Katana VentraIP

Chicago

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.

For the band, see Chicago (band). For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation).

Chicago

United States

Cook (majority) and DuPage (minority)

c. 1780 (1780)

August 12, 1833 (1833-08-12)

March 4, 1837 (1837-03-04)

234.53 sq mi (607.44 km2)

227.73 sq mi (589.82 km2)

6.80 sq mi (17.62 km2)

597.18 ft (182.02 m)

672 ft (205 m)

578 ft (176 m)

2,746,388

2,665,039

  • 5th in North America
  • 3rd in the United States
  • 1st in Illinois

12,059.84/sq mi (4,656.33/km2)

8,671,746 (US: 3rd)

3,709.2/sq mi (1,432.1/km2)

9,618,502 (US: 3rd)

$832.9 billion (2022)

606xx, 607xx, 608xx

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 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.

(2), owned and operated by CBS.

WBBM-TV

(5), owned and operated by NBC.

WMAQ-TV

(7), owned and operated by ABC.

WLS-TV

(9), an independent station owned by Nexstar Media Group.

WGN-TV

(11), a PBS member station owned by Window to the World Communications, Inc.

WTTW

(26), a CW and MeTV affiliate owned by Weigel Broadcasting.

WCIU-TV

(32), owned and operated by Fox.

WFLD

(35), owned and operated by TBN, licensed in Naperville.

WWTO-TV

(38), owned and operated by Ion Television.

WCPX-TV

(44), owned and operated by Telemundo.

WSNS-TV

(50), owned and operated by MyNetworkTV (Fox), licensed to Gary, Indiana.

WPWR-TV

(56), a PBS member station owned by Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting, Inc., licensed in Gary, Indiana.

WYIN

(59), an independent station owned by Venture Technologies Group, licensed in Oswego, Illinois.

WTVK

(60), owned and operated by Unimas.

WXFT-DT

(62), an independent station owned by Millennial Telecommunications, Inc., licensed to Hammond, Indiana.

WJYS

(66), owned and operated by Univision.

WGBO-DT

The (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 the Chicago "L" or just the "L" (short for "elevated"), with lines designated by colors. These rapid transit lines also serve both Midway and O'Hare Airports. The CTA's rail lines consist of the Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Brown, Purple, Pink, and 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 two in the United States, the other being New York City) to offer rail service 24 hours a day, every day of the year, within the city's limits.

Chicago Transit Authority

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, which provides commuter service between South Bend and Chicago.

Metra

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.[331]

Pace

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

four ships

USS Chicago

comprehensive coverage of city and suburbs, past and present

Encyclopedia of Chicago (2004)

(Website archives at the Wayback Machine (archive index))

Official website

—Official tourism website

Choose Chicago

Archived June 9, 2022, at the Wayback Machine

Chicago History

Maps of Chicago from the American Geographical Society Library

(HALS) No. IL-10, "Chicago Cityscape, Chicago, Cook County, IL", 45 photos, 4 photo caption pages

Historic American Landscapes Survey

Local Chicago Wiki

Chicago – LocalWiki

. Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 118–125.

"Chicago" 

. Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 30 (12th ed.). 1922.

"Chicago"