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Chicago Metropolitan Area

Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA
—  MSA  —
Chicago
Joliet
Naperville
Country United States
States Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin
Largest city Chicago, Illinois
other cities
Area
 - MSA 9,581 sq mi (24,814.7 km2)
 - CSA 10,856 sq mi (28,116.9 km2)
Elevation [1] 577–1,730 ft (176–527 m)
Population (2008 est.)[2]
 - Density 1,318/sq mi (509/km2)
 - Urban 8,150,000 (3rd)
 - MSA 9,569,624 (3rd)
 - CSA 9,793,036 (3rd)
  MSA/CSA = 2008, Urban = 2000
Time zone CT (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 219, 224, 262, 312, 630, 708, 773, 815, 847, 872

Waaaahaahaahaahaahaa!!! I can't take this whorehole anymore!!! Why Shitcacaland?! Why not Miami or some other friendlier city?! Chicagoland is a social and dating desert, and all the poor lonely folks agree that this is terrible! This is the worst of the worst catastrophies in the world! Oh, the humanity, and all those lonely guys crying out there because they are rejected by a society of women that marry only for money, and only money!!!

The Chicago metropolitan area, or Chicagoland, is the metropolitan area associated with the city of Chicago in the United States and its suburbs. It is the area that is closely linked to the city through social, economic, and cultural ties. There are several definitions of the area, the two most common being the area under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (a metropolitan planning organization), and the area defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The Indiana portion of the area is known as Northwest Indiana.

Contents

Definitions

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

(CMAP) is responsible for transportation infrastructure, land use, and long term economic development planning for the areas under its jurisdiction.[3] The area has a MSA population of over 10 million.[4]

Metropolitan statistical area

The Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950. It consisted of the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County in Indiana. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Chicago MSA, now defined as the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI MSA, is the third largest MSA by population in the United States with a population of 9,569,624 (2008 estimate).[2]

The Chicago MSA is further subdivided into the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL Metropolitan Division, corresponding roughly to the CMAP region; the Gary, IN Metropolitan Division consisting of the Indiana counties of Lake and Porter, as well as two surrounding counties; and the Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division.

The 2008 estimated populations of the three Metropolitan Divisions are as follows:[2]

Combined statistical area

The OMB also defines a slightly larger region as a Combined Statistical Area (CSA). The Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA combines the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Michigan City (in Indiana), and Kankakee (in Illinois). This area represents the extent of the labor market pool for the entire region. The CSA, of which the Chicago metropolitan area is part, has a population of 9,793,036 (2008 estimate).[2]

Chicagoland

Chicagoland area (as defined by Construction Data Company) by county and state.

Chicagoland is an informal name for the Chicago metropolitan area. There is no official definition for Chicagoland, which may be larger than the MSA and include portions of the greater CSA.

Colonel Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, usually gets credit for placing the term in common use.[5][6] McCormick's conception of Chicagoland stretched all the way to nearby parts of Iowa and Michigan.[5] The first usage came on July 27, 1926 (page 1), with the headline: "Chicagoland's Shrines: A Tour of Discoveries" by reporter James O'Donnell Bennett.[7] He stated that Chicagoland comprised everything in a 200-mile radius in every direction and reported on many different places in the area. The Tribune was the dominant newspaper in a vast area stretching to the west of the city, and that hinterland was closely tied to the metropolis by rail lines and commercial links.[8]

Today, the Chicago Tribune's usage includes the city of Chicago, the rest of Cook County, eight nearby Illinois counties (Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee), and two counties in Indiana, Lake and Porter.[9] Illinois Department of Tourism literature uses Chicagoland for suburbs in Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane and Will counties,[10] treating the city separately. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce defines it as all of Cook, and DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. [11] However, there are differing viewpoints, some of which are mostly the point of view of whom one speaks with. For example, many residents who live in the further out satellite counties still refer to themselves as being "from Chicago" or "Chicagoans." Until recently, DeKalb County was never thought of as being part of the region, but now is commonly defined as a "far suburb" of the city. In addition, company marketing programs such as Construction Data Company's[12] "Chicago and Vicinity" region and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association's "Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana" advertising campaing are directed at the MSA itself as well as DeKalb, La Salle, Winnebago, Boone, and Ogle counties in Illinois as well as Jasper and Newton counties in Indiana and Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties in Wisconsin. This is often called the Greater Chicagoland Area.

The Chicago Skyline
The Chicago Skyline

Geography of Chicago

Main article: Geography of Chicago

The city of Chicago is in the Chicago Plain, a flat and broad area characterized by little topographical relief. The few low hills here are sand ridges. North of the Chicago Plain, steep bluffs and ravines run alongside Lake Michigan. Along the southern shore of the Chicago Plain, there are sand dunes that run alongside the lake, but no bluffs. The tallest dunes reach up to near 200 feet and are found in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Surrounding the low plain are bands of moraines in the south and west suburbs. These areas are higher and hillier than the Chicago Plain. A continental divide, separating the Mississippi River watershed from that of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, runs through the Chicago area.

Demographics

Airborne view of the dense southern part of the Chicago area, running alongside Lake Michigan. Downtown Chicago is visible in the left center of the photo.

The suburbs, surrounded by easily annexed flat ground, have been expanding at a tremendous rate since the early 1960s. Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Naperville are noteworthy for being four of the few boomburbs outside the Sun Belt, West Coast and Mountain States regions, and exurban Kendall County ranked as the fastest-growing county (among counties with a population greater than 10,000) in the United States between the years 2000 and 2007.[13]

Settlement patterns in the Chicago metropolitan area tend to follow those in the city proper: the northern suburbs along the shore of Lake Michigan are comparatively affluent, while the southern suburbs (sometimes known as Chicago Southland) are less so, with lower median incomes and a lower cost of living. However, there is a major exception to this. While Chicago's west side is the poorest section of the city, the western and northwestern suburbs contain many affluent areas. According to the 2000 Census, DuPage County had the highest median household income of any county in the Midwestern United States.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, poverty rates of the largest counties from least poverty to most are as follows: McHenry 3.70%, Dupage 5.90%, Will 6.70%, Lake 6.90%, Kane 7.40%, Cook 14.50%.

In an in-depth historical analysis, Keating (2004, 2005) examined the origins of 233 settlements that by 1900 had become suburbs or city neighborhoods of the Chicago metropolitan area . The settlements began as farm centers (41%), industrial towns (30%), residential railroad suburbs (15%), and recreational/institutional centers (13%). Although relations between the different settlement types were at times contentious, there also was cooperation in such undertakings as the construction of high schools.

Population

As the Chicago metropolitan area has grown, more counties have been partly or totally assimilated with the taking of each decennial census.

Census Area July 1, 2008 2000 Census 1990 Census 1980 Census 1970 Census 1960 Census 1950 Census
Chicago- Naperville- Joliet, IL-IN-WI 9,569,624 9,098,316 8,065,633 7,869,542 7,612,314 6,794,461 5,495,364
Cook County, Illinois 5,294,664 5,376,741 5,105,067 5,253,655 5,492,369 5,129,725 4,508,792
DeKalb County, Illinois 106,321 88,969 77,932 74,624 71,654 51,714 40,781
DuPage County, Illinois 930,528 904,161 781,666 658,835 491,882 313,459 154,599
Grundy County, Illinois 47,958 37,535 32,337 30,582 26,535 22,350 19,217
Kane County, Illinois 507,579 404,119 317,471 278,405 251,005 208,246 150,388
Kendall County, Illinois 103,460 54,544 39,413 37,202 26,374 17,540 12,115
Lake County, Illinois 712,453 644,356 516,418 440,372 382,638 293,656 179,097
McHenry County, Illinois 318,641 260,077 183,241 147,897 111,555 84,210 50,656
Will County, Illinois 681,097 502,266 357,313 324,460 249,498 191,617 134,336
Lake County, Indiana 492,104 484,564 475,594 522,965 546,253 513,269 368,152
Porter County, Indiana 160,578 146,798 128,932 119,816 87,114 60,279 40,076
LaPorte County, Indiana 110,888 110,106 107,066 108,632 105,342 95,111 76,808
Kenosha County, Wisconsin 164,465 149,577 128,181 123,137 117,917 100,615 75,238

Economy

Main article: Economy of Chicago
See also: List of major companies in the Chicago metropolitan area, Chicagoland chamber of commerce, and Economy of Illinois
Westward view from the Willis Tower in Chicago

The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the corporate headquarters of 57 Fortune 1000 companies, including Boeing, McDonald's, Motorola, Discover Financial Services and United Airlines, representing a diverse group of industries.[14] The area is a major financial center in North America, and is home to the largest futures exchange in the United States, the CME Group.

A key piece of infrastructure for several generations was the Union Stock Yards of Chicago, which from 1865 until 1971 penned and slaughtered millions of cattle and hogs into standardized cuts of beef and pork.

The Chicago area, meanwhile, began to produce significant quantities of telecommunications gear, electronics, steel, crude oil derivatives, automobiles, and industrial capital goods.

By the early 2000s, Illinois' economy had moved toward a dependence on high-value-added services, such as financial trading, higher education, logistics, and health care. In some cases, these services clustered around institutions that hearkened back to Illinois's earlier economies. For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a trading exchange for global derivatives, had begun its life as an agricultural futures market.

In 2007, the area ranked first among U.S. metro areas in the number of new and expanded corporate facilities.[15] It ranked third in 2008, behind the Houston Metropolitan Area and the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.[16]

The Wall Street Journal summarized the Chicago area's economy in November 2006 with the comment that "Chicago has survived by repeatedly reinventing itself."[17]

Principal municipalities

Over 1,000,000 population

Cities over 100,000 population

Cities over 60,000 population

Urban areas within the Chicago CSA

Within the boundary of the 16-county Chicago Consolidated Statistical Area lies the Chicago urban area, as well as 27 smaller urban areas and clusters. Smallest gap indicates the shortest distance between the given urban area or cluster and the Chicago urban area.

The extent of the 16-county Chicago CSA (in black) and the 16 counties that share a border with the Chicago CSA (in gray), with counties divided into Minor Civil Divisions. In Illinois and Indiana, townships are intermediate between counties and municipalities (with the latter lying within townships and crossing township borders, while in Michigan and Wisconsin, townships are municipal equivalents.
Rank Urban area type Population
(2000 census)		 Land Area
(km²)		 Smallest gap
(km)
1 Chicago-Aurora-Elgin-Joliet-Waukegan, IL-IN UA 8,307,904 5,498.1 n/a
2 Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake, IL-WI^ † UA 226,848 344.9 2
3 Kenosha, WI † UA 110,942 109.2 1
4 Michigan City-LaPorte, IN-MI^^ † UA 66,199 86.1 3
5 Kankakee-Bradley-Bourbonnais, IL UA 65,073 71.5 >10
6 DeKalb-Sycamore, IL UA 55,805 46.3 >10
7 Woodstock, IL † UC 20,219 21.1 4
8 Morris, IL UC 13,927 19.3 >10
9 Sandwich, IL^^^ UC 12,248 23.9 >10
10 Braidwood-Coal City, IL UC 11,607 19.5 >10
11 Harvard, IL UC 8,575 13.3 >10
12 Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN † UC 8,450 12.5 4
13 Lowell, IN UC 7,914 15.8 >10
14 Wilmington, IL UC 7,107 20.8 >10
15 Manteno, IL UC 7,106 9.4 >10
16 Marengo, IL UC 6,854 8.6 >10
17 Rensselaer, IN UC 6,096 10.9 >10
18 Plano, IL † UC 5,911 6.5 3
19 Genoa, IL UC 5,137 5.5 >10
20 Genoa City, WI-IL^^^^ † UC 5,126 12.5 >10
21 Westville, IN UC 5,077 4.4 >10
22 Hebron, IN UC 4,150 11.7 >10
23 Momence, IL UC 3,711 9.7 >10
24 Peotone, IL † UC 3,358 3.5 9
25 Wonder Lake, IL † UC 2,798 2.0 5
26 Monee, IL † UC 2,787 3.7 3
27 Union Township, IN † UC 2,593 4.9 1
28 Hampshire, IL † UC 2,591 2.0 6

The formerly distinct urban areas of Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Waukegan were absorbed into the Chicago UA as of the 2000 census.

† These urban areas and urban clusters are expected to be joined to the Chicago Urban Area by the next census in 2010.

^ The Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake, IL-WI UA extends into Walworth County, WI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

^^ The Michigan City-LaPorte, IN-MI UA extends into Berrien County, MI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

^^^ The Sandwich, IL UC extends into LaSalle County, IL, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

^^^^ The Genoa City, WI-IL UC extends into Walworth County, WI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

Transportation

Major airports

Subway and Commuter rail

  • Chicago Transit Authority trains, locally referred to as "the L", (after "elevated train") serving Chicago and the near suburbs
  • Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, also known as Metra:
    • 4 lines serving southern Cook County and Will County
    • 3 lines serving western Cook County, DuPage County, and Kane County
    • 1 line serving northwestern Cook County and McHenry County
    • 3 lines serving northern Cook County and Lake County, with 1 line extending to Kenosha, Wisconsin
  • South Shore Line shares the Metra electric lines and connects Chicago to Gary, Michigan City, ending at South Bend, Indiana.

Major highways

Major corridors

In addition to the Chicago Loop, the metro area is home to a few important subregional corridors of commercial activities. Among them are:

Area codes

Main article: List of Illinois area codes

From 1947 until 1988, the Illinois portion of the Chicago metro area was served by a single area code, 312, which abutted the 815 area code. In 1988 the 708 area code was introduced and the 312 area code became exclusive to the city of Chicago.

It became common to call suburbanites "708'ers", in reference to their area code.

The 708 area code was partitioned in 1996 into three area codes, serving different portions of the metro area: 630, 708, and 847.

At the same time that the 708 area code was in trouble, the 312 area code in Chicago was also exhausting its supply of available numbers. As a result, the city of Chicago was divided into two area codes, 312 and 773. Rather than divide the city by a north/south area code, the central business district retained the 312 area code, while the remainder of the city took the new 773 code.

In 2002, the 847 area code was supplemented with the overlay area code 224. In February 2007, the 815 area code (serving outlying portions of the metro area) was supplemented with the overlay area code 779. In October 2007, the overlay area code 331 was implemented to supplement the 630 area with additional numbers.

Plans are in place for overlay codes in the 708, 773, and 312 regions as those area codes become exhausted in the future.

  • 312 Chicago - City (The Loop and central neighborhoods, e.g. the Near North Side)
  • 773 Chicago - City (Everywhere else within the city limits, excluding central area)
  • 872 Chicago - City (overlay for 312 & 773, effective November 7, 2009)
  • 847/224 (North and Northwest Suburbs)
  • 630/331 (Outer Western Suburbs)
  • 708 (South and Near West Suburbs)
  • 815/779 (Far Northwest/Southwest Suburbs; Joliet)
  • 219 (Northwest Indiana)
  • 574 (North-central Indiana)
  • 262 (Southeast Wisconsin surrounding Milwaukee County)

Proposed overlay area codes

  • 464 overlay for 708 (no effective date)

See also

Chicago portal

References

  1. ^ The Willis Tower is the highest point in both the Chicago metropolitan area and the state of Illinois
  2. ^ a b c d "CSA-EST2008-alldata" (csv). United States Census Bureau. 1 July 2008. http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/files/2008/CSA-EST2008-alldata.csv. Retrieved 19 February 2010. "The MSA covers 7,214 sq. mi. of land area and 2,367 sq. mi. of water area. The total area of the MSA is 9,581 sq. mi." 
  3. ^ Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
  4. ^ Chicago Area Transportation Study - Regional Information
  5. ^ a b Fuller, Jack (2005). "Chicagoland". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2.html. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
  6. ^ "The Press: The Colonel's Century". TIME. 9 June 1947. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,779077,00.html. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
  7. ^ O'Donnell Bennett, James (27 July 1926). "Chicagoland's Shrines: A Tour of Discoveries". Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963). http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/451302862.html?dids=451302862:451302862&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+27%2C+1926&author=JAMES+O%27DONNELL+BENNETT&pub=Chicago+Daily+Tribune+(1923-1963)&edition=&startpage=1&desc=CHICAGOLAND%27S+SHRINES%3A+A+TOUR+OF+DISCOVERIES. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
  8. ^ Cronon (1992); Keating (2005); Keating (2004)
  9. ^ Chicago Tribune Classifieds map of Chicagoland
  10. ^ enjoyillinois.com
  11. ^ Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
  12. ^ http://www.bidtool.net/products/coveragearea.aspx
  13. ^ Daily Herald | Kendall County is fastest growing in the nation
  14. ^ Fortune 500 2008: States - Illinois
  15. ^ TOP METROS OF 2007 - Site Selection magazine, March 2008
  16. ^ TOP METROS OF 2008 - Site Selection magazine, March 2009
  17. ^ Brat, Ilan (8 November 2006). "Tale of a Warehouse Shows How Chicago Weathers a Decline". The Wall Street Journal. p. A1. http://online.wsj.com/google_login.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB116295128088216565.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsj%26cid%3D0%26ei%3DhRBlRei1AsqmHc7JsZEN. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 

External links

Chicago metropolitan area
Central city
Largest cities
(over 30,000 in 2000)
Largest towns and villages
(over 30,000 in 2000)
Counties
Regions
Sub-regions
City of Chicago
Chicago metropolitan area - State of Illinois - United States of America

 
State of Illinois
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Adams · Alexander · Bond · Boone · Brown · Bureau · Calhoun · Carroll · Cass · Champaign · Christian · Clark · Clay · Clinton · Coles · Cook · Crawford · Cumberland · DeKalb · DeWitt · Douglas · DuPage · Edgar · Edwards · Effingham · Fayette · Ford · Franklin · Fulton · Gallatin · Greene · Grundy · Hamilton · Hancock · Hardin · Henderson · Henry · Iroquois · Jackson · Jasper · Jefferson · Jersey · Jo Daviess · Johnson · Kane · Kankakee · Kendall · Knox · LaSalle · Lake · Lawrence · Lee · Livingston · Logan · Macon · Macoupin · Madison · Marion · Marshall · Mason · Massac · McDonough · McHenry · McLean · Menard · Mercer · Monroe · Montgomery · Morgan · Moultrie · Ogle · Peoria · Perry · Piatt · Pike · Pope · Pulaski · Putnam · Randolph · Richland · Rock Island · Saline · Sangamon · Schuyler · Scott · Shelby · St. Clair · Stark · Stephenson · Tazewell · Union · Vermilion · Wabash · Warren · Washington · Wayne · White · Whiteside · Will · Williamson · Winnebago · Woodford

 
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Adams · Allen · Bartholomew · Benton · Blackford · Boone · Brown · Carroll · Cass · Clark · Clay · Clinton · Crawford · Daviess · DeKalb · Dearborn · Decatur · Delaware · Dubois · Elkhart · Fayette · Floyd · Fountain · Franklin · Fulton · Gibson · Grant · Greene · Hamilton · Hancock · Harrison · Hendricks · Henry · Howard · Huntington · Jackson · Jasper · Jay · Jefferson · Jennings · Johnson · Knox · Kosciusko · LaGrange · Lake · LaPorte · Lawrence · Madison · Marion · Marshall · Martin · Miami · Monroe · Montgomery · Morgan · Newton · Noble · Ohio · Orange · Owen · Parke · Perry · Pike · Porter · Posey · Pulaski · Putnam · Randolph · Ripley · Rush · Saint Joseph · Scott · Shelby · Spencer · Starke · Steuben · Sullivan · Switzerland · Tippecanoe · Tipton · Union · Vanderburgh · Vermillion · Vigo · Wabash · Warren · Warrick · Washington · Wayne · Wells · White · Whitley

 
State of Wisconsin
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Adams · Ashland · Barron · Bayfield · Brown · Buffalo · Burnett · Calumet · Chippewa · Clark · Columbia · Crawford · Dane · Dodge · Door · Douglas · Dunn · Eau Claire · Florence · Fond du Lac · Forest · Grant · Green · Green Lake · Iowa · Iron · Jackson · Jefferson · Juneau · Kenosha · Kewaunee · La Crosse · Lafayette · Langlade · Lincoln · Manitowoc · Marathon · Marinette · Marquette · Menominee · Milwaukee · Monroe · Oconto · Oneida · Outagamie · Ozaukee · Pepin · Pierce · Polk · Portage · Price · Racine · Richland · Rock · Rusk · Sauk · Sawyer · Shawano · Sheboygan · St. Croix · Taylor · Trempealeau · Vernon · Vilas · Walworth · Washburn · Washington · Waukesha · Waupaca · Waushara · Winnebago · Wood

 
State of Michigan
Lansing (capital)
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Alpena · Ann Arbor · Battle Creek · Bay City · Bloomfield Township · Canton Township · Chesterfield Township · Clinton Township · Commerce Township · Dearborn · Dearborn Heights · Detroit · East Lansing · Eastpointe · Farmington Hills · Flint · Flint Township · Georgetown Township · Grand Rapids · Holland · Jackson · Kalamazoo · Kentwood · Lansing · Lincoln Park · Livonia · Macomb Township · Meridian Township · Midland · Muskegon · Novi · Pontiac · Portage · Redford · Rochester Hills · Roseville · Royal Oak · Saginaw · Saginaw Township · St. Clair Shores · Shelby Township · Southfield · Sterling Heights · Taylor · Troy · Warren · Waterford Township · West Bloomfield · Westland · Wyoming · Ypsilanti Township
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Alcona · Alger · Allegan · Alpena · Antrim · Arenac · Baraga · Barry · Bay · Benzie · Berrien · Branch · Calhoun · Cass · Charlevoix · Cheboygan · Chippewa · Clare · Clinton · Crawford · Delta · Dickinson · Eaton · Emmet · Genesee · Gladwin · Gogebic · Grand Traverse · Gratiot · Hillsdale · Houghton · Huron · Ingham · Ionia · Iosco · Iron · Isabella · Jackson · Kalamazoo · Kalkaska · Kent · Keweenaw · Lake · Lapeer · Leelanau · Lenawee · Livingston · Luce · Mackinac · Macomb · Manistee · Marquette · Mason · Mecosta · Menominee · Midland · Missaukee · Monroe · Montcalm · Montmorency · Muskegon · Newaygo · Oakland · Oceana · Ogemaw · Ontonagon · Osceola · Oscoda · Otsego · Ottawa · Presque Isle · Roscommon · Saginaw · Sanilac · Schoolcraft · Shiawassee · St. Clair · St. Joseph · Tuscola · Van Buren · Washtenaw · Wayne · Wexford
50 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the United States by population

Coordinates: 41°54′N 87°39′W / 41.9°N 87.65°W / 41.9; -87.65


Travel guide

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

From Wikitravel

Chicagoland consists of the Chicago metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois, including Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Broader definitions also include parts of Southeast Wisconsin and Northern Indiana.

Cities

The major cities of the region are, well, Chicago — period. None of the outlying cities remotely approach the size of this mammoth metropolis. But that's not to say that Chicagoland doesn't include other destinations; some of the larger cities include:

Illinois Counties

Cook County

Cook County, where Chicago is located, is the largest county by population in Illinois and the second-largest in the United States (after California's L.A. County). With more than 5 million residents, its population is larger than that of most U.S. states; a little more than half of them live in the central city, with the rest in a chain of suburbs that surrounds Chicago on the north, west and south sides.

  • Evanston, the first city north of Chicago along the lake, is home to Northwestern University. Other communities along Cook County's affluent North Shore are:

To the northwest of Chicago, in the vicinity of O'Hare International Airport, are such towns as:

Cook County's West Side includes towns like:

  • Berwyn
  • Cicero
  • Oak Park — a very upscale suburb with popular shopping strips and a Frank Lloyd Wright lover's dream

To the south are such communities as:

DuPage County

West of Cook County, DuPage contains mainly Chicago bedroom communities, such as:

  • Glen Ellyn
  • Itasca
  • Lisle — well worth a visit for the marvelous Morton Arboretum
  • Naperville — despite being the target of endless derision from Chicagoans, there is plenty reason to visit for Naperville's Riverwalk and upscale dining scene
  • Downers Grove
  • Woodridge
  • Aurora — the second largest city in Illinois

Lake County

Lake County, in the northeast corner of the state, was once largely rural but has become increasingly suburban in recent years. Its largest city, Waukegan, is also the county seat.

Its southeast is part of Chicago's affluent North Shore, including:

Other Lake County towns include:

Will County

Will County lies south of Cook and DuPage; its largest city and county seat is Joliet, undoubtedly best known for its huge prison.

Counties outside Illinois

Just how much territory is covered in the term "Chicagoland" is a point of controversy. Certain surrounding counties in Wisconsin and especially Indiana have enormous commuter populations, which share Chicago's regional culture, and it is hard to exclude them.

Lake County (Indiana)

Lake County, Indiana, a highly industrialized and densely populated section of Lake Michigan's shoreline, represents some of the poorest suburban areas and satellite cities in Chicagoland. Gary in particular has fallen on extraordinarily hard times, and has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country. Once upon a time the city was an industrial giant, and was an urban center in its own right, but today an ever increasing number of Gary residents commute towards Chicago for employment. And in terms of culture, Lake Co. is solid Chicagoland territory, from hot dogs to the blues. Other major population centers in Lake County include:

  • Crown Point
  • East Chicago — right on Chicago's eastern border, East Chicago is home to Marktown, one of the nation's most bizarre planned communities
  • Hammond the largest close-in suburb of Chicago in Indiana, and offers some great deals on hotels just across the border from the city itself
  • Lake Station

Kenosha County (Wisconsin)

Residents of Kenosha consider the Chicagoland denotation controversial, as it is closer to Milwaukee, but nonetheless there is a big Chicago commuter population here, largely from expatriates of Chicago's northern suburbs. The main city, and only city, is Kenosha.

Understand

Chicagoland is huge; it is one of the world's largest metropolitan areas both in terms of population and area.

  • O'Hare International Airport, one of the largest and busiest in the world, is located in the northwest Chicagoland area.
  • Midway Airport is a smaller airport on the South Side of Chicago.
  • Dupage County Airport a "designated reliever airport" for O'Hare and an increasingly popular destination. http://www.dupageairport.com/.

By train

Chicagoland is served by numerous Amtrak routes.

Metra system map
Metra system map

In addition to an extensive highway system, Chicagoland is served by Metra's 12 rail lines[1] and by Chicago's CTA, which reaches some of the nearer suburbs.

  • The Baha'i Temple, a cultural and architectural wonder in Wilmette.
  • The beautiful Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.
  • Frank Lloyd Wright House and several houses designed by the architect in Oak Park.
  • The Kohl's Children's Museum in Glenview.
  • The splendid Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
  • The Elmhurst Art Museum in Elmhurst.
  • Chain o' Lakes State Park in Spring Grove.
  • Volo Bog State Natural Area in Ingleside.
  • The Joliet Correctional Facility, Illinois' most notorious prison, in Joliet.
  • The Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield.
  • The Forest Preserve District of Cook County [2] is responsible for the numerous open spaces ("forest preserves") around the county. These preserves range from heavily used parks with extensive roads and well-developed picnic areas, to relatively isolated expanses of land that are only really accessible on foot (or cross-country skis in winter).
  • The Pickwick in Park Ridge is one of the true grand movie palaces remaining in the Chicagoland area.
  • Ribfest in Naperville is one of the largest festivals in the county.
  • The annual Eyes to the Skies Balloon Festival in Lisle.
  • The Illinois Prairie Path runs through the center of DuPage County.
  • Illinois Beach State Park in Zion.
  • The Six Flags Great America amusement park in Gurnee.
  • The Empress and Harrah's casinos in Joliet.
  • The Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet

Eat

For all intents and purposes, Chicagoland is Chicago when it comes to food. You don't need to head into the city proper to get your Chicago-style pizza, hot dogs, beef, steaks, and what have you. There are some Chicago-style fast-food locations outside the city that will serve you these items, prepared better than anywhere in the city. Same goes for many styles of ethnic food—you can get Mexican, Polish, Italian, Greek just as good or even better in the 'burbs. Some ethnic cuisines out here you would have trouble finding in the city—Uzbek, Russian, Afghan, etc.

For upscale cuisine, the hautest of the haute is still to be found downtown. But there are plenty of nice restaurants in places like Evanston (especially), Naperville, and others.

  • The Chicago Tribune [3] ("The Trib") is the Chicago area's biggest daily, and publishes a suburban edition.
  • The Daily Herald [4] is a large daily newspaper aimed primarily at the suburbs.
  • The Northwest Herald.

Get out

Chicagoland is adjacent to Northern and Central Illinois, to Southeast Wisconsin, and to Northern Indiana. Parts of Wisconsin and Indiana are sometimes included in the definition of Chicagoland.

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Wiktionary

Up to date as of January 15, 2010

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents

English

Etymology

Chicago + land

This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

Proper noun

Singular
Chicagoland

Plural
-

Chicagoland

  1. The metropolitan area of Chicago, including parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

External links








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