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Many images come to mind at the mention of this great city's name.
Mrs. O'Leary's cow. The Stockyards. The Second City. The Windy City. The
City That Works. The Sears Tower. Al Capone. The Loop. Michael Jordan.
Oprah. Some of these images, it's true, have become outdated. The Stockyards
are long gone. The Second City title was lost to L.A. in the 1990 census.
Historians now seem to be pretty sure that the O'Leary cow didn't knock over
any lantern; the Great Fire was likely started by a neighbor. And Michael
Jordan---well, Chicagoans have their memories.
But the wide variety of these images illustrates the diversity of
Chicago's past as well as its present. It's a city where the stone lions in
front of one of the nation's finest art museums wear giant football helmets
to celebrate an important Bears victory. And it's a city where knowing a
good hot dog stand is as important as reservations at a four-star
restaurant.
The French explorers Jolliet and Marquette were the first Europeans to
explore the area in 1673. The first permanent settlement wasn't established
until 1779, however, when Jean Baptiste Point du Sable started a trading
post. Local traders, as well as Native Americans, built a village and named
it for checagou, the Native American word for the wild onions that grew
along the lakeshore.
The city's fortunes grew in the 1830s and 1840s as railroads and
canals connected Lake Michigan with the rest of the state and points east.
After the Civil War, the city was booming, thanks to industries like
meat-packing, lumber, and shipping. But the city suffered a tremendous loss
when, in October 1871, the Great Chicago Fire swept across the city, killing
300 people and destroying 18,000 buildings. Chicagoans took it in stride,
quickly rebuilding and improving as they went. The city that rose out of the
ashes is known today for its distinctive and innovative architecture, strong
business backbone, and cultural institutions (including a world-class
symphony, top-flight museums, and an impressive literary heritage).
Chicago's lakefront is a big-city wonder---a vast expanse of water fringed
with parks and beaches.
The O'Hare area is home to dozens of hotels and restaurants catering
to busy travelers' needs, as well as a large number of malls and outlets
ranging from outrageously expensive designers to J. Crew and Nike. The
landscape is dominated by busy highways such as the Kennedy Expressway
(1--90).
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