The Wilcox Company

Chicago, IL Area Guide

Chicago is the largest city in Illinois, and with a population of nearly three million people, it is the 3rd largest city in the United States. Located on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the third-most densely populated major city in the U.S., and anchor to the world's 26th largest metropolitan area with over 9.5 million people across three states.

After a series of wars with the local Native Americans, Chicago was founded in 1833, near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. The city became a major transportation and telecommunications hub in North America. Today, the city retains its status as a major hub, both for industry and infrastructure, with its O'Hare International Airport as the second busiest airport in the world. In modern times, the city has taken on additional dimension as a center for business and finance, and is listed as one of the world's top ten Global Financial Centers. Chicago is a stronghold of the Democratic Party, and has been home to influential politicians, including the current President of the United States, Barack Obama. The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Chicago as an alpha world city. Chicago has become a global city, a thriving center of international trade and commerce, and a place where people of every nationality come to pursue the American dream. Chicago has a heritage for hosting major international, national, regional, and local events that include commerce, culture, entertainment, politics, and sports.
Globally recognized, Chicago has numerous nicknames, which reflect the impressions and opinions about historical and contemporary Chicago. The best known include: "Chi-town"; the "Windy City" with reference to Chicago politicians and residents boasting about their city; "Second City," due to the city generally being the second most prestigious in the nation in terms of culture, entertainment, and finance; and because for much of the twentieth century Chicago's population was the second largest of any city in the United States, and the "City of Big Shoulders", referring to its numerous skyscrapers (whose steel frame designs were largely pioneered in Chicago), described as being husky and brawling. For this and more information, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago.

Chicago History

Chicago is home a very rich and vibrant history that no guide could ever do justice. Therefore we included only part of the history that makes Chicago what it is today. Discover more about the vast history of Chicago by visiting: http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/about_the_city/our_history.html.

Early Chicago
Chicago’s first permanent resident was a trader named Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a free black man apparently from Haiti, who came here in the late 1770s. In 1795, the U.S. government built Fort Dearborn at what is now the corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. It was burned to the ground by Native Americans in 1812, rebuilt and demolished in 1857.

A Trading Center
Incorporated as a city in 1837, Chicago was ideally situated to take advantage of the trading possibilities created by the nation’s westward expansion. The completion of the Illinois & Michigan Canal in 1848 created a water link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, but the canal was soon rendered obsolete by railroads. Today, 50 percent of U.S. rail freight continues to pass through Chicago, even as the city has become the nation’s busiest aviation center with O’Hare and Midway International airports.

The Great Fire of 1871
In the 1850s, residents raised many of the streets five to eight feet to install a sewer system – and then raised the buildings, as well. Unfortunately, the buildings, streets and sidewalks were made of wood, and most of them burned to the ground in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The Chicago Fire Department training academy at 558 W. DeKoven St. is on the site of the O’Leary property where the fire began. The Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station at Michigan and Chicago avenues are among the few buildings to have survived the fire.

Chicago Parks & Recreation

Chicago is home to a vast parks and recreation system and is managed by the Chicago Park District. Chicago has more than 7,600 acres of park land and 570 individual parks. With 536 baseball fields, two of which are designed to be wheelchair accessible, over 600 playgrounds of varying degrees of accessibility, and 220 facilities, Chicago has your park and recreation needs covered. There are over 55 miles of lakefront and beachfront views to be had, with 15 accessible beach walks, 86 public pools, 60 fitness centers, and 15 dog friendly areas under the Chicago Park District’s care. Chicago’s parks and recreation department also cares for 10 museums, 9 harbors, 9 ice skating rinks, 8 skate parks, 6 golf courses, 90 gardens, 50 community centers, 2 world-class conservatories, 17 historic lagoons, 11 savannas/woodlands, 5 wetlands, 22 prairies/grasslands, a nature center, an urban farm, an organic greenhouse, plus thousands of special events and programs held throughout the year. For more information on Parks & Recreation in Chicago visit the Chicago Parks District website by clicking here:

Chicago Events

Offering annual and semi-annual events and a wealth of opportunities, Chicago has a bit of everything. With events for all ages and all interests, there is sure to be something for you here. Chicago offers spectacular winter festivals and awesome spring socials and everything in between. Learn more about Chicago’s cornucopia of events by clicking on the link below.

For the Chicago events calendar click here

Chicago Attractions

Chicago offers attractions that will appeal to all ages and interests. With everything from Brontosauruses to classical music, Chicago has it all. Please visit the list of links below to discover what’s awaiting you in Chicago.

For a complete list of attractions in Chicago click here

For more information on Chicago visit the official website by clicking here

For the City of Chicago Tourism website click here

For the Official Chicago Visitors website click here

For the Chicago Chamber of Commerce website click here