a PBS member station owned by Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting, Inc., licensed in Gary, Indiana.
* [[WTVK (TV)|WTVK]] (59), an independent station owned by Venture Technologies Group, licensed in [[Oswego, Illinois]].
* [[WXFT-DT]] (60), owned and operated by [[Unimas]].
* [[WJYS]] (62), an independent station owned by Millennial Telecommunications, Inc., licensed to [[Hammond, Indiana]].
* [[WGBO-DT]] (66), owned and operated by [[Univision]].

===Newspapers===
Two major daily newspapers are published in Chicago: the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' and the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', with the Tribune having the larger circulation. There are also several regional and special-interest newspapers and magazines, such as ''[[Chicago (magazine)|Chicago]]'', the [[Dziennik Związkowy (Polish Daily News)|''Dziennik Związkowy'' (''Polish Daily News'')]], ''[[Draugas]]'' (the Lithuanian daily newspaper), the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'', the ''[[SouthtownStar]]'', the ''[[Chicago Defender]]'', the ''[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]'', ''[[Newcity]]'',<ref name="twsOctW11">{{cite news |first=Chauncey |last=Hollingsworth |title=Shakey Ground: Arts Magazines Find Chicago's Landscape Still Hostile To New Ventures |work=Chicago Tribune |quote=A vast expanse of the local cultural landscape lay unexplored between the realm of free arts weeklies like NewCity and the Reader and commercial ventures like Chicago magazine&nbsp;... NewCity wasn't quite as sophisticated two years ago as it is now. |date=May 10, 1995 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/05/10/shakey-ground/ |access-date=October 31, 2010 |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204032520/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-05-10/features/9505110049_1_chicago-magazine-asa-baber-art-department |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="twsOctW14">{{cite news |title=Chicago Daily News II: This Time It's Digital |work=Chicago Tribune |quote=The competition&nbsp;... Newcity are in the digital space,&nbsp;... |date=December 9, 2005 |url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/technology_internetcritic/2005/12/chicagos_newest.html |access-date=October 31, 2010 |archive-date=December 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206042433/http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/technology_internetcritic/2005/12/chicagos_newest.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[StreetWise]]'' and the ''[[Windy City Times]]''. The entertainment and cultural magazine ''[[Time Out Chicago]]'' and [[Grab (magazine)|''GRAB'']] magazine are also published in the city, as well as local music magazine ''[[Chicago Innerview]]''. In addition, Chicago is the home of satirical national news outlet, ''[[The Onion]]'', as well as its sister pop-culture publication, ''[[The A.V. Club]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Onion celebrates controversial Chicago move with banjo playing, steak tartare |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120801/BLOGS08/120809965/the-onion-celebrates-controversial-chicago-move-with-banjo-playing-steak-tartare |work=[[Crain's Chicago Business]] |date=August 2012 |access-date=June 11, 2013 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709113339/https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120801/BLOGS08/120809965/chicago-welcomes-the-onion-staff-to-the-city-at-paris-club-bash |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Movies and filming===
{{Main|List of fiction set in Chicago#Films|List of fiction set in Chicago#Television shows|l1 = List of movies set in Chicago|l2 = List of television shows set in Chicago}}

===Radio===
Chicago has five [[List of 50 kW AM radio stations in the United States|50,000 watt AM radio stations]]: the [[Audacy, Inc.|Audacy]]-owned [[WBBM (AM)|WBBM]] and [[WSCR]]; the [[Tribune Broadcasting]]-owned [[WGN (AM)|WGN]]; the [[Cumulus Media]]-owned [[WLS (AM)|WLS]]; and the [[ESPN Radio]]-owned [[WMVP]]. Chicago is also home to a number of national radio shows, including ''[[Beyond the Beltway]]'' with [[Bruce DuMont]] on Sunday evenings.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

[[Chicago Public Radio]] produces nationally aired programs such as [[Public Radio International|PRI]]'s ''[[This American Life]]'' and [[National Public Radio|NPR]]'s ''[[Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!]]''.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
{{Further|Transportation in Chicago}}
[[File:Jane M. Byrne Interchange (1) 4-1-22.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Aerial photo of the [[Jane Byrne Interchange]] (2022) after reconstruction; it initially opened in the 1960s.]]
Chicago is a major transportation hub in the United States. It is an important component in global distribution, as it is the third-largest inter-modal port in the world after [[Hong Kong]] and [[Singapore]].{{sfnp|Madigan|2004 |p=52}}

The city of Chicago has a higher than average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 26.5 percent of Chicago households were without a car, and increased slightly to 27.5 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Chicago averaged 1.12 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Car Ownership in U.S. Cities Data and Map |journal=Governing |date=December 9, 2014 |url=http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html |access-date=May 4, 2018 |archive-date=May 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511162014/http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Parking====
Due to Chicago's [[wheel tax]],<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://chicityclerk.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Signed%20Admin%20Rules%20with%20No%20Fee%20Veteran%20Update%201-27-2021.pdf
|title=Chicago Wheel Tax Administrative Rules
|date=January 27, 2021
|publisher=City of Chicago Office of the City Clerk
|access-date=February 1, 2024
}}</ref> residents of Chicago who own a vehicle are required to purchase a Chicago City Vehicle Sticker.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://ezbuy.chicityclerk.com/vehicle-stickers
|title=Vehicle Stickers
|year=2024
|publisher=City of Chicago Office of the City Clerk
|access-date=February 1, 2024
}}</ref> In established Residential Parking Zones, only local residents can purchase Zone-specific parking stickers for themselves and guests.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://311.chicago.gov/s/article/Residential-zone-parking?language=en_US
|title=Residential Zone Parking
|date=December 12, 2018
|publisher=City of Chicago Office of the City Clerk
|access-date=February 1, 2024
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://jkalov.carto.com/viz/d52e0db0-8654-11e4-9a46-0e9d821ea90d/public_map
|title=Chicago Residential Parking Zones
|year=2015
|website=jkalov.carto.com
|access-date=February 1, 2024
}}</ref>

Chicago since 2009 has relinquished rights to its [[Commercial area|public]] street parking.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-parking-ticket-paybox-snow/1892557/
|title=Paying for Parking: It's Snow Joke
|date=January 7, 2010
|publisher=NBC 5 Chicago
|access-date=August 12, 2023
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812165146/https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-parking-ticket-paybox-snow/1892557/
|archive-date=August 12, 2023}}</ref> In 2008, as Chicago struggled to close a growing budget deficit, the city agreed to a 75-year, $1.16 billion deal to lease its [[parking meter]] system to an operating company created by [[Morgan Stanley]], called [[Chicago Parking Meters LLC]]. Daley said the "agreement is very good news for the taxpayers of Chicago because it will provide more than $1 billion in net proceeds that can be used during this very difficult economy."<ref name=fail>{{cite news |title=FAIL: The Reader's Parking Meter Investigation; Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke's report on the privatization of Chicago's parking meters, how the deal went down, and its fallout |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/fail-chicago-parking-meter-privatization-archive/Content?oid=1265254 |newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]] |date=December 10, 2009 |archive-date=October 13, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013195959/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/fail-chicago-parking-meter-privatization-archive/Content?oid=1265254 |url-status=dead }} {{cite news |title=FAIL, Part One: Chicago's Parking Meter Lease Deal; How Daley and his crew hid their process from the public, ignored their own rules, railroaded the City Council, and screwed the taxpayers on the parking meter lease deal |first1=Ben |last1=Joravsky |first2=Mick |last2=Dumke |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/fail-parking-meters-lease-deal/Content?oid=1098561 |newspaper=Chicago Reader |date=April 9, 2009 |archive-date=February 2, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202224452/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/fail-parking-meters-lease-deal/Content?oid=1098561 |url-status=dead }} {{cite news |title=FAIL, Part Two: One BILLION Dollars! New evidence suggests Chicago leased out its parking meters for a fraction of what they're worth |date=May 21, 2009 |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/one-billion-dollars-parking-meter-fiasco-part-two/Content?oid=1123046 |newspaper=Chicago Reader |first1=Ben |last1=Joravsky |first2=Mick |last2=Dumke |archive-date=November 26, 2011 |access-date=August 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126060213/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/one-billion-dollars-parking-meter-fiasco-part-two/Content?oid=1123046 |url-status=dead }} {{cite news |title=FAIL, Part Three: The Insiders; Who benefited from the parking meter fiasco |first1=Ben |last1=Joravsky |first2=Mick |last2=Dumke |date=June 18, 2009 |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-parking-meter-fiasco-part-iii/Content?oid=1127436 |newspaper=Chicago Reader |archive-date=January 30, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130220751/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-parking-meter-fiasco-part-iii/Content?oid=1127436 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The rights of the parking ticket lease end in 2081, and since 2022 have already recouped over $1.5 billion in revenue for [[Chicago Parking Meters LLC]] investors.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2022/5/26/23143356/chicago-parking-meters-75-year-lease-daley-city-council-audit-skyway-loop-garages-krislov
|title=Parking meter deal gets even worse for Chicago taxpayers, annual audit shows
|date=May 26, 2022
|work=Chicago Sun-Times
|access-date=August 12, 2023
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526231258/https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2022/5/26/23143356/chicago-parking-meters-75-year-lease-daley-city-council-audit-skyway-loop-garages-krislov
|archive-date=May 26, 2022}}</ref>

====Expressways====
{{Further|Roads and expressways in Chicago}}
Seven mainline and four auxiliary [[Interstate Highway System|interstate highways]] ([[Interstate 55 in Illinois|55]], [[Interstate 57|57]], [[Interstate 65 in Indiana|65]] (only in Indiana), [[Interstate 80 in Illinois|80]] (also in [[Interstate 80 in Indiana|Indiana]]), [[Interstate 88 (west)|88]], [[Interstate 90 in Illinois|90]] (also in [[Indiana Toll Road|Indiana]]), [[Interstate 94 in Illinois|94]] (also in [[Interstate 94 in Indiana|Indiana]]), [[Interstate 190 (Illinois)|190]], [[Interstate 290 (Illinois)|290]], [[Interstate 294|294]], and [[Interstate 355|355]]) run through Chicago and its suburbs. Segments that link to the city center are named after influential politicians, with three of them named after former U.S.&nbsp;Presidents (Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan) and one named after two-time Democratic candidate [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]].

The [[Kennedy Expressway|Kennedy]] and [[Dan Ryan Expressway|Dan Ryan]] Expressways are the busiest state maintained routes in the entire state of Illinois.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dot.il.gov/trafficmaps/table.htm |title=Illinois Department of Transportation |publisher=Dot.il.gov |access-date=April 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528044022/http://www.dot.il.gov/trafficmaps/table.htm |archive-date=May 28, 2010}}</ref>

====Transit systems====
[[File:Chicago union station hall.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Chicago Union Station]], opened in 1925, is the third-busiest passenger rail terminal in the United States.]]
The [[Regional Transportation Authority (Illinois)|Regional Transportation Authority]] (RTA) coordinates the operation of the three service boards: CTA, Metra, and Pace.
* The [[Chicago Transit Authority]] (CTA) handles public transportation in the City of Chicago and a few adjacent suburbs outside of the Chicago city limits. The CTA operates an extensive network of buses and a [[rapid transit]] elevated and subway system known as [[Chicago "L"|the Chicago "L" or just the "L"]] (short for "elevated"), with lines designated by colors. These rapid transit lines also serve both [[Chicago Midway International Airport|Midway]] and O'Hare Airports. The CTA's rail lines consist of the [[Red Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Red]], [[Blue Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Blue]], [[Green Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Green]], [[Orange Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Orange]], [[Brown Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Brown]], [[Purple Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Purple]], [[Pink Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Pink]], and [[Yellow Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Yellow]] lines. Both the Red and Blue lines offer 24‑hour service which makes Chicago one of a handful of cities around the world (and one of three in the United States, the other are New York City and Philadelphia) to offer rail service 24 hours a day, every day of the year, within the city's limits.
* [[Metra]], the nation's second-most used passenger regional rail network, operates an 11-line [[commuter rail]] service in Chicago and throughout the Chicago suburbs. The [[Metra Electric Line]] shares its trackage with Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District's [[South Shore Line (NICTD)|South Shore Line]], which provides commuter service between [[South Bend, Indiana|South Bend]] and Chicago.
* [[Pace (transit)|Pace]] provides bus and [[paratransit]] service in over 200 surrounding suburbs with some extensions into the city as well. A 2005 study found that one quarter of commuters used public transit.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2007/06/13/real_estate/public_transit_commutes/index.htm "New Yorkers are top transit users"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516222801/http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/13/real_estate/public_transit_commutes/index.htm |date=May 16, 2008 }}, by Les Christie,''CNNmoney.com'', June 29, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2009.</ref>

[[Greyhound Lines]] provides inter-city bus service to and from the city at the [[Chicago Bus Station]], and Chicago is also the hub for the Midwest network of [[Megabus (North America)]].

====Passenger rail====
[[File:20110821 AmtrakEmpireBuilder.jpg|thumb|An [[Amtrak]] train on the ''[[Empire Builder]]'' route departs Chicago from [[Chicago Union Station|Union Station]].]]
[[Amtrak]] long distance and [[commuter rail]] services originate from [[Union Station (Chicago)|Union Station]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Amtrak |url=https://chicagounionstation.com/travel/amtrak |website=Chicago Union Station |access-date=June 30, 2023 |archive-date=June 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630014904/https://chicagounionstation.com/travel/amtrak |url-status=live }}</ref> Chicago is one of the largest hubs of passenger rail service in the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garcia |first1=Evan |title=Chicago Highlighted as the US Railroad Capital by Trains Magazine |url=https://news.wttw.com/2017/02/23/chicago-highlighted-us-railroad-capital-trains-magazine |access-date=June 30, 2023 |work=WTTW News |date=February 23, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=April 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417070254/https://news.wttw.com/2017/02/23/chicago-highlighted-us-railroad-capital-trains-magazine |url-status=live }}</ref> The services terminate in [[Port Huron, Michigan|Port Huron]], [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]], the San Francisco Area, New York City, New Orleans, [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Seattle]], [[Miami]], [[Milwaukee]], [[Carbondale, Illinois|Carbondale]], [[Quincy, Illinois|Quincy]], Boston, [[St. Louis]], [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]], Los Angeles, [[San Antonio]], and [[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]]. Future service will terminate at [[Moline, Illinois|Moline]]. An attempt was made in the early 20th century to link Chicago with New York City via the [[Chicago&nbsp;– New York Electric Air Line Railroad]]. Parts of this were built, but it was never completed.

====Bicycle and scooter sharing systems====
In July 2013, the [[bicycle-sharing system]] [[Divvy]] was launched with 750 bikes and 75 docking stations.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Chicago Welcomes Divvy Bike Sharing System |url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/bike/news/2013/jul/chicago_welcomesdivvybikesharingsystem.html |publisher=[[Mayor of Chicago]] |date=July 1, 2013 |access-date=December 1, 2019}}</ref> It is operated by [[Lyft]] for the [[Chicago Department of Transportation]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Buckley |first1=Madeline |title=Divvy to get $50 million upgrade from Lyft investment in exchange for ride revenue under contract proposal |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-divvy-expansion-deal-20190312-story.html |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=March 12, 2019 |access-date=December 1, 2019 |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513181450/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-divvy-expansion-deal-20190312-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As of July 2019, Divvy operated 5800 bicycles at 608 stations, covering almost all of the city, excluding [[Pullman, Chicago|Pullman]], Rosedale, [[Beverly, Chicago|Beverly]], [[Belmont Cragin, Chicago|Belmont Cragin]] and [[Edison Park, Chicago|Edison Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/transportation/ct-biz-divvy-bike-share-south-side-getting-around-20190708-6ky2nlk6zvhuzisj45xroroju4-story.html |title=City gets ready to spread Divvy bikes to Far South Side |last=Wisniwski |first=Mary |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=June 8, 2019 |access-date=October 28, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028144350/https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/transportation/ct-biz-divvy-bike-share-south-side-getting-around-20190708-6ky2nlk6zvhuzisj45xroroju4-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2019, The City of Chicago announced its Chicago's Electric Shared Scooter Pilot Program, scheduled to run from June 15 to October 15.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/05/02/city-of-chicago-announces-e-scooter-pilot-program-and-call-for-vendors/ |title=City Of Chicago Announces E-Scooter Pilot Program And Call For Vendors |publisher=CBS 2 |date=May 2, 2019 |access-date=December 1, 2019 |archive-date=March 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305121003/https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/05/02/city-of-chicago-announces-e-scooter-pilot-program-and-call-for-vendors/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The program started on June 15 with 10 different scooter companies, including scooter sharing market leaders [[Bird Global|Bird]], [[Jump (transportation company)|Jump]], [[Lime (transportation company)|Lime]] and [[Lyft]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-biz-cb-scooters-are-coming-20190611-story.html |title=Electric shared scooters have arrived in Chicago: Here's what you need to know |last=Wiesniewski |first=Mary |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=June 17, 2019 |access-date=December 1, 2019 |archive-date=September 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905225206/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-biz-cb-scooters-are-coming-20190611-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Each company was allowed to bring 250 [[Electric motorcycles and scooters|electric scooters]], although both Bird and Lime claimed that they experienced a higher demand for their scooters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/8/16/20808590/bird-scooters-chicago-lyft-lime-electric |title=Just like Lime, Bird says biggest rider complaint is not enough scooters |last=Freund |first=Sara |website=[[Curbed]] Chicago |date=August 16, 2019 |access-date=December 1, 2019 |archive-date=August 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816195756/https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/8/16/20808590/bird-scooters-chicago-lyft-lime-electric |url-status=live }}</ref> The program ended on October 15, with nearly 800,000 rides taken.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gazettechicago.com/index/2019/11/should-chicago-keep-e-scooter-program-going/ |title=Should Chicago keep e-scooter program going? |last=Hofmann |first=Eva |newspaper=[[The Gazette (Chicago)|The London Gazette]] |date=December 1, 2019 |access-date=December 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108171527/http://www.gazettechicago.com/index/2019/11/should-chicago-keep-e-scooter-program-going/ |archive-date=November 8, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Freight rail====
Chicago is the largest hub in the railroad industry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.beltrailway.com/about-2/ |title=About |date=March 19, 2012 |access-date=April 20, 2016 |archive-date=April 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419211030/http://www2.beltrailway.com/about-2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> All five [[Class I railroad]]s meet in Chicago. {{as of|2002}}, severe freight train congestion caused trains to take as long to get through the Chicago region as it took to get there from the West Coast of the country (about 2 days).<ref>{{cite web |last=Winsor |first=Jeromie |url=http://www.metroplanning.org/articleDetail.asp?objectID=1707 |title=Metropolitan Planning Council |publisher=Metroplanning.org |date=July 14, 2003 |access-date=May 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530063637/http://www.metroplanning.org/articleDetail.asp?objectID=1707 |archive-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref> According to U.S. Department of Transportation, the volume of imported and exported goods transported via rail to, from, or through Chicago is forecast to increase nearly 150 percent between 2010 and 2040.<ref>{{cite web |title=CREATE Program Benefits Fact Sheets |url=http://www.createprogram.org/benefits.htm |website=CREATE |access-date=July 20, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814015216/http://createprogram.org/benefits.htm |archive-date=August 14, 2015}}</ref> CREATE, the [[Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program]], comprises about 70 programs, including crossovers, overpasses and underpasses, that intend to significantly improve the speed of freight movements in the Chicago area.<ref>{{cite web |title=CREATE projects |url=http://www.createprogram.org/projects.htm |website=CREATE |publisher=CREATE.org |access-date=July 20, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813234025/http://createprogram.org/projects.htm |archive-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref>

====Airports====
{{Further|Transportation in Chicago#Airports}}
[[File:Chicago O'Hare International Airport.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[O'Hare International Airport]]]]
Chicago is served by [[O'Hare International Airport]], the world's busiest airport measured by airline operations,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2016/04/04/ACI-releases-preliminary-world-airport-traffic-rankings- |title=Annual Traffic Data – 2015 Preliminary |work=[[Airports Council International]] |access-date=May 6, 2015 |archive-date=April 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405082544/http://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2016/04/04/ACI-releases-preliminary-world-airport-traffic-rankings- |url-status=live }}</ref> on the far Northwest Side, and [[Midway International Airport]] on the Southwest Side. In 2005, O'Hare was the world's busiest airport by aircraft movements and the second-busiest by total passenger traffic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airports.org/aci/aci/file/Press%20Releases/PR140306_2005_Prelim_Results.pdf |title=Preliminary Traffic Results for 2005 Show Firm Rebound (March 14, 2006) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623093321/http://www.airports.org/aci/aci/file/Press%20Releases/PR140306_2005_Prelim_Results.pdf |archive-date=June 23, 2006}}&nbsp;{{small|(520&nbsp;KB)}}. ''Airports Council International''.</ref> Both O'Hare and Midway are owned and operated by the City of Chicago. [[Gary/Chicago International Airport]] and [[Chicago Rockford International Airport]], located in [[Gary, Indiana]] and [[Rockford, Illinois]], respectively, can serve as alternative Chicago area airports, however they do not offer as many commercial flights as O'Hare and Midway. In recent years the state of Illinois has been leaning towards [[Proposed Chicago south suburban airport|building an entirely new airport]] in the Illinois suburbs of Chicago.<ref>{{cite news |last=Metsch |first=Steve |title=Top IDOT official says third airport will be built |date=July 2012 |url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/14080173-418/top-idot-official-says-third-airport-will-be-built.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801232449/http://www.suntimes.com/news/14080173-418/top-idot-official-says-third-airport-will-be-built.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 1, 2012 |access-date=June 11, 2013 |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times}}</ref> The City of Chicago is the world headquarters for [[United Airlines]], the world's third-largest airline.

====Port authority====
{{Main|Port of Chicago}}

The Port of Chicago consists of several major port facilities within the city of Chicago operated by the Illinois International Port District (formerly known as the Chicago Regional Port District). The central element of the Port District, Calumet Harbor, is maintained by the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Calumet Harbor and River |url=http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorksProjects/CalumetHarborandRiver.aspx |work=[[US Army Corps of Engineers]] |access-date=June 12, 2013 |archive-date=June 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610095421/http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorksProjects/CalumetHarborandRiver.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminal: at the mouth of the Calumet River, it includes {{convert|100|acre|km2}} of warehouses and facilities on Lake Michigan with over {{convert|780,000|m2|ft2|sp=us}} of storage.
* Lake Calumet terminal: located at the union of the [[Grand Calumet River]] and [[Little Calumet River]] {{convert|6|mi|km}} inland from Lake Michigan. Includes three transit sheds totaling over {{convert|29,000|m2|ft2|sp=us}} adjacent to over 900 linear meters (3,000 linear feet) of ship and barge berthing.
* Grain (14&nbsp;million bushels) and bulk liquid (800,000 barrels) storage facilities along [[Lake Calumet]].
* The Illinois International Port district also operates [[Foreign trade zones of the United States|Foreign trade zone]] No.&nbsp;22, which extends {{convert|60|mi|km}} from Chicago's city limits.

===Utilities===
Electricity for most of [[northern Illinois]] is provided by [[Commonwealth Edison]], also known as ComEd. Their service territory borders [[Iroquois County, Illinois|Iroquois County]] to the south, the [[Wisconsin]] border to the north, the [[Iowa]] border to the west and the [[Indiana]] border to the east. In northern Illinois, ComEd (a division of [[Exelon]]) operates the greatest number of nuclear generating plants in any U.S. state. Because of this, ComEd reports indicate that Chicago receives about 75% of its electricity from nuclear power. Recently, the city began installing wind turbines on government buildings to promote renewable energy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iit.edu/~ipro307f/faq.html |title=IIT.edu |publisher=IIT.edu |date=June 20, 2003 |access-date=May 4, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080605021018/http://www.iit.edu/~ipro307f/faq.html |archive-date = June 5, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kentlaw.edu/news/advisory/adv030707.html |title=KentLaw.edu |publisher=KentLaw.edu |access-date=May 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927203000/http://www.kentlaw.edu/news/advisory/adv030707.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Martin LaMonica Staff Writer |author2=CNET News |url=http://news.cnet.com/Micro+wind+turbines+are+coming+to+town/2100-11398_3-6037539.html |title='Micro' wind turbines are coming to town &#124; CNET News.com |publisher=CNET |access-date=May 4, 2009 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709113341/https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/micro-wind-turbines-are-coming-to-town/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Natural gas is provided by Peoples Gas, a subsidiary of [[Integrys Energy Group]], which is headquartered in Chicago.

Domestic and industrial waste was once incinerated but it is now [[landfill]]ed, mainly in the [[Lake Calumet|Calumet area]]. From 1995 to 2008, the city had a [[blue bag]] program to divert recyclable refuse from landfills.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1322.html |title=Waste Disposal |publisher=Encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=June 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605002907/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1322.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Because of low participation in the blue bag programs, the city began a pilot program for blue bin recycling like other cities. This proved successful and blue bins were rolled out across the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wbez.org/series/curious-city/what-really-happens-chicagos-blue-cart-recycling-112302 |title=What really happens to Chicago's blue cart recycling? |last1=Bentley |first1=Chris |date=July 1, 2015 |website=WBEZ91.5 Chicago Public Media |publisher=Chicago Public Media |access-date=December 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211143038/http://www.wbez.org/series/curious-city/what-really-happens-chicagos-blue-cart-recycling-112302 |archive-date=December 11, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Health systems===
[[File:Prentice Chicago 060816.jpg|thumb|upright|Prentice Women's Hospital on the [[Northwestern Memorial Hospital]] Downtown Campus]]
The [[Illinois Medical District]] is on the Near West Side. It includes [[Rush University Medical Center]], ranked as the second best hospital in the Chicago metropolitan area by ''U.S. News & World Report'' for 2014–16, the [[University of Illinois College of Medicine|University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago]], Jesse Brown VA Hospital, and [[John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County]], one of the busiest trauma centers in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Havertz |first=Rieke |title=Counting Bullets: A Night at a Chicago Trauma Unit |url=http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/north-america-chicago-stroger-hospital-cook-county-youth-violence-counting-bullets-night-chicago-trauma-unit |work=[[Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting]] |access-date=September 2, 2013 |archive-date=August 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823113103/http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/north-america-chicago-stroger-hospital-cook-county-youth-violence-counting-bullets-night-chicago-trauma-unit |url-status=live }}</ref>

Two of the country's premier academic medical centers reside in Chicago, including [[Northwestern Memorial Hospital]] and the [[University of Chicago Medical Center]]. The Chicago campus of Northwestern University includes the [[Feinberg School of Medicine]]; Northwestern Memorial Hospital, which is ranked as the best hospital in the Chicago metropolitan area by ''U.S. News & World Report'' for 2017–18;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/chicago-il |title=Rankings |website=health.usnews.com |access-date=April 12, 2021 |archive-date=February 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213095509/https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/chicago-il |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Shirley Ryan AbilityLab]] (formerly named the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), which is ranked the best U.S. rehabilitation hospital by ''U.S. News & World Report'';<ref>{{cite web |title=Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago |url=http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/il/rehabilitation-institute-of-chicago-6431012 |work=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=September 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819161644/http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/il/rehabilitation-institute-of-chicago-6431012 |archive-date=August 19, 2013}}</ref> the new [[List of Northwestern University buildings#Prentice Women's Hospital|Prentice Women's Hospital]]; and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

The [[University of Illinois College of Medicine]] at UIC is the second-largest medical school in the United States (2,600 students, including those at campuses in Peoria, Rockford and [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign|Urbana–Champaign]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aamc.org/download/321526/data/factstableb1-2.pdf |title=Fact sheet |website=aamc.org |access-date=October 11, 2016 |archive-date=October 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016215352/https://www.aamc.org/download/321526/data/factstableb1-2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition, the [[Chicago Medical School]] and Loyola University Chicago's [[Stritch School of Medicine]] are located in the suburbs of [[North Chicago, Illinois|North Chicago]] and [[Maywood, Illinois|Maywood]], respectively. The [[Midwestern University]] Chicago College of [[Osteopathic medicine in the United States|Osteopathic Medicine]] is in [[Downers Grove, Illinois|Downers Grove]].

The [[American Medical Association]], [[Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education]], [[Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education]], [[American Osteopathic Association]], [[American Dental Association]], [[Academy of General Dentistry]], [[Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics]], [[American Association of Nurse Anesthetists]], [[American College of Surgeons]], [[American Society for Clinical Pathology]], [[American College of Healthcare Executives]], the [[American Hospital Association]], and [[Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association]] are all based in Chicago.

==Sister cities==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|GHA}} [[Accra]], Ghana
*{{flagicon|JOR}} [[Amman]], Jordan
*{{flagicon|GRC}} [[Athens]], Greece
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Belgrade]], Serbia
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Birmingham]], England, United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|COL}} [[Bogotá]], Colombia
*{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Busan]], South Korea
*{{flagicon|MAR}} [[Casablanca]], Morocco
*{{flagicon|IND}} [[Delhi]], India
*{{flagicon|RSA}} [[Durban]], South Africa
*{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Galway]], Ireland
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Gothenburg Municipality|Gothenburg]], Sweden
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Hamburg]], Germany
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Kyiv]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|PAK}} [[Lahore]], Pakistan
*{{flagicon|SUI}} [[Lucerne]], Switzerland
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Mexico City]], Mexico
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Milan]], Italy
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Moscow]], Russia (suspended)
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Osaka]], Japan
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Paris]], France (friendship city)
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Petah Tikva]], Israel
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Prague]], Czech Republic
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shanghai]], China
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shenyang]], China
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Sydney]], Australia (friendship city)
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Toronto]], Canada
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Vilnius]], Lithuania
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Warsaw]], Poland
{{div col end}}
<ref>{{cite web |title=Sister Cities|url=http://www.chicagosistercities.com/sister-cities/|publisher=Chicago Sister Cities International|access-date=2023-07-15}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Chicago area water quality]]
* [[Chicago Wilderness]]
* [[Gentrification of Chicago]]
* [[Index of Illinois-related articles]]
* [[List of cities with the most skyscrapers]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Central Chicago]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in North Side Chicago]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in West Side Chicago]]
* [[USS Chicago|USS ''Chicago'']], four ships

== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist|33em}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Cited references ===
<!--When creating entries to additional items please refer to the Wikipedia [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|Cite Sources]] guidelines. -->
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{citation |last=Bach |first=Ira J. |title=Chicago's Famous Buildings |year=1980 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-03396-1 |lccn=79023365 |url=https://archive.org/details/chicagosfamousbu00cond |url-access=registration }}
* {{citation |last=Buisseret |first=David |title=Historic Illinois From The Air |year=1990 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-07989-9 |lccn=89020648 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/historicillinois0000buis }}
* {{citation |last=Clymer |first=Floyd |author-link=Floyd Clymer |title=Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925 |publisher=Bonanza Books |year=1950 |location=New York |oclc=1966986}}
* {{citation |last=Condit |first=Carl W. |author-link=Carl W. Condit |title=Chicago 1910–29: Building, Planning, and Urban Technology |year=1973 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-11456-2 |lccn=72094791 |url=https://archive.org/details/chicago191029bui0000cond }}
* {{citation |last=Genzen |first=Jonathan |title=The Chicago River: A History in Photographs |year=2007 |publisher=Westcliffe Publishers, Inc. |isbn=978-1-56579-553-2 |lccn=2006022119}}
* {{citation|editor-last1=Grossman |editor-first1=James R. |editor-last2=Keating |editor-first2=Ann Durkin |editor-last3=Reiff |editor-first3=Janice L. |title=The Encyclopedia of Chicago |year=2004 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-31015-9 |oclc=54454572}}
* Holli, Melvin G., and Jones, Peter d'A., eds. ''Biographical Dictionary of American Mayors, 1820-1980'' (Greenwood Press, 1981) short scholarly biographies each of the city's mayors 1820 to 1980. [https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict0000unse_r8s1 online]; see index at pp.&nbsp;406–411 for list.
* {{citation |last=Lowe |first=David Garrard |title=Lost Chicago |year=2000 |location=New York |publisher=Watson-Guptill Publications |lccn=00107305 |isbn=0-8230-2871-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/lostchicago0000lowe }}
* {{citation |editor-last=Madigan |editor-first=Charles |editor-link=Charles Madigan |title=Global Chicago |year=2004 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Urbana |isbn=0-252-02941-0 |oclc=54400307 |url=https://archive.org/details/globalchicago00char }}
* {{citation |editor-last=Montejano |editor-first=David |editor-link=David Montejano |title=Chicano Politics and Society in the Late Twentieth Century |year=1999 |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |isbn=0-292-75215-6 |oclc=38879251 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/chicanopoliticss0000unse_y4a4 }}
* {{citation |last=Norcliffe |first=Glen |title=The Ride to Modernity: The Bicycle in Canada, 1869–1900 |year=2001 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |isbn=0-8020-4398-4 |oclc=46625313}}
* {{citation |last1=Pogorzelski |first1=Daniel |last2=Maloof |first2=John |title=Portage Park |year=2008 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-0-7385-5229-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4p2aYsItpT8C&pg=PP1 |access-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709113333/https://books.google.com/books?id=4p2aYsItpT8C&pg=PP1 |url-status=live }}
* {{citation |last=Schneirov |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Schneirov |title=Labor and urban politics: class conflict and the origins of modern liberalism in Chicago, 1864–97 |year=1998 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Urbana |isbn=0-252-06676-6 |oclc=37246254}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{citation |last=Cronon |first=William |author-link=William Cronon |title=Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West |orig-year=1991 |year=1992 |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York |isbn=0-393-30873-1 |oclc=26609682 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780393308730}}
* {{citation |last=Granacki |first=Victoria |title=Chicago's Polish Downtown |year=2004 |publisher=Arcadia Pub |isbn=978-0-7385-3286-8 |lccn=2004103888}}
* {{citation |last1=Jirasek |first1=Rita Arias |last2=Tortolero |first2=Carlos |title=Mexican Chicago |year=2001 |publisher=Arcadia Pub |isbn=978-0-7385-0756-9 |lccn=2001088175}}
* {{citation |last=Miller |first=Donald L. |title=City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America |year=1996 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=0-684-80194-9 |oclc=493430274 |url=https://archive.org/details/cityofcentury00dona}}
* {{citation |last=Pacyga |first=Dominic A. |title=Chicago: A Biography |year=2009 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-64431-8 |oclc=298670853}}
* {{citation |last=Sampson |first=Robert J. |author-link=Robert J. Sampson |title=Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect |year=2012 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-73456-9 |title-link=Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect}}
* {{citation |last=Sawyer |first=R. Keith |title=Improvised dialogue: emergence and creativity in conversation |year=2002 |publisher=Ablex Pub. |location=Westport, Conn. |isbn=1-56750-677-1 |oclc=59373382}}
* {{citation |editor1-last=Slaton |editor1-first=Deborah |title=Wild Onions: A Brief Guide to Landmarks and Lesser-Known Structures in Chicago's Loop |year=1997 |edition=2nd |publisher=[[Association for Preservation Technology International]] |location=Champaign, IL |oclc=42362348}}
* {{citation |last=Smith |first=Carl S. |title=The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City |series=Chicago visions + revisions |year=2006 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |location=Chicago |isbn=0-226-76471-0 |oclc=261199152 |url=https://archive.org/details/planofchicagodan0000smit}}
* {{citation |last=Spears |first=Timothy B. |title=Chicago dreaming: Midwesterners and the city, 1871–1919 |year=2005 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=0-226-76874-0 |oclc=56086689}}
* {{citation |last=Swanson |first=Stevenson |others=Chicago Tribune (Firm) |title=Chicago Days: 150 Defining Moments in the Life of a Great City |year=1997 |publisher=Cantigny First Division Foundation |location=Chicago |isbn=1-890093-03-3 |oclc=36066057 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/chicagodays150de0000unse}}
* {{citation |last=Zurawski |first=Joseph W. |title=Polish Chicago: Our History—Our Recipes |year=2007 |publisher=G. Bradley Pub, Inc. |isbn=978-0-9774512-2-7}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/700005.html?entryA ''Encyclopedia of Chicago'' (2004)], comprehensive coverage of city and suburbs, past and present
* {{official website|http://www.cityofchicago.org/}} ({{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://ci.chi.il.us|title=Website archives}})
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060610131550/http://choosechicago.com/ Choose Chicago]—Official tourism website
* [https://earlychicago.com/chron/ Chicago History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609094509/https://earlychicago.com/chron/ |date=June 9, 2022 }}
* [http://collections.lib.uwm.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOBOX1=Illinois&CISOFIELD1=statep&CISOOP2=all&CISOBOX2=chicago+%28ill%29+--+maps&CISOFIELD2=subjec&CISOROOT=/agdm&t=s Maps of Chicago from the American Geographical Society Library]
* {{HALS |survey=IL-10 |id=il0993 |title=Chicago Cityscape, Chicago, Cook County, IL |photos=45 |cap=4}}
* [https://localwiki.org/chicago// Chicago – LocalWiki] Local Chicago Wiki
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Chicago |volume= 6 | pages = 118–125 |short=1 }}
* {{Cite EB1922 |wstitle= Chicago |volume = 30 |short= 1}}

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