Tourist Chicago (Ch 18)

Welcome to campus, the Museum Campus of Chicago that is. The lake front area of Chicago is known as the Museum Campus. This area consisting of the three major museums is part of the bigger Grant Park. The Museum Campus was established in efforts to make travel between the museums safer and more user friendly to the public. With the crazy downtown traffic, the connection of the numerous park areas makes the journey more relaxing, as the scenic views are an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city streets.

Another draw for the public, both citizens and tourists alike, come to the Magnificent Mile. This mix of upscale and affordable brings on average 22 million visitors a year. The Magnificent Mile is home to 460 stores, 275 restaurants, 51 hotels, as well as the Chicago Tribune. To make the area more attractive to the public, areas along the sidewalk have been converted into planters. This little hint of historical reference to the agricultural influences of Chicago adds color to the concrete jungle and extends the park theme throughout the city.

If museums and shopping isn't what you are looking for in a city, don't be discouraged, there is plenty to see for all the sport lovers out there. Originally built in 1914 as Weeghman Park, Wrigley Field (renamed for the Cubs owner and bubble gum head William Wrigley Jr) is located in a residential neighborhood commonly referred to as Wrigleyville. Much history surrounds this baseball field as it is the second oldest active major league baseball park.

As of 2008, Chicago is also home to the smallest active major league football stadium, Soldier Field. The field is home to the Chicago Bears football team and serves as a memorial to American Soldiers who served and died during any war-hence the name. This stadium has been home to a NASCAR race, track and field, 1927 championship fight, motorcycle races, and will be home to the opening venue of the 2009 U2 concert and if the bid is accepted the 2016 Olympic Soccer matches.

Metropolis (Ch 16)

The Impressive Chicagoland.

"Chicagoland" a name originally coined in 1926 by James O'Donnell Bennett, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, refers to the metropolitan area of Chicago. It is important to note that this area does not just encompass the city of Chicago, but also currently includes nearby counties in Illinois and Indiana. Chicagoland is a 300 mile area.

In 1950, the Chicago Metropolitan area was designated by the United States Census Bureau as the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area. Though much like the term Chicagoland, the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of several of the surrounding areas, as well as Chicago itself. As those counties and Chicago expand, the statistical area expands as well and has in fact become the third largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States. The area that the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area represents is focused on the local collective labor market.

Many of the surround areas in the last few decades have experienced several population booms. One of the areas that comes under the Chicago Metropolitan heading is classified as the fastest growing city within the United States. In almost a decade, Kendall County, Illinois has expanded by 10,000 people. In addition, the Chicago Metropolitan area is home to three other suburbs that are experiencing major population increases. Within this area is also DuPage County, which has the highest median household income of any county in the Midwestern United States.

Chicago's Metropolitan area is home to 57 business on the Fortune 1000 list. These business are represented by the most common; Boeing, McDonald's, and Motorola. Over the years, the industries that dominate the metropolitan economy is constantly evolving. Currently, the economy is producing telecommunication, electronic, and steel as a small example. However, this is not all the products that are coming out of the area. Chicago is also a prime financial district, a place for high education, and a center for health care.

With an ever evolving community, extensive transportation facilities, and a strong economy, Chicago continues to expand. With the sure nature of the city, it continues to expand and reinvent itself as one of the leading metropolitan areas.

The Evolution of Water (Ch 15)

Chicago established it's first public water board in 1851. The main source of water came from Lake Michigan. Originally it's goal was to design a water system that started in areas that had threats of fire and or where disease was prominent. What stated off as being a commission concerned with public healt and safety, took a turn in 1864. At this time, the board refused to make pipes available to areas that could not pay the water fees.

Some of the middle class did not have the money for these improvements to their homes, so they disregarded the luxury, while luxury homes had the water connections. Depending on where one lived in relation to the center of the city, the more likely one was to have access to piping for water.

As time passed, the outer sections of Chicago and those on the fringes turned to local government or small town officials to help supply water to the area. The Department of Water in Chicago was so overrun with the ever expanding city that it was hard to reach all the citizens in the outer limits. One of the tasks they had to face was incorporating or converting already standing pipe systems into one that connected properly and efficiently to the main water supply lines. In addition, the commission also had to find ways to provide access to the water in places where systems had yet to be established. By 1990, the Water Department was able to supply 90 communities in addition to the main heart of Chicago with water.

To this day, the main source of water still comes from Lake Michigan, as it is still the most abundant source of water in the immediate area. In efforts to keep the water in the Lake as clean as possible, the Sanitary District combined their forces with the water department in 1900. The Sanitary District re-diverted the water of the Chicago River away from Lake Michigan by building a Sanitary and Ship canal. The channel links the Southern section of the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River through a series of locks. The sewage from Chicago travels through this system to dump the sewage into the Illinois River, instead of Chicago's primary source for water, Lake Michigan.

A nice trivia fact is that Chicago is home to the second largest water tower in the world. The Chicago Water Tower is 154 feet tall, built in 1869. The tower is one of the few remaining buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire. To this day, it is seen as a symbol of the city itself, as well as a symbol of the great recovery that Chicago went through after the fire.

Back to the Basics (Ch 14)

What makes a city? People of course!

"At the beginning of history" Chicago was inhabited by Algonquian Indians. Considering it's location in relation to waterways, at this early stage in history, the Algonquians mingled with nearby tribes of the Potawatomis, the Fox, and the Illinois tribes. The mingling was due to trade, as well as hunting migrations. By the 1700s, records show that the Potwatomis' dominated the area of Chicago.

Much like the Southwest Border Area, Chicago experienced its own melting pot of culture, this continued on from the settler, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a Haitian of African and French descent who married a Potwatomis woman. From it's start, Chicago has clearly had a diverse community that has been home to numerous ethnic groups and "mixtures".

The originally established city was small and very populated, so the 1871 Chicago Fire decimated much of the city. 300 people died in the fire and an estimated one-third of the population was left without a home in the aftermath of the fire. Though this fire was very devastating, the fire actually helped establish the city and allow it to grow even further.

Green Galore (Ch 13)

Chicago's Parks District is responsible for managing 552 parks spanning more than 7,300 acres of land. Chicago stands out in another way. It stands out for being the one city in the United States that has the most land dedicated to parks. Within this extensive network of parks, the District claims 9 lake harbors which is the most extensive harbor system in the nation. In addition, it also manages 33 beaches, 9 museums, 16 historic lagoons, and 10 bird and wildlife gardens.

The park system is home to a very "iconic" fountain. The Buckingham fountain has been seen on every episode of Married With Children. In the opening title, the fountain is feature in all it's glory. Though the fountain is unable to run year around due to weather conditions, it does flow during the warmer months when the temperature allows.

Millennium Park is one of the new parks and most notable within Chicago. On any given day, even in the middle of cold winter (typically those minus the rain) one will encounter many wedding parties taking pictures to commemorate the occasion. It is one of the most popular places to take such pictures. This is not the only draw to this park. Another is feature is the Cloud Gate. This feature draws people in mass to investigate the one of a kind architectural design. The three-story, 110-ton steel sculpture with a price tag of $23 million at it's completion, is a crowd pleaser as many people spend countless minutes observing themselves in the reflection that is easily distorted. No matter where one visits within these parks, all are spotless and trash-free. The crews that maintain them keep a very rigorous cleaning schedule.

The Cook County Forest Preserves helps preserves several forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes as natural habitats. This is not just dedicated to the preservation of these areas in Chicago, but all the surround land that encompasses Cook County. This municipal appointment is assigned to maintain trails used for hiking, biking, and riding rails, as well as paths that are used to reach picnicking cites. One unique aspect about this government program is that it also maintains several public golf courses. Yes, that is right, no country club membership needed.

Influences On and From the City (Ch 12)

A city that is a forerunner in the nation in many aspects influence Chicago, on the other hand, Chicago has influenced other places, people, and media.

Chicago has shown it's face in many aspects of media. Chicago, the movie,is set in Chicago during the 1920s has become a musical reflective of the time in which it was set and the atmosphere of the city. It became a reference point that one can turn to in order to discover what the desperation may have felt like amidst crime and depression. For purpose only known really to the writer of the original piece, Chicago can be seen as a representation of a culture, a time, and a nation.


There are many works of art set in Chicago. Sandra Cisneros' House on Mango Street is set in Chicago's Chicano ghetto. This short story identifies with many people of many different backgrounds. Another is Upton Sinclair's criticism of the meet packing industry in the Jungle. Labeled on of the "best American plays", David Mamet's American Buffalo is set in Chicago in a series of twist and turns of crime that won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best play and been nominated for several Tony Awards. The Blues Brothers, Backdraft, Barbershop, Wayne's World, Hardball, and Home Alone are just a few films that claim Chicago as he backdrop. The long running show ER that just aired its final episode days ago is set in the County General Hospital of Chicago. There is a seemingly endless list of songs, television, fiction, and other media that claim an influence from the city or even reference it.

With a city such as Chicago that is so eclectic, there are numerous people of influence that have called Chicago home. One of the groundbreaking, modern historical figures that have called it home is a little known junior senator. His name is Barack Obama. He is currently the 44th President of the United States who served from 1997 to 2004 in the Illinois Senate. Ironically, his campaign rival for the Democratic nomination for Presidency was Hillary Rodham Clinton who was born in Chicago, Illinois. The former first lady, former United States New York Senator, and current U.S. Secretary of State. These two groundbreaking politicians are just a minuscule fraction of the long list.

Other historical figures come from a variety of different fields. One man that changed travel in his own way is George Pullman, whom invented the Pullman sleeping train car. Another man that assisted in the evolution of transportation is Charles Yerkes. In a city that is very dependent on efficient transportation in, around, and leaving the city, Yerkes part in developing a mass-transit system has aided the development of the city. One of his last influences was the development of the ever popular Loop.

Where the Core Starts (Ch 11)

Everything about the landscape of Chicago from it's soil, but most especially it's location contribute to Chicago's place within the Agricultural Community. As such, it almost has a duty to it's community, it's history, and the nation to further the industry.

A unique feature in the Chicago Public School system is something many school districts cannot conceive of. This would be known as Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. This completely public school is a 39-acre working farm. It is the second school in the nation of its kind. NPR recently did a segment of the school's one of a kind curriculum. The school of about 600 students has a daily agenda of raising cows, running a fish farm, growing corn, apples and pickles. Much like Southern California's Pierce College, the school runs it's own farm, selling the goods it produces. Of course the school isn't solely concerned on the products the farm will turn out, it is also concerned with the same areas of studies as other schools across the country.

This school is a way to create a new and revived interest in a self sustaining community. What better way to prepare teens for the real world then to have them work the farm, learn sound business practices in the comfort of an environment that is set up and invested in their success. In many other places in the world, such as college or the work field there is not an investment in one's success.

The school's website states:
"The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences is being looked at as a model for schools of this kind in other cities across the country. Our school serves as a model not only for its innovative curriculum, but also for dropout prevention and exceptional student motivation. We combine an academic learning environment with hands-on practice in a way that maximizes student success."

Cropping Up Chicago (Ch 10)

From the beginning of its foundation, Chicago made itself the center of Agriculture, not only in the Mid West, but in the world. With a great location that puts it in a prime zone for trade traffic with the rest of the world, Chicago made its way into the trade business as one of it's top leaders.

Shortly after it's foundation, Chicago experience three of the most successful growing seasons that only strengthened its position in the forefront. As the city's manufacturing business boomed, along with the invention and development of other important tools, the city's reputation only improved. With every expansion, Chicago became a more important figure in the agriculture industry.

It's extremely prosperous growing season cannot been given an exact time period. With any season, in any location, this is constantly dependent on the weather conditions. Within different parts of Chicago, the growing season is also different because of its location to the blustery water front. Along the lake front, the growing season is on average 191 days, typically from mid April to mid/late October. In the more suburban areas of Chicago, the growing season is about 162 days from the beginning of May to the beginning of October.

Currently, wheat is grain is still the staple of the Agriculture industry in Chicago, there are many other crops grown. The Chicago Board of Trade recognizes the agriculture industry of Chicago as consisting of Corn, mini-sized Corn, Soybeans, mini-sized Soybeans, Soybean Oil, South American Soybeans, Soybean Meal, Wheat, Mini-sized Wheat, Ethanol, Oats, Rough Rice, Soybean Crush. There are also a variety of other things that have helped the once abundant agriculture industry stay afloat in Chicago. Raising and producing specialized products keeps an interest and investment in these farms. For example, free-range chickens, llamas, and organically grown herbs and veggies are products that some small "suburban farmettes" provide.