Chicago metropolitan area

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This article is about the Chicago metropolitan area. For the race track, see Chicagoland Speedway.
Chicago Metropolitan Area
or Chicagoland
Population
9,443,356 (2,005 est.)

Chicagoland is an informal name for the Chicago metropolitan area, used primarily by copywriters, advertising agencies, and traffic reporters. There is no precise definition for the term "Chicagoland"; a common usage includes the city of Chicago, Cook County and nine surrounding counties, including two in Indiana, and one in Wisconsin[citation needed].

The term was popularized by the Chicago Tribune. Colonel Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher usually gets credit for placing the term in common use.[1][2] The first usage came on July 27, 1926 (page 1) with the headline: "Chicagoland's Shrines: A Tour of Discoveries" by reporter James O'Donnell Bennett. He claimed that Chicagoland comprised everything in a 200 mile radius in every direction and reported on many different places in the area. The Tribune was the dominant newspaper in a vast area stretching to the west of the city, and that hinterland was closely tied to the metropolis by rail lines and commercial links.[3]

Overview

File:Chicagoland.jpg
Chicagoland Radius Map Showing Zones. In general terms, Zone 1 is the downtown area, Zone 2 is the main city, and Zone 3 is the outer city. Zone 4 contains most of the suburbs, and outer suburbs are in Zone 5.
Location within the USA

The Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Consolidated Statistical Area (often shortened to "Chicago CSA") had a population of 9,312,554, according to the most recent census in 2000. Based upon county estimates released in March 2006 from the Census Bureau, the population by 2005 had increased to 9,661,840[1]. The metro area comprises eight Illinois counties (Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry, Kankakee, and Kendall), the five Northwest Indiana counties (Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton, and LaPorte), and one Wisconsin county (Kenosha County*). Greater Chicago is the third largest urban center in the United States, and 1 in 30 Americans calls it home. Chicagoland runs together with Milwaukee and Racine in Wisconsin, creating a megalopolis region, gradually spreading toward nearby urban centers like Rockford, South Bend, and Benton Harbor.

The suburbs, surrounded by easily annexed flat ground, have been expanding at a tremendous rate since the early 1960s. Naperville is noteworthy for being one of only a few boomburbs outside the Sunbelt, West Coast and Mountain States regions, and exurban Kendall County ranked as the third fastest-growing county in the United States with a population greater than 10,000 between 2004 and 2005.[2]

Settlement patterns in Chicagoland tend to follow those in the city proper: the northern suburbs along the shore of Lake Michigan are comparatively affluent, while the southern suburbs (sometimes known as Chicago Southland) are less so, with lower median incomes and a lower cost of living. However, there is a major exception to this. While Chicago's west side is among the poorer sections of the city, the western and northwestern suburbs contain many affluent areas. According to the 2000 Census, DuPage County had the highest median household income of any county in the Midwest. The county's largest city, Naperville, had the lowest poverty rate of any U.S. city with a population greater than 100,000. Several DuPage County municipalities have median home prices significantly higher than that of Chicagoland as a whole: Elmhurst $587,165, Hinsdale $1,274,558, Oak Brook $1,160,724, Glen Ellyn $579,954, Wheaton $427,428.10, Clarendon Hills $718,453 and Burr Ridge $913,579. Some "inner-ring" western suburbs in Cook County (Zone 3 on the Chicagoland Radius Map), such as Maywood and Cicero, are characterized by low income levels, however.

According to the 2000 US Census, poverty rates of the largest counties from least poverty to most are as follows: Dupage 5.90%, Grundy 6.10%, Will 6.70%, Lake 6.90%, Kane 7.40%, Cook 14.50%.

In an in-depth historical analysis, Keating (2004, 2005) examined the origins of 233 settlements that by 1900 had become suburbs or city neighborhoods of Chicagoland. The settlements began as farm centers (41%), industrial towns (30%), residential railroad suburbs (15%), and recreational/institutional centers (13%). Although relations between the different settlement types were at times contentious, there also was cooperation in such undertakings as the construction of high schools.

Usage

The term Chicagoland correctly stands alone as a description of Chicago and the surrounding counties. Often-used terms such as "the Chicagoland area," "metro Chicagoland" or even "the greater metropolitan Chicagoland area" are grammatically redundant. The term is most often used by advertisers ("See your Chicagoland Chevy dealer") or by weathercasters ("A major snowstorm is expected in Chicagoland"). The Chicago Tribune uses the name CLTV for their 24-hour cable news channel, official name Chicagoland Television. Without combination with a second name or term, it is fair use for any one to add the term "Chicagoland".

List of counties

Illinois

Indiana

Wisconsin

Anchor cities

Urban areas and urban clusters within the Chicagoland CSA

Within the boundary of the 16-county Chicago Consolidated Statistical Area lies the Chicago urban area, as well as 27 smaller urban areas and clusters. Smallest gap indicates the shortest distance between the given urban area or cluster and the Chicago urban area.

Rank Urban Area or Urban Cluster type Population
(2000 census) 		Land Area
(km²) 		Smallest gap
(km)
1 Chicago-Aurora-Elgin-Joliet-Waukegan, IL-IN UA 8,307,904 5,498.1 n/a
2 Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake, IL-WI^ † UA 226,848 344.9 2
3 Kenosha, WI* † UA 110,942 109.2 1
4 Michigan City-LaPorte, IN-MI^^ † UA 66,199 86.1 3
5 Kankakee-Bradley-Bourbonnais, IL UA 65,073 71.5 >10
6 DeKalb-Sycamore, IL UA 55,805 46.3 >10
7 Woodstock, IL † UC 20,219 21.1 4
8 Morris, IL UC 13,927 19.3 >10
9 Sandwich, IL^^^ UC 12,248 23.9 >10
10 Braidwood-Coal City, IL UC 11,607 19.5 >10
11 Harvard, IL UC 8,575 13.3 >10
12 Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN † UC 8,450 12.5 4
13 Lowell, IN UC 7,914 15.8 >10
14 Wilmington, IL UC 7,107 20.8 >10
15 Manteno, IL UC 7,106 9.4 >10
16 Marengo, IL UC 6,854 8.6 >10
17 Rensselaer, IN UC 6,096 10.9 >10
18 Plano, IL † UC 5,911 6.5 3
19 Genoa, IL UC 5,137 5.5 >10
20 Genoa City, WI-IL^^^^ † UC 5,126 12.5 >10
21 Westville, IN UC 5,077 4.4 >10
22 Hebron, IN UC 4,150 11.7 >10
23 Momence, IL UC 3,711 9.7 >10
24 Peotone, IL † UC 3,358 3.5 9
25 Wonder Lake, IL † UC 2,798 2.0 5
26 Monee, IL † UC 2,787 3.7 3
27 Union township, IN † UC 2,593 4.9 1
28 Hampshire, IL † UC 2,591 2.0 6

The formerly distinct urban areas of Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Waukegan were absorbed into the Chicago UA as of the 2000 census.

† These urban areas and urban clusters are expected to be joined to the Chicago Urban Area by the next census in 2010.

^ The Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake, IL-WI UA extends into Walworth County, WI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

^^ The Michigan City-LaPorte, IN-MI UA extends into Berrien County, MI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

^^^ The Sandwich, IL UC extends into LaSalle County, IL, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

^^^^ The Genoa City, WI-IL UC extends into Walworth County, WI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

Census Bureau population statistics

The Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950 and consisted of the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will along with Lake County in Indiana. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Metropolitan Statistical Area is currently named Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI. The addition of Kankakee County, Illinois and LaPorte County, Indiana to the metropolitan area forms the census designated Combined Statistical Area named Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI which has a July 1 2005 population estimate of 9,661,840.

Census Area July 1 2005 Census 2000 1990 Census 1980 Census 1970 Census 1960 Census 1950 Census
Chicago- Naperville- Joliet, IL-IN-WI 9,443,356 9,098,316 8,065,633 7,869,542 7,612,314 6,794,461 5,495,364
Cook County, Illinois 5,303,683 5,376,741 5,105,067 5,253,655 5,492,369 5,129,725 4,508,792
DeKalb County, Illinois 97,665 88,969 77,932¹ 74,624¹ 71,654¹ 51,714¹ 40,781¹
DuPage County, Illinois 929,113 904,161 781,666 658,835 491,882 313,459 154,599
Grundy County, Illinois 43,838 37,535 32,337 30,582¹ 26,535¹ 22,350¹ 19,217¹
Kane County, Illinois 482,113 404,119 317,471 278,405 251,005 208,246 150,388
Kendall County, Illinois 79,514 54,544 39,413 37,202¹ 26,374¹ 17,540¹ 12,115¹
Lake County, Illinois 702,682 644,356 516,418 440,372 382,638 293,656 179,097
McHenry County, Illinois 303,990 260,077 183,241 147,897 111,555 84,210 50,656¹
Will County, Illinois 642,813 502,266 357,313 324,460 249,498 191,617 134,336
Jasper County, Indiana 31,876 30,043 24,960¹ 26,138¹ 20,429¹ 18,842¹ 17,031¹
Lake County, Indiana 493,297 484,564 475,594 522,965 546,253 513,269 368,152
Newton County, Indiana 14,456 14,566 13,551¹ 14,844¹ 11,606¹ 11,502¹ 11,006¹
Porter County, Indiana 157,772 146,798 128,932 119,816 87,114 60,279 40,076¹
Kenosha County*, Wisconsin 160,544 149,577 128,181 123,137 117,917¹ 100,615¹ 75,238¹

¹County was not a part of this statistical area at the time of this Census and the county's population is not included in the total.

Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants

(Note: All of the cities listed in this section act as "anchor cities")

Illinois

Indiana

Wisconsin

Cities with 10,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

Illinois

Indiana

Wisconsin

Cities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

Illinois

Indiana

Wisconsin*

Transportation

Major airports

Commuter rail

  • Chicago 'L' serving Chicago and the near suburbs
  • Metra
    • 4 lines serving southern Cook County and Will County
    • 3 lines serving western Cook County, DuPage County, and Kane County
    • 1 line serving northwestern Cook County and McHenry County
    • 3 lines serving northern Cook County and Lake County, with 1 line extending up to Kenosha, Wisconsin
  • South Shore Line shares the Metra electric lines and connects Chicago to Gary, Michigan City, ending at South Bend, Indiana.

Major highways

Area codes

From 1947 until 1988, the Chicago metro area was served by a single area code, 312. In 1988 the 708 area code was introduced and the 312 area code became exclusive to the city of Chicago.

It became common to call suburbanites "708'ers", in reference to their area code.

The 708 area code was painfully inadequate from the beginning; it was partitioned in 1996 into 3 area codes (630, 708, and 847). As of 2006, the 847 area code has been supplemented with an overlay area code (224).

Plans are in place for overlay codes for all area codes serving the city and suburbs.

At the same time that the 708 area code was in trouble, the 312 area code in Chicago was also exhausting its supply of available numbers. As a result, the city was divided into two area codes, 312 and 773. Rather than divide the city by a north/south area code, the central business district (the "Loop") retained the 312 area code, while the remainder of the city took the new 773 code.

  • 312 Chicago - City(The Loop and central neighborhoods, e.g. the Near North Side)
  • 773 Chicago - City (Everywhere else within the city limits, excluding central area)
  • 847 (North and Northwest Suburbs)
  • 708 (Near West and South Suburbs)
  • 630 (Western Suburbs)
  • 224 (Overlay area code for 847)
  • 815 (far northwest and some south suburbs, Joliet)
  • 219 (Northwest Indiana)
  • 574 (North-central Indiana)
  • 262 (Southeast Wisconsin)

Proposed overlay area codes

  • 331 overlay for 630 (no effective date)
  • 464 overlay for 708 (no effective date)
  • 779 overlay for 815 (effective 2007)
  • 872 overlay for 312 & 773 (no effective date)

Major corridors

In addition to the Chicago Loop, Chicagoland is home to a few important subregional corridors of commercial activities. Among them are:

See also

Note

An asterisk (*) denotes that there is some debate over Kenosha being a part of Chicagoland.

Bibliography

  • William Cronon. Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West (1992)
  • Gerald L. Gutek and Patricia A. Gutek. Hippocrene U.S.A. Guide to Chicagoland & Beyond (1992)
  • Ann Durkin Keating. Chicagoland: City and Suburbs in the Railroad Age (2005)
  • Keating, Ann Durkin. "Chicagoland: More than the Sum of its Parts." Journal of Urban History 2004 30(2): 213-230. Issn: 0096-1442 Fulltext online in SwetsWise and Ebsco.
  • Will Pritchard. "Postcards from Chicagoland." New England Review. Volume: 19. Issue: 3. Publication Year: 1998. Pp 105+; essays on popular images.
  • Rand McNally. Chicagoland Recreation: Chicagoland, Illinois (Map 2003)
  • Reiff, Janice et al, Encyclopedia of Chicago (2005), the standard reference work on Chicagoland, online
  • Sisson, Richard, ed. The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia (2006)
  1. ^ The Encylopedia of Chicago, ISBN0-226-31015-9, Credit to McCormick given by Jack W. Fuller
  2. ^ Further reading: The Colonel's Century, Time, June 9, 1947
  3. ^ Cronon (1992); Keating (2005); Keating (2004)

External links

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