| The third largest city in the United States, Chicago has 2,800,000 residents and is located in the northern part of the state of Illinois. The metro area of Chicago has a population of nearly ten million. It was founded in 1833. Chicago elevation is about 590 feet and it is located in the Central Standard Time Zone. Chicago area codes are 872, 773, and 312. Chicago is home to the tallest building in the western hemisphere, the Willis Tower, with 110 stories and the country's second tallest, Trump International Hotel and Tower. Chicago weather can be cool with temperatures ranging from lows in winter of 16 degrees to a high in summer of 84 degrees. Precipitation averages about three inches per month of rainfall and about 43 annual inches of snow. Chicago things to do include shopping along the Magnificent Mile, visits to State Street, the Navy Pier, the Adler Planetarium, the Chicago History Museum, and the Museum of Science and Industry. The Chicago area has over 500 parks and recreation areas. Chicago entertainment includes a wide variety of theater shows found in the Goodman Theater, Bank of America Theater, Drury Lane Theater, Steppenwolf Theater Company, as well as entertainment by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Festival Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Tourism is prominent in the local economy with thirty-two million annual visitors. Chicago has one of the best selection of sports teams in the country playing host to major league baseball's Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, basketball's Chicago Bulls (NBA), hockey's Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), and NFL football's Chicago Bears. Chicago is the background for numerous films and shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Farris Bueller's Day Off, Home Alone, and two of the Transformers films. The area has a diverse mixture of businesses including financial, medical, services, publishing, and manufacturing. Over four million workers live in the Chicago area. Major companies with a presence in Chicago include General Electric, Abbott Laboratories, Baxter International, Groupon and Feedburner. Numerous higher educational institutions are found in the Chicago area such as Northwestern University, University of Chicago, DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, and Chicago State University. The world's second busiest airport, O'Hare International Airport serves the area along with Midway International Airport. The Port of Chicago is a major US shipping port. Healthcare services are provided by the University of Illinois Medical Center and Rush University Medical Center. |
