subject: Chicago - The Windy City of the USA [print this page] Chicago - The Windy City of the USA Chicago - The Windy City of the USA
Nicknamed the Windy City, Chicago is the largest city in Illinois. It is the most densely populated city in the Midwestern United States, and is the third most populated city in North America.
It's a hub for business and finance, and is listed as one of the world's top ten financial centres, but it is also famous for pop culture and is discusses in a plethora of novels, songs and films.
Before settlers, Chicago was inhabited by the Potowami, who were a tribe of American Indians, and after the Northwest Indian War the area was given to Native Americas to reside.
In the 1833 treaty of Chicago the Native Americans were forcibly removed and the city became an important transport route between America and the rest of the world. It is still used today as one of the main hubs that airlines fly into, but is a popular destination with humid temperatures and amazing nightlife.
If you are going to visit Chicago, then visit the lakefront neighbourhoods and the south shore, including little Italy where you can get some amazing food, or try some Vietnamese in the south East Asian section.
The city was devastate in the great Chicago fire of 1871, here hundreds of people died and scores of buildings were razed to the ground. It is thought to be one of the largest disasters in the United States in the nineteenth century, and a journalist made up a story about it having originated in a barn when a cow kicked over a lantern. The true origins of the fire remain unknown. The fire alarm was not raised for a further forty minutes and in that time the fire had become unmanageable, causing it to destroy much of the city. Almost immediately the city called for a reform in the fire standards and the city began to build itself up from the embers again. The Chicago fire academy now resides on the land where the fire originated, with a statue in bronze of flames at the exact point where the fire began.
If you are planning on visiting Chicago then make sure you get Travel Insurance. UK policies are readily available online.
