Chicago, better known as “The Windy City”, is the third largest city in the United States. It has been said that Chicago is also one of the most uninhabitable and popular. It has a character of its own. It’s energetic, sophisticated and… different.
With its roots set in Midwestern soil, Chicago’s history dates back to the late 17th century. Two Frenchmen named Marquet and Joliet discovered a passage that linked the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River Valley. Eventually, a trading post was established on the north bank of the Chicago River. In 1836 Chicago was incorporated as a city with about 4,000 inhabitants.
By 1855, Chicago was the major rail hub in the Midwest, and by the 1870s their numbers had grown to an impressive 300,000, making it possibly the fastest-growing major city in history. However, tragedy struck in 1871 when the Great Chicago Fire destroyed much of the city.
The reconstruction of the city began before the ashes had time to cool down. One of the perks of burning your city down is that you can rebuild it bigger, better, and in style, and that’s exactly what happened in Chicago. From the ruins of the city came the birth of modern architecture and in 1882 the ten-story Montauk building was erected. This was the first skyscraper in the world.
Today, Chicago is a destination easily accessible by plane, train, or car. Chicago has two airports: O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport. O’Hare is the flight corridor to Chicago. It is one of the busiest airports in the world and is often a stopover for domestic and international travelers. Midway is smaller, has fewer restaurants and shops, and caters primarily to domestic destinations.
‘Chicagoans’ consider themselves residents of the Third Coast, the shore of Lake Michigan. Fortunately, the coast has no warehouses or shipping docks. More than half of Chicago’s 2,800-acre lakefront was created by filling in the lake and building a series of lavish lakefront parks. The result is thirty miles of sandy beaches, green grass, flower beds, and bike trails.
Chicago is a cosmopolitan metropolis that boasts many different attractions. There are world-renowned collections housed in an outstanding collection of museums. There are impressive buildings by internationally renowned architects that paint the sky. There are miles of lawns and recreational paths that decorate one shore of the lake and there is Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Chicago’s plethora of attractions is one of the reasons the city has been described as vibrant and diverse, with a unique feel that makes it very…different.
