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| | The tribe of Indians that lived in the area before the white people came in the 1600s called the river Checagou, which is from where the name of the city derives. In the 1800s a small settlement had formed around the U.S. military base Fort Dearborn and the Indians were forced to sell their land to the U.S. government and move to a reservation west of the Mississippi River. The first railroad line opened in 1848 and 10 years later Chicago had become the world’s busiest railroad hub and the largest city in Illinois. The city fared very well during the Civil War and afterwards hoards of immigrants mainly of European descent formed small worker’s communities across the area. In the summer of 1871 extremely dry weather combined with a kick from Mrs. Leary’s agitated cow had disastrous consequences as the flames from the knocked over lantern rapidly spread from that barn across the city, engulfing it in flames. Most of downtown and North Side was completely destroyed. When the fire seized 24 hours later three hundred people were dead and three hundred times as many homeless. The need to rebuild the whole city did, however, attract many of the world’s leading architects to Chicago, firmly establishing its reputation as the nation’s architecture capital. In the legendary Roaring Twenties Chicago was a place of crime and violence, but also of creativity. During the alcohol prohibition years, people indulged in illegal beverages at speakeasies that were run by gangsters like Al Capone and the likes. Gang wars raged, murder rates were high and there was all that jazz. The city has never quite escaped the reputation it acquired during these years. |
| The climate in Chicago is often harsh in the winter, with strong winds and temperatures well below freezing. However, it is very pleasant to visit during the summer months, when temperature in the 70s and 80s are not uncommon. |
| Chicago lies to the southwest of Lake Michigan, in the state of Illinois. The Chicago River runs through the city and used to flow into the lake until its flow was reversed in 1900 to protect the lake from pollution. |
| The Chicago area is the country’s major transportation center, where 25 million tons of goods pass through each year, the port is also one of great significance with nearly as much goods handled yearly. Industry, especially metal, electronics and food manufacturing employ about thirty percent of the city’s population. |
| A very cultural city, Chicago boasts many great museums, concert halls, outdoor public works and parks. In plazas along Dearborn Street large-scale public art by Picasso, Calder and Chagall can be seen, free of charge. In Oak Park, the area where Frank Lloyd Wright was most productive, his home/studio and his famous Robie House are open to the public and well worth a visit for architecture buffs. |
| The city core of Chicago is relatively small and the number of people living there is decreasing. The many surrounding suburbs range from large, poor housing projects to very upscale family-friendly utopian neighborhoods. |
| Due to its large Latin population, there are many Catholics in Chicago. As any other city heavily created, developed and influenced by immigrant from many different parts of the world, religion is very diverse. |
| English is the main spoken language in Chicago, even though there is a large immigration population you will not get by without it. |
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