An Introduction to Chicago... The ‘Windy City’ lies in the northeast of the State, at the southern tip of Lake Michigan. One of the USA’s largest cities, Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper and one of the world’s giant trade, industry and transportation centres. The downtown area, known as ‘the Loop’, is surrounded by the North, West and South Sides. To the east is a strip of 46.7km (29 miles) of shoreline dotted with sandy beaches, hundreds of parks, harbours, zoos and vast expanses of forest preserve. The first European settlement in the area was built in 1779 at the mouth of the Chicago River, and the city itself was incorporated in 1837. In the late 1840s, the arrival of the railroad and the completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal heralded the city’s role as the major transportation hub of the Midwest, and led to the development of the Chicago Union Stock Yards, which were to serve the nation from 1865 to 1971.

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