Chicago is the largest city in the state of Illinois and is the most populous city in the entire Midwest. Although Chicago is not the capitol of Illinois, it does serve as the major hub in the Midwest for transportation and industry. Chicago’s metropolitan area houses a total of 9.7 million people and is the third most populous area in the United States following New York and Los Angeles. Chicago’s industry is very diverse due to its size and has the third largest gross metropolitan product in the United States coming in at over $442 billion per year.
Many different companies do business within Chicago. It is best known for its financial institutions and has the second largest central business district in the country. Chicago is home to three different financial and futures exchanges: the Chicago Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the “Merc”). Besides the exchanges in Chicago, it is also home to many financial and insurance companies such as Zurich North America and Allstate. Chicago also has the largest number of high-technology and information-technology jobs in the entire United States.
Besides business, the “Windy City” is also known for its many tourist attractions. Over 44.2 million people from around the world visited Chicago in 2006. Chicago’s restaurants, retail stores, and museums draw many of the visitors to the city. Chicago’s “Navy Pier” is a 3,000 foot long pier that has many restaurants, stores, museums, and exhibition halls. The Navy Pier also is home to a 150-foot tall Ferris wheel that attracts over 8 million people annually. Chicago also opened their Museum Campus in 1998 which is a large lakefront park that includes the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium.
Chicago is also very well known for the strength of their professional sports teams. Among the most famous basketball teams in the world, the Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships in eight seasons throughout the 1990’s with Michael Jordan leading their team. Chicago is also home to the Chicago White Sox (MLB), the Chicago Cubs (MLB), and the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL).
