Chicago Living
Chicago is a sprawling metropolis commonly called the windy city, and home to over six million people on the shore of lake Michigan in Cook county, Illinois. The downtown area is commonly known as the Loop, which is connected with the entire city by an elevated rail line commonly called the L. From the beginning the city has been a busy transportation center, with O'Hare international airport on the northwest side of the city being among the busiest in the world and has been a large hub for both United and American airlines for decades. The original Midway airport situated close to the Loop was nearly abandoned in the early sixties after O'hare was built, but in the late seventies airline service returned and now offers many domestic flights.
Chicago has long been a primary railroad center and today continues providing a lot of passenger service aboard Amtrak and is a busy cargo hub connecting to the Port of Chicago, the biggest port in the Great Lakes region.
The 110 story Sears tower was the tallest building in the world when it was built in 1974, named after the famous retailer which was founded here in 1933, and was renamed the Willis tower in 2009 in spite of much opposition from city residents. The Sears tower observation deck is one of the most popular attractions in the city offering panoramic views of the Chicago river. Since the grand opening in 1933 The Museum of Science and Industry built within 600 acres of greenery in Jackson Park, has continued to be one of the most visited sites in the city attracting future scientists from around the world while remaining the largest science museum in the western hemisphere.
The extensive Chicago public park system covers over 7300 acres, including 24 miles of parkland along the Lake Michigan shore offering skate parks, bicycle trails, ponds, beaches, and dog parks allowing everyone to stay close to nature. The Buckingham fountain was dedicated in 1927, and from spring to fall puts on a music and light show every night. Chicago has been called the city of neighborhoods, with 77 distinct community areas. Lincoln Park is home to the Lincoln Park Zoo, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago History Museum, and Lincoln Park conservatory, all surrounded by grand historic mansions plus upscale restaurants and boutiques that make it one of the most visited neighborhoods. The Magnificent Mile is the premier shopping area, and northern lakeshore neighborhoods like
Lakeview and Edgewater offer marinas and golf courses.
Chicago has a long history of ethnic diversity with neighborhoods like Chinatown, Ukranian Village, and Little Italy, and many central European immigrants arrived here when the city began to grow in the 1800s. Many of the early immigrants built the victorian homes now restored by neighborhood residents. Today there are ethnic restaurants from every corner of the world among the astounding 9,000 restaurants throughout the city. With many high rise condominiums along the lake shore and a good transportation system, it is easy to live here without a car.