Chicago Essay, Research Paper

ChicagoTim SchochChicago is a port and transportation center on the southwestern shore of LakeMichigan in the state of Illinois. It has a population of 2,783,726 and has been the seat ofCook County since 1931. Long known as the nation’s “second city,” Chicago dropped to third place amonglargest U.S. cities during the 1980s as its population declined during the decade by 7.4%.Its three-state metropolitan area showed a slight increase, totaling 8,065,633 . Many ofChicago’s people are offspring of 19th-century European immigrants, attracted to the cityby industrial jobs. Nearly 40% of the population are blacks. The first steel-framework skyscraper was built (1884) in Chicago, and the city’simpressive skyline includes such structures as the Sears tower which is 1,454 ft tall, and theworld’s tallest building, and the John Hancock Center. Indeed, the city has given its nameto the Chicago School of Architecture. The Loop, the downtown area, was so named inthe 1890s because of the rectangle formed by the tracks of the elevated trains. Lake Michigan has a strong effect on the city’s climate, and Chicago has beennicknamed the “Windy City.” Temperatures range from an average of 25 deg F in Januaryto 75 deg F in July. Being the center of a heavily industrialized area, Chicago leads the country in themanufacturing of telephone equipment, radios, TV equipment, confectionery products,household products, diesel engines, musical instruments, and frozen and canned foods. Itslargest industry, however, is metal extrusion, particularly iron and steel. Several of thelargest printers and publishers in the world are in Chicago. The Federal Reserve Bank was founded in 1914 in Chicago, and the city still has adistrict bank. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Midwest Stock Exchange, and theChicago Board of Trade, which is the world’s largest commodity futures market, are there.Chicago’s early importance as a transportation center has continued. Today its majorairport, Chicago-O’Hare International, is the busiest in the world. Chicago’s harbor, thelargest on the Great Lakes, handles mostly grain and iron ore. Chicago has many Universities. The University of Chicago is one of the mostprestigious private universities in the country. Other institutions are the Illinois Institute ofTechnology, Northwestern University, and the Roman Catholic-supported Loyola andDePaul universities. Chicago has long been a cultural center. The Art Institute of Chicago has a

world-famous collection. The Museum of Contemporary Art was founded in 1967.Scientific institutions include the Field Museum of Natural History, the Adler Planetarium,and the Shedd Aquarium–all in lakefront Grant Park–and the nearby Museum of Scienceand Industry. The city is home to the Chicago Civic Opera and the world-famous ChicagoSymphony Orchestra. The site of Chicago had long been an important portage point on the water routelinking the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River. The United States bought a tract fromthe Indians in 1795, and the original settlement was a cluster of traders’ shacks outside FortDearborn. After the opening of the Erie Canal, Chicago became the center of thewestward movement, and the arrival in the 1850’s of the first railroad from the east assuredits growth. Industry developed along with transportation, and steel production was a majorboost to the city’s economy. Lumbering and meat-processing plants were also established;the Union Stock Yards opened in 1865 and successfully operated for more than a century. Just as Chicago was emerging as a major city, a devastating fire swept through partof the city, leaving almost 100,000 people homeless and causing millions of dollars indamage. The city began a rebuilding program, using stone to replace wooden buildingsand creating one of the first modern fire departments in America. Chicago was the site ofthe WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION OF 1893. A second major surge of growth occurred toward the turn of the century, whenthousands of European immigrants came to the city. As the labor movement began, unionorganizational activities were often marred by violence on both sides–the HAYMARKETRIOT and the PULLMAN STRIKE were two examples. At the same time, movement to the suburbs began, and during the 20th century the city’spopulation growth began to slow down. The stock market crash halted major buildingconstruction, but the city did host the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition. Majorconstruction resumed with the election of Mayor Richard J. Daley. Although Daley wasinfluential as the head of one of the last old-time city political machines and stressed urbanrenewal, downtown Chicago deteriorated as city dwellers moved to the suburbs. The city made history in 1979, when Jane Byrne became Chicago’s first woman mayor.Following her defeat in 1983 mayoral primaries, Harold Washington was elected the city’sfirst black mayor. He was reelected in 1987 but died later in the year. In 1989, Daley’sson, Richard M. Daley, was elected mayor.