City Information about Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, officially the city of Chicago with the population of 2,716,450 people living in 77 community areas consisting of more than 100 neighborhoods, is the third most heavily settled city in the United States and the largest city in the state of Illinois, USA. The city was incorporated in 1837. Chicago is situated on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan, which is among the five Great Lakes, in the northeastern part of Illinois

Chicago is a French version of the word shikaakwa(“Stinky Onion” “Onion Field” or “Wild Garlic”), a Miami Illinois word, and is named for the plants common along the Chicago River.

Chicago was founded in early 18^thcentury by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, an African-American free trader from what is now Haiti. The city was constructed to create a canal connecting steamboats and sailing ships on the Great Lakes to Mississippi River. In the beginning, the population of Chicago was about 350 people, and the land was three-eighths of a square. Later on, Chicago transformed to a trading center in the American West for food, crops, and fur.

In 1860 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago and on the third ballot, Abraham Lincoln was nominated for the presidency.

The growth of the city resulted in rapid constructions of wooden sidewalks. On October 8, 1871, the great Chicago fire started at 137^thDeKoven Street, behind Patrick O’Leary’s cottage, a gambling boss and saloon owner in Chicago. The wooden walkways became the city's downfall, and more than 15,000 buildings got destroyed, 300 people died, and 100,000 people were left without a place to live. Rubble and ash from the great Chicago wire were pushed into the lake to build new neighborhoods.

Nowadays, Chicago is a leading world financial center and it has the second biggest central business district in the country. Chicago is also home to main economic and future exchanges;The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), Chicago Stock Exchange, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the “Merc). With O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport, Chicago is one of the busiest Aviation centers in the United States.

Christianity is a predominant religion among the city's religious population. As of ethnic groups, the population consists of: 45% white (31% non-Hispanic whites); 32,9 Black or African American; 13,4% from some different racial type; 5,5% Asian (1,6% Chinese, 1,1% Indian, 1,1% Filipino, 0,4% Korean, 0,3% Vietnamese, 0,2% Japanese, 0,1% Thai); 2,7% of two or more races; 0,5% American Indian. Hispanic or Latino population is presented with 28,9% (21,4% Mexican, 3,8% Puerto Rican, 0,7 Guatemalan, 0,6% Ecuadorian, 0,3% Cuban, 0,3% Colombian, 0,2% Honduran, 0,2% Salvadoran, 0,2% Peruvian).