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30 Interesting Facts About the City of Chicago

Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States, located in the state of Illinois. It is known for its iconic skyline, deep-dish pizza, blues music, and being the birthplace of the modern skyscraper.

Chicago was founded in 1837 and grew rapidly due to its strategic location as a transportation hub between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. It played a significant role in the development of the United States as a major center of industry, finance, and transportation.

Today, Chicago is home to over 2.7 million people and is a major global city with a diverse economy that includes finance, healthcare, transportation, technology, and manufacturing. The city is also a cultural hub, with world-class museums, art galleries, theaters, and music venues.

1. Chicago is between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed

Buildings-1804479 1920.jpg , , via Wikimedia Commons

The Great Lakes, otherwise known as the Great Lakes of North America, form a vast interconnected network of freshwater lakes located in the mid-eastern region of North America and are linked to the Atlantic Ocean by means of the Saint Lawrence River. This series of five large lakes – namely, Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario – mostly straddle the Canada-United States border. Notably, lakes Michigan and Huron, which are hydrologically linked, form a single unit at the Straits of Mackinac. Thanks to the Great Lakes Waterway, shipping and modern travel by water are enabled among the lakes.

The Mississippi River is the chief river and second longest river in North America, after the Hudson Bay drainage system. It has its origins in Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota and spans about 2,340 miles (3,766 km) to reach the Mississippi River Delta located in the Gulf of Mexico.

The river’s extensive network of tributaries allows it to drain all or portions of 32 US states and two Canadian provinces, covering the region between the Rocky and Appalachian mountain ranges.

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2. Chicago was the youngest U.S. city to exceed a population of 100, 000 in 1860

4 Oct 1978 Chicago skyline.jpg , , via Wikimedia Commons

In the mid-19th century, Chicago experienced an exponential growth in population, expanding at an unprecedented pace. By the year 1860, the city had achieved the distinction of being the youngest metropolis in the United States to surpass a population of 100,000 residents, a milestone that served as a testament to its rapid development and expansion.

3. In the mid-18th century, the area was inhabited by the Potawatomi

The Potawatomi, also known as the Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie, are a Native American people indigenous to the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River, and Great Plains. Their language, Potawatomi, is a member of the Algonquin family, and they refer to themselves as Neshnabé, which is a cognate of the Anishinaabe word.

The Potawatomi form a crucial part of the Council of Three Fires, a long-standing alliance with the Ojibway and Odawa tribes. In this council, they hold the position of the “youngest brother” and are known as Bodéwadmi, meaning “keepers of the fire,” in reference to the council fire of the three tribes.

The Potawatomi faced significant challenges in the 18th century due to European/American encroachment, resulting in their forced displacement from their lands in the Great Lakes region. They were eventually relocated to reservations in Oklahoma under Indian Removal, and many of their lands were ceded to the government.

Today, some Potawatomi bands remain in the Great Lakes region, and these tribes are federally recognized. Similarly, over 600 First Nation governments or bands are acknowledged in Canada, and 574 tribes or bands in the US are federally recognized.

4. Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was the first known non-indigenous permanent settler of Chicago

Jean-baptiste-pointe-dusable-.jpg , , via Wikimedia Commons

Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, also known by several variations of his name, is acknowledged as the primary non-Indigenous resident of what would later be called Chicago, Illinois, and is considered the “Founder of Chicago”. He was of African origin, although there is little information available about his early years before the 1770s.

Point du Sable was renowned for his good looks and education, and he wedded a Native American woman, Kitiwaha, with whom he fathered two offspring. Throughout his career, the places where he lived and conducted commerce around the Great Lakes and the Illinois Country changed hands various times between France, Britain, Spain, and the United States.

In 1779, during the American Revolutionary War, he was detained by the British on suspicion of supporting the American Patriots. In the early 1780s, he laboured for the British lieutenant governor of Michilimackinac on a plantation in what is now St. Clair, Michigan.

His former home site close to the mouth of the Chicago River is a National Historic Landmark and is now situated in Pioneer Court, and various honours have been bestowed on him, including a school, museum, harbour, park, bridge, and roadway being named after him.

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5. Fort Dearborn has been standing in Chicago since 1803

Fort Dearborn in 1830.jpg , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fort Dearborn was erected in 1803 near the Chicago River in present-day Chicago, Illinois, by American soldiers under the direction of Captain John Whistler. It was named after Henry Dearborn, who served as the United States Secretary of War at the time. Unfortunately, the original fort was demolished after the Battle of Fort Dearborn in the War of 1812, but a second version was later built in the same location in 1816.

The fort was decommissioned by 1837. Several portions of the fort were lost due to the widening of the Chicago River in 1855, and a fire in 1857. Finally, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed the last remaining remnants of Fort Dearborn. Today, the former site of the fort is a Chicago Landmark and is situated within the Michigan-Wacker Historic District.

6. The city became an important transportation hub as  the site of the Chicago Portage

Portage Park Theatre (5329693418).jpg , , via Wikimedia Commons

The ancient Chicago Portage was a crucial six-mile link connecting the Great Lakes waterway system to the Mississippi River system, allowing easy access to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Native Americans had been using the portage for thousands of years for trade and travel.

French explorers Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette were led to the portage by members of the Kaskaskia tribe in 1673, making them the first Europeans to explore the area. As a strategic location, the portage played a vital role in European activity in the Midwest, ultimately leading to the establishment of Chicago.

7. The Chicago Board of Trade controlled trade in Chicago

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) is a historic financial exchange that specializes in futures and options trading, established on April 3, 1848. In 2007, the CBOT merged with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) to form the CME Group, which operates as a designated contract market (DCM) alongside three other exchanges: CME, NYMEX, and COMEX.

8. Chicago gained national political prominence in the 1850s

During the 1850s, Chicago gained recognition as a significant political hub in the United States owing to the presence of Senator Stephen Douglas, a fervent proponent of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the “popular sovereignty” doctrine. This approach allowed citizens in each territory to determine whether slavery would be permitted, a measure that drastically intensified sectional tensions prior to the American Civil War.

9. Chicago defeated the United Kingdom in the production of steel during World War 2

Chicago was a crucial contributor to the Allied war effort during World War II, with the city’s steel industry playing a significant role in the production of steel. In fact, from 1939 to 1945, Chicago alone manufactured more steel than the United Kingdom, and from 1943 to 1945, it produced more steel than Nazi Germany.

Following the Great Depression, the second wave of the Great Migration brought hundreds of thousands of African Americans to Chicago to work in the steel mills, railroads, and shipping yards.

10. Harold Washington became the first black mayor of Chicago

Washington h.jpg , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Harold Lee Washington, a distinguished American attorney, and statesman, assumed the mantle of the 51st Mayor of Chicago. In April 1983, Washington triumphed in a landmark election, becoming the first African American to ever hold this office in Chicago. He held this position until his unfortunate demise on November 25, 1987. Hailing from Chicago and growing up in the Bronzeville neighbourhood, Washington was introduced to the world of local politics in the 3rd Ward under the tutelage of Chicago Alderman Ralph Metcalfe, who later became a Congressman.

Washington’s academic accomplishments include graduating from Roosevelt University and Northwestern University School of Law. Prior to his role as mayor, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Illinois’s first district from 1981 to 1983, and held posts in the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives from 1965 to 1976.

11. The city is composed of three sides

BigLaw Chicago.jpg, , via Wikimedia Commons

The city of Chicago comprises several major regions, including the central business district known as The Loop, and the North, South, and West Sides, represented on the city flag by three parallel white stripes. Among these, the North Side is the most densely populated residential section of the city, with many tall buildings situated along the lakefront.

On the other hand, the South Side is the city’s largest area, covering approximately 60% of its total land area and housing most of the Port of Chicago facilities. In the late 1920s, sociologists from the University of Chicago created 77 distinct community areas to subdivide the city, which can be further broken down into more than 200 unofficially recognized neighbourhoods.

12. Chicago’s streets were laid out in a street grind

The grid plan, also known as the grid street plan or gridiron plan, is a city planning scheme in which streets intersect each other at right angles, creating a grid-like pattern. This layout features two inherent attributes, namely, orthogonal geometry and frequent intersections, which aid in the efficient movement of people and goods. The grid’s geometry enhances orientation and wayfinding, while its numerous intersections allow for the convenient and direct selection of routes to desired destinations.

The streets of Chicago were established in a grid pattern that originated from the city’s original townsite layout, which was bordered by Lake Michigan to the east, North Avenue to the north, Wood Street to the west, and 22nd Street to the south. Arterial streets in the outlying areas followed the Public Land Survey System section lines.

The city enacted a law requiring that all new additions to the city be developed with a grid pattern that comprised eight streets per mile in one direction and sixteen in the other direction, with a spacing of approximately one street per 200 meters in one direction and one street per 100 meters in the other direction. This uniform grid system allowed for the efficient development of new properties in the city.

13. Chicago is a city of neighbourhoods

Chicago is known for its assortment of neighbourhoods, each with its own unique name and boundaries that can be challenging to define, and some estimates suggest that there could be over 200 of them. Although there is an official city ordinance that maps out 178 of these neighbourhoods, many city departments tend to ignore it.

This causes these identities to change gradually due to changing demographics and real estate development. Additionally, the city is divided into 77 community areas that were originally established by the University of Chicago scholars during the 1920s.

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14. Chicago was ranked the sixth-most walkable large city in the United States

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Among the most walkable cities in the United |States of America are; New York, San Francisco, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington D.C., Seattle, Oakland, and Long Beach.

In Chicago, numerous residential streets are designed with an expansive green strip or a row of trees separating the sidewalk from the street, promoting pedestrian safety by providing greater distance from vehicular traffic. Chicago’s Western Avenue holds the distinction of being the lengthiest uninterrupted urban thoroughfare on the planet.

Prominent thoroughfares in the city include Michigan Avenue, State Street, Oak Street, Rush Street, Clark Street, and Belmont Avenue. Chicago’s boulevards and parkways were influenced by the City Beautiful movement.

15. Chicago is famous for its outdoor public art

Chicago has a longstanding reputation for its outdoor public art, with benefactors establishing funding for such art as early as Benjamin Ferguson’s 1905 trust. Many of Chicago’s public art pieces are created by contemporary figurative artists. Among these are Chagall’s Four Seasons; the Chicago Picasso; Miro’s Chicago; Calder’s Flamingo; Oldenburg’s Batcolumn; Moore’s Large Interior Form, 1953-54, Man Enters the Cosmos and Nuclear Energy; Dubuffet’s Monument with Standing Beast, Abakanowicz’s Agora; and, Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate which has become an iconic symbol of the city.

Several significant events that have shaped the city’s history have also been commemorated by artworks, such as the Great Northern Migration (Saar) and the centennial of Illinois statehood. Lastly, two fountains located near the Loop, Plensa’s Crown Fountain and Burnham and Bennett’s Buckingham Fountain, also serve as monumental works of art.

16. The city lies within the typical hot-summer humid continental climate

Chicago’s climate is characterized by a hot-summer humid continental climate that consists of four distinct seasons. During summers, the city experiences high humidity, frequent heat waves and temperatures that typically exceed 90°F for up to 23 days. Winters in Chicago are known for their low temperatures and heavy snowfall, with occasional blizzards.

Spring and autumn are short but moderate seasons, and the region is often hit by thunderstorms and severe weather during the spring and summer, which can produce destructive winds, hail, and even tornadoes. Chicago recorded its highest temperature of 105°F in 1934, and its lowest temperature of -27°F in 1985.

17. Chicago has the third-largest LGBTQ population in the United States

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Chicago ranks third in terms of the size of its LGBT community among U.S. cities. According to the Chicago Department of Health, an estimated 7.5% of the adult population, or around 146,000 residents, identified as LGBTQ in 2018.

This represents a significant increase from the 4% reported in 2015. The legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois in 2013 has resulted in over 10,000 same-sex marriages in Cook County, with the majority taking place in Chicago.

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18. Christianity is the most prevalently practised religion in Chicago

Christianity is the most widely practised religion in Chicago, with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism being the largest denominations. The city also has a significant non-Christian population, including those who identify as irreligious, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu. Chicago is the headquarters of several religious denominations and has been the location for important religious gatherings such as the Parliament of the World’s Religions.

19. Chicago has the third-largest gross metropolitan product in the United States

Chicago has the third-largest gross metropolitan product in the United States about $670.5 billion, with the most balanced economy and a high level of diversification. The city is a major world financial centre, with the second-largest central business district in the United States, and is home to 66 Fortune 1000 companies.

Manufacturing, printing, publishing, and food processing play major roles in the city’s economy. Chicago is a major transportation and distribution centre and a hub of the retail sector. Although several large companies left the Chicago area during the COVID-19 pandemic, others have moved to the city, including Kellogg’s and Google.

20. Chicago is a major world financial centre

Chicago stands as a prominent global financial hub, boasting the second-largest central business district in the United States. The city is home to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and its Seventh District, alongside significant financial and futures exchanges such as the Chicago Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (known as the “Merc”).

 

These exchanges, together with the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), are owned by the CME Group. In 2017, a staggering 4.7 billion derivatives with a face value exceeding one quadrillion dollars were traded on these Chicago exchanges. Notably, Chicago’s Chase Tower serves as the commercial and retail banking headquarters of Chase Bank. Furthermore, Chicago has played an instrumental role in the field of economics through the influential Chicago School of Economics, which has produced an impressive 12 Nobel Prize winners.

21. There are numerous tourist sites in Chicago

Chicago’s prime waterfront location and vibrant nightlife have attracted both residents and tourists, with over a third of the city population concentrated in the lakefront neighbourhoods. The city boasts upscale dining establishments and diverse ethnic restaurant districts, making it a culinary hotspot. Downtown Chicago is home to the city’s financial, cultural, governmental, and commercial institutions, and visitors can explore famous skyscrapers, museums, restaurants, shopping, and beaches.

Lincoln Park and River North are other popular tourist destinations, featuring the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Lincoln Park Conservatory, and the nation’s largest concentration of contemporary art galleries outside of New York City in the River North Gallery District.

22. The University of Chicago is located in Chicago

The University of Chicago, situated in the Hyde Park neighbourhood on the South Side of Chicago, is widely recognized as a preeminent centre of higher education and research. Founded in 1890, the university boasts an esteemed faculty, including numerous Nobel laureates, as well as a rigorous academic curriculum that has consistently placed it among the top ten universities in the world. The university’s academic programs are known for their strong emphasis on critical thinking, interdisciplinary research, and intellectual inquiry, as well as their commitment to producing innovative scholarship that addresses some of the most pressing social, cultural, and scientific challenges of our time.

The university is home to a diverse student body from all over the world, who are drawn to the institution’s outstanding academic reputation, its vibrant intellectual community, and its location in one of the most dynamic and culturally rich cities in the United States. The university’s undergraduate program, which is highly selective and renowned for its intellectual rigour, offers students the opportunity to engage with a broad range of academic disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.

23. Chicago has a distinctive fine art tradition

Chicago has a distinguished legacy in the field of fine art. The city’s art institutions have been influential in shaping contemporary art movements, particularly during the mid-20th century. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, established in 1866, is one of the oldest and most prestigious art schools in the country. It has produced numerous notable alumni, including Georgia O’Keeffe, Claes Oldenburg, and Jeff Koons.

The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, houses an extensive collection of art from around the world, including notable works by Grant Wood, Edward Hopper, and Pablo Picasso. The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is another important institution, showcasing works by contemporary artists from around the world. Additionally, Chicago is known for its public art installations, including the iconic Cloud Gate sculpture, known colloquially as “The Bean,” located in Millennium Park.

24. Chicago is famous for preparing unique and delicious dishes

Chicago is famous for its wide variety of regional specialities that are influenced by the city’s ethnic and working-class heritage. Some of these dishes include the nationally renowned deep-dish pizza, as well as the Chicago-style hot dog, typically served on a poppy seed bun loaded with an array of toppings. Other iconic dishes include the Italian beef sandwich, the Maxwell Street Polish, and the Puerto Rican-influenced jibarito, made with fried green plantains.

Chicken Vesuvio, a dish consisting of roasted bone-in chicken with garlicky oven-roasted potato wedges and green peas, is another local favourite. The city also boasts renowned chefs and restaurants, such as Alinea, which has been awarded three Michelin stars. Annual festivals, like Taste of Chicago and the Chicago Food Truck Festival, feature a variety of signature dishes that celebrate the city’s culinary scene.

25. The government of the City of Chicago is divided into executive and legislative

The government of the City of Chicago is structured as a mayor-council system with a strong mayor. In this system, the mayor serves as the chief executive officer of the city government and is responsible for its administration. The legislative branch of the government is known as the Chicago City Council, which serves as the city’s primary law-making body.

The executive branch of the Chicago city government is headed by the Mayor, who is elected to a four-year term and may be re-elected for a maximum of two terms. The Mayor is responsible for appointing city department heads, negotiating labor agreements with the city’s unions, and overseeing the administration of city services. The Mayor also prepares the city budget, which is subject to approval by the City Council.

The legislative branch of the Chicago city government, the City Council, is composed of 50 members, each of whom represents a geographic district of the city. Members of the City Council are elected to four-year terms, and there are no term limits. The City Council is responsible for enacting local ordinances and approving the city budget, as well as providing oversight of city agencies and departments. The City Council also has the authority to investigate and hold hearings on matters related to city governance.

The Mayor has significant powers under the City of Chicago’s government structure, including the ability to veto City Council ordinances and the power to appoint department heads and members of various city boards and commissions. However, the City Council may override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds vote.

26. Chicago’s crime rate in 2020 was 3,926 per 100,000 people

In 2020, the crime rate in Chicago was reported as 3,926 per 100,000 people. Chicago’s murder rate was 18.5 per 100,000 residents in 2012, ranking 16th among US cities with 100,000 people or more. Although it was higher than in New York City and Los Angeles, the two largest cities in the United States, Chicago had fewer total homicides than many smaller American cities, such as New Orleans, Newark, and Detroit.

The majority of Chicago’s violent crime comes from gangs trying to maintain control of drug-selling territories. The number of murders in Chicago peaked at 970 in 1974, but Chicago, like other major U.S. cities, experienced a significant reduction in violent crime rates through the 1990s, falling to 448 homicides in 2004, its lowest total since 1965.

However, the number of murders rose to 510 in 2008, breaking 500 for the first time since 2003. In 2013, the city’s murder rate was only slightly higher than the national average as a whole, and the city ended the year with the lowest number of murders since 1965. However, in 2020, Chicago experienced a massive surge in carjackings, with at least 1,415 such crimes taking place in the city.

27. Chicago is not obligated to pay certain benefits

Chicago circa 1975.tif , CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

In September 2016, the Illinois state appellate court established that municipalities are not obliged under the Illinois Constitution to provide specific benefits if such benefits were contingent on an expiration date that was agreed upon during negotiations. The Illinois Constitution forbids governments from engaging in any activities that could reduce or weaken the retirement benefits of public servants.

However, in this specific instance, the existence of expiration dates in the workers’ contracts enabled the city of Chicago to establish a cutoff date in 2013 for providing health benefits to workers who retired after 1989.

28. The Chicago metropolitan area is the third-largest media market in North America

The Chicago metropolitan region is a significant media centre and the third-largest media market in North America, surpassed only by New York City and Los Angeles. The four major U.S. television networks, namely CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox, have their own high-definition television stations in Chicago (WBBM 2, WLS 7, WMAQ 5, and WFLD 32, respectively).

WGN-TV 9, a former CW affiliate owned by Tribune Broadcasting, which is now owned by the Nexstar Media Group since 2019, is available as “WGN America” with certain programming differences, on cable and satellite TV across the country, and in some parts of the Caribbean. In 2021, WGN America was eventually renamed NewsNation.

29. Chicago has the world’s busiest airport

 

Chicago O’Hare International Airport (IATA: ORD, ICAO: KORD, FAA LID: ORD) is the primary international airport catering to Chicago, Illinois, located on the city’s Northwest Side, approximately 17 miles (27 km) northwest of the Loop business district.

 

The airport, spanning over 7,627 acres (3,087 ha), is managed by the Chicago Department of Aviation and provides non-stop flights to 214 destinations across North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and the North Atlantic region as of November 2022. Currently, O’Hare is recognized as the most well-connected airport in the world. 

30. Chicago has 28 sister cities around the world

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Chicago has established sister city relationships with 28 cities across the globe, many of which are the primary city of a country that has experienced significant immigration to Chicago. These partnerships aim to strengthen economic, cultural, educational, and other bonds between the cities.

To commemorate these relationships, Chicago hosts an annual festival in Daley Plaza featuring cultural performances and cuisine from the sister cities. Additionally, the Chicago Sister Cities program organizes formal delegations and exchanges, which have sometimes led to further informal collaborations.

For instance, the Buehler Center on Aging, Health & Society at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University established an academic partnership with the Institute of Gerontology of Ukraine (originally of the Soviet Union) through the Chicago-Kyiv sister cities program.

To summarize, Chicago is a bustling city with a rich history, gorgeous architecture, diversified culture, and booming arts scene. Chicago offers a one-of-a-kind and unforgettable experience, from its iconic skyline and famous museums to its deep-dish pizza and blues music. Its indomitable attitude, friendly welcome, and dynamic energy create an indelible impression on those who visit.