Chicago

This article is about the city in Illinois. For the band, see Chicago (band). For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation).

Chicago
City
The Loop
Chicago River
"L" train
Wrigley Field
Navy Pier
Art Institute of Chicago
Buckingham Fountain
Flag of Chicago
Flag
Official seal of Chicago
Seal
Official logo of Chicago
Logo
Etymology: Miami-Illinois: shikaakwa ('wild onion' or 'wild garlic')
Nicknames: 
Windy City and others
Mottoes: 
Latin: Urbs in Horto (City in a Garden); I Will
Map
Interactive map of Chicago
Chicago is located in Illinois
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is located in the United States
Chicago
Chicago
Coordinates: 41°52′55″N 87°37′40″W / 41.88194°N 87.62778°W / 41.88194; -87.62778[1]
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountiesCook (majority) and DuPage (minority)
Settledc. 1780; 244 years ago (1780)
Incorporated (town)August 12, 1833; 191 years ago (1833-08-12)
Incorporated (city)March 4, 1837; 187 years ago (1837-03-04)
Founded byJean Baptiste Point du Sable
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • BodyChicago City Council
 • MayorBrandon Johnson (D)
 • City ClerkAnna Valencia (D)
 • City TreasurerMelissa Conyears-Ervin (D)
Area
[2]
 • City234.53 sq mi (607.44 km2)
 • Land227.73 sq mi (589.82 km2)
 • Water6.80 sq mi (17.62 km2)
Elevation
[1] (mean)
597.18 ft (182.02 m)
Highest elevation

– near Blue Island
672 ft (205 m)
Lowest elevation

– at Lake Michigan
578 ft (176 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • City2,746,388
 • Estimate 
(2022)[3]
2,665,039
 • Rank
  • 5th in North America
  • 3rd in the United States
  • 1st in Illinois
 • Density12,059.84/sq mi (4,656.33/km2)
 • Urban
[4]
8,671,746 (US: 3rd)
 • Urban density3,709.2/sq mi (1,432.1/km2)
 • Metro
[5]
9,618,502 (US: 3rd)
DemonymChicagoan
GDP
[6]
 • Metro$832.900 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−06:00 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−05:00 (CDT)
ZIP Code prefixes
606xx, 607xx, 608xx
Area codes312, 773, 872
FIPS code17-14000
GNIS feature ID0428803
Websitechicago.gov

Chicago[a] is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 census,[9] it is the third-most populous city in the United States after New York City and Los Angeles. As the seat of Cook County, the second-most populous county in the U.S., Chicago is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area, often colloquially called "Chicagoland" and home to 9.6 million residents.

Located on the shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. It grew rapidly in the mid-19th century.[10][11] In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless,[12] but Chicago's population continued to grow.[11] Chicago made noted contributions to urban planning and architecture, such as the Chicago School, the development of the City Beautiful movement, and the steel-framed skyscraper.[13][14]

Chicago is an international hub for finance, culture, commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. It has the largest and most diverse finance derivatives market in the world, generating 20% of all volume in commodities and financial futures alone.[15] O'Hare International Airport is routinely ranked among the world's top six busiest airports by passenger traffic,[16] and the region is also the nation's railroad hub.[17] The Chicago area has one of the highest gross domestic products (GDP) of any urban region in the world, generating $689 billion in 2018.[18] Chicago's economy is diverse, with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce.[15]

Chicago is a major destination for tourism, including visitors to its cultural institutions, and Lake Michigan beaches. Chicago's culture has contributed much to the visual arts, literature, film, theater, comedy (especially improvisational comedy), food, dance, and music (particularly jazz, blues, soul, hip-hop, gospel,[19] 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 art school. The Chicago area also hosts the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois Chicago, among other institutions of learning. Professional sports in Chicago include all major professional leagues, including two Major League Baseball teams.

  1. ^ a b "City of Chicago". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "QuickFacts: Chicago city, Illinois". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  7. ^ Wells, John C. (1982). Accents of English. Vol. 3: Beyond the British Isles (pp. i–xx, 467–674). Cambridge University Press. p. 476. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511611766. ISBN 0-52128541-0 .
  8. ^ Carrico, Natalya (March 18, 2019). "'We're still here'". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "QuickFacts: Chicago city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Keating, Ann Durkin. "Metropolitan Growth". In Grossman, Keating & Reiff (2004).
  11. ^ a b "Demography: Chicago as a Modern World City". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  12. ^ Cohen, Jennie (October 7, 2011). "Urban Infernos Throughout History". History. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  13. ^ "Skyscrapers". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  14. ^ Glancey, Jonathan (October 5, 2015). "The city that changed architecture forever". BBC News. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Economy". World Business Chicago. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "2017 Passenger Summary – Annual Traffic Data". ACI World. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  17. ^ Rodriguez, Alex (January 26, 2014). "Chicago takes on the world". Chicago Tribune. Sec. 1 p. 15.
  18. ^ "CAGDP2 Gross domestic product (GDP) by county and metropolitan area". Bureau of Economic Analysis. December 12, 2019. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  19. ^ Marovich, Robert M. (2015). A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-252-08069-2.


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