POPULATION: 2,722,389 (city), 9,522,434 (metro) | TIME ZONE: Central | CLIMATE: Humid continental climate (warm to hot and often humid summers, cold and snowy winters with few sunny days, mile spring and autumn with low humidity)
In case you’ve ever wondered (and even if you haven’t), the name "Chicago" was derived by the French from the Native American word, shikaakwa. Some translate this word as "wild leek," "wild onion" or "wild garlic." Apparently, other sources say the name means place of the skunk. (We remain agnostic on this and lean towards the former, as we enjoy leeks.) Chicago’s 1900 population was 77% foreign-born, or U.S.-born of foreign parents. Two thirds of that population was German, Irish, Polish, Swedish or Czech, which accounts for the notable concentration of those ethnic groups in Chicago history and lore. Interestingly, the term "midway" for a fair or carnival was originally a reference to a strip of park land that runs through the University of Chicago campus called the Midway Plaisance.
In the 19th Century, Chicago began emerging as a center for finance, manufacturing and retail. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed an area of about 4 square miles. The wooden buildings that were destroyed were often replaced by steel and stone construction, setting a standard for construction around the world. Included in this rebuilding was the world's first steel-skeleton construction skyscraper. The Chicago industrial boom meant a much bigger labor pool—along with labor conflicts and unionization. Chicago also became a leader in social work when efforts were made to deal with the social problems afflicting the city’s immigrant poor. Chicago also lead the way in public health, setting higher standards for medicine and fighting urban epidemics of cholera, smallpox and yellow fever.
NICKNAME(S)
The Windy City
Second City
Chi-Town
Chicagoland
City of the Big Shoulders
Hog butcher for the world
MOTTO(S)
Urbs in Horto (City in a Garden)
I Will RANDOM SONG ABOUT THE CITY
"Sweet Home Chicago," by Robert Johnson, Blues Brothers version
PRO SPORTS TEAMS
Chicago Bears (NFL)
Chicago Cubs (MLB)
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)
Chicago Bulls (NBA)
Chicago White Sox (MLB)
Chicago Fire (MLS)
Chicago Sky (WNBA)
Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Chicago Red Stars (NWSL)
ALSO KNOWN FOR...
Chicago pizza
The Chicago hot dog
The busiest airport in the world (O’Hare)
The most U.S. highways and railroad freight
Blues music
The Great Chicago Fire
The Loop
The Sears Tower
Wrigley Field Art Institute of Chicago
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
The World’s Fair of 1893
It’s where Pabst won its blue ribbon
The Second City improv company
Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Al Capone, John Hughes, Frank Lloyd Wright, Saul Bellow, Milton Friedman, Ray Bradbury, Raymond Chandler, Ernest Hemingway, Ann Landers, John Belushi, Walt Disney, Redd Fox, Hugh Hefner, Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Bill Murray, Melvin Van Peebles, Wesley Clark, Jessie Jackson