Florida

Florida also hosts the following minor league baseball teams:. </gallery>. As of 2004, Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training:.
. Florida is an extremely popular location for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the "Grapefruit League".
. [2] (http://www.sptimes.com/News/050801/State/Bush_s_trustees_mostl.shtml) In 2002, Democratic Senator Bob Graham started a ballot referendum designed to revert to the Board of Regents system.
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This has not been without controversy. When creating references please refer to the Wikipedia Cite Sources guidelines. As is typical of executive-appointed government boards, the appointees so far have been overwhelmingly Republican.
. Instead, each public university is now controlled by its own Board of Trustees who are directly appointed by the governor.
. In 2000, Governor Bush and the state legislature acted to abolish the Board of Regents that governed the State University System of Florida. Related topics.

Major testing organizations frequently discount the use of state average test score rankings, or any average of scaled scores, as a valid metric (see psychometrics for more details on scaled test scores). Museums. Governor Jeb Bush has been criticized by many Florida educators for a program that penalizes underperforming schools (as indicated by standardized tests, such as the FCAT) with fewer funding dollars. Related topics. It should be noted that many education surveys are not scientific, but do measure prestige. and international transportation hub by working to expand O'Hare International Airport. Additionally, a new airport has been proposed for Peotone, Illinois, and the city is working toward expanding its ties with the Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, Indiana. Florida public schools have consistently ranked in the bottom 25% of many national surveys and average test score rankings. In the 21st century, Chicago is working toward maintaining its status as a U.S.

states. The land is to be converted into a lakeside park. Average teacher salaries rank near the middle of U.S. Daley in a nighttime coup, was a relatively small airstrip but unique because of its proximity to Chicago's downtown, and as an airstrip for private planes it was one of the busiest in the world. Florida's public school revenue per student and spending per $1000 of personal income usually ranks in the bottom 25% of U.S. states. Meigs Field, which was closed by Mayor Richard M. See complete list of Florida places. In the 20th century, Chicago held on to its status as a transportation hub with the building of three airports: O'Hare International Airport, Midway Airport, and Meigs Field.

Ranked by per capita income. All of the Class I railroads in existence in the United States maintain (often multiple) terminals in and around Chicago, and the city is served by a large number of smaller railroads that both interconnect the larger railroads and connect to locations not served by the larger railroads. The three largest Protestant denominations in Florida are: Baptist (22% of the total state population), Methodist (8%), Presbyterian (4%). Chicago is still the railroad hub of the United States. Religiously, Florida is mostly Protestant, but with a growing Roman Catholic community due to Hispanic immigration. This network allowed Chicago to become the center of the meat packing industry. The five largest ancestries in the state are: African American (14.6%), German (11.8%), Irish (10.3%), English (9.2%), American (8%). By 1856, Chicago was the railroad hub of America and by the end of the decade more than 100 trains were coming and going each day.

As of 2003, the state had a population of 17,019,068. In the 1850s the railroads started growing from Chicago faster than anywhere else in the world. Today most of the spam businesses appear to be operating out of South Florida. Even today Chicago's importance in global distribution remains as it is the third largest inter-modal port in the world after Hong Kong and Singapore. Historically Florida has also been home to large telemarketing firms. Chicago then became one of the largest grain and lumber ports in the world, with grain going to more established populations and lumber being sent to the forest-starved prairies where new settlers needed to build. Spammers are not the first business men of questionable ethics to use Florida as a home base. Louis, and south to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2005 Spamhaus declared Florida the spam capital of the world [1]  (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-sbspammain08may08,0,7702631.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines). Experts have estimated that Florida is an attractive place of business for Spammers due to the gorgeous weather, low key atmosphere, nearby Internet data centers and the state's reputation as "a good place to do dirty business". The Illinois and Michigan Canal, completed in 1848, allowed for transport around the world with connecting waterways through Chicago all the way to New York and the Atlantic, west to St. Florida did not have any state minimum wage laws until November 2, 2004, when voters passed a Constitutional Amendment requiring inflationary increases to the minimum wage every six months. Much of this status stems from its geographic proximity during a time when the United States was growing quickly in population and area. With the arrival of the space program at Kennedy Space Center in the 1960s, Florida has attracted a large number of aerospace and military industries to the state. Chicago can be considered one of the prime transportation hubs in America. Other major industries include citrus fruit and juice production, banking, and phosphate mining. Related topics.

The large Walt Disney World Resort with four theme parks and over twenty hotels plus countless water parks, shopping centres and other facilities, located in Lake Buena Vista drives the economy of that area, along with more recent entries into the theme park arena such as the Universal Orlando Resort. The great amount of sales tax revenue is what allows the state to be one of the few to not levy a personal income tax. [2] (http://www.uic.edu/depts/mcam/aboutcom.html/). Warm weather most of the year and hundreds of miles of beach provide a thriving vacation spot for travelers from around the world. The University of Illinois at Chicago claims to be the largest medical school in the United States (1300 students, including those at campuses in Peoria, Rockford and Urbana-Champaign). Florida's economy is heavily based on tourism. It is also home to the sprawling Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side as well as the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Dental Association, and the American College of Surgeons. The per capita personal income was $30,098, ranking 26^th in the nation. The city is first among the major dental and medical training centers in the United States.

The gross state product of Florida in 2003 was $550 billion. The United States has the largest health care system in the world, and Chicago is arguably the capital of that system. Many other smaller hurricanes have hit or brushed Florida, and many more hurricanes will hit in the future. Related topics. Among a long list of other infamous hurricane strikes were the Miami Hurricane of 1926, the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Hurricane Donna in 1960 and Hurricane Opal in 1995. Until about 1850, men outnumbered women and this male-dominated subculture encouraged gambling and drinking, as well as activities such as billiards and horse racing. history, Hurricane Andrew, which cost twenty-five billion dollars when it struck on August 12, 1992. While the complete truth of the story is sometimes doubted, it is important as an early Chicago legend and does reflect the early days of sports in the city. Early Chicago had only the most primitive of sports.

Hurricanes Charley (August 13), Frances (September 4-5), Ivan (September 16), and Jeanne (September 25-26) cumulatively cost forty-two billion dollars to the state. Florida was also the site of the most costly single weather disaster in U.S. As soon as the fight began, police moved in and arrested every criminal and escorted them to the city borders. Florida saw a slew of destruction in 2004 when it was hit by a record four hurricanes. During the city's boomtown days local authorities staged a dogfight, knowing that it would attract some of the more unsavory characters on the town's crime scene. Hurricanes pose a threat during the summer and fall. In the early history of the city, sports were at the heart of some founding legends. Snow flurries fell on Miami Beach for the only time in history. It is one of the few cities in the United States with two professional baseball teams (Cubs, White Sox) plus professional football (Bears), soccer (Fire), basketball (Bulls), and two professional hockey teams (the Blackhawks and the minor-league Wolves).

The most widespread snowfall in Florida history happened in February 1978 with snow falling over much of the state in different times of the month, extending as far south as Homestead. Chicago is also identified with many sports teams. The Great Blizzard of 1899, was also the only time the temperature has fallen below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, registering -2f in Tallahassee. Related topics. During that time, the Tampa Bay area had "Gulf effect" snow, similar to Lake effect snowfall. Moody, a 19th Century evangelist who held a Sunday School and founded a church there. During the Great Blizzard of 1899, Florida experienced blizzard conditions for possibly the first time. Chicago is home to the Moody Bible Institute, named after Dwight L.

Snow is a rare occurrence in Florida, although it usually snows somewhere in Florida almost every winter. Historically, Chicago is remembered for machine politics ("Vote early and vote often" and "A city run of the Daleys, by the Daleys, for the Daleys" are two phrases associated with Chicago politics), meat packing (as mentioned in the nicknames section and made infamous by Upton Sinclair's The Jungle), and gangster violence during Prohibition (some key figures are linked to Chicago, such as Al Capone and John Dillinger). Florida has more lightning strikes than any other state and also leads the nation in tornadoes per square mile(although the tornadoes in Florida do not get as large as those in the Midwest or Great Plains. Hail is not an uncommon occurrence in some of the more severe thunderstorms. At the same time, Sandburg, who was a lifelong Socialist, published other less well-known poems criticising Chicago's disparities in wealth. These thunderstorms which are caused by airflow from the Gulf of Mexico seemingly "pop up" in the early afternoon and can often bring heavy downpours, high winds and sometimes tornadoes. These poems are representative of Chicago's spirit. Statewide, Florida has the highest average precipitation of any state, due in large part to afternoon thunderstorms which are common throughout most of the state from late spring until the early autumn. Carl Sandburg, a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet and Abraham Lincoln biographer, gave the city one of its best-known nicknames, "City of Big Shoulders", in his Chicago Poems (1916).

While Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State", severe weather is a common occurrence in Florida. Chicago also has a great literary tradition. The Gulf stream has a moderating effect on Florida climate and although it is common for much of Florida to see a high summer temperature over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it is not common for the mercury to go above 100 degrees Fareinheit in Florida. Many world-famous actors and comedians are from Chicago or have studied there, particularly at Northwestern University. The seasons in Florida often called "Hot and Hotter" are actually determined more by precipitation than by temperature with warm, relatively dry winters and autumns (the dry season) and hot, wet springs and especially the summers (the wet season). It is home to The Second City and ImprovOlympic, two of the largest comedy troupes in the world. Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate with the extreme tip of Florida and the Florida Keys bordering on a true tropical climate. Chicago is a well-known theater capital and is the mecca for improvizational comedy.

The climate of Florida is tempered somewhat by its proximity to water. In addition, Chicago schools have developed in various studies, such as the famed Chicago school of architecture and the Chicago schools of economic theory, literary criticism and urban sociology, the latter three founded at the University of Chicago. At 345 feet (105 metres) above sea level, Britton Hill is the highest point in Florida (it's also the lowest state highpoint.). Another local specialty is "cheese fries", French fries covered in cheese. It is near the countries of the Caribbean, particularly the Bahamas, Cuba, and Haiti. The Italian Beef typically includes cheese, peppers, and onions. It is bordered on the north by the states of Georgia and Alabama and on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama. Chicago has a homegrown riposte to the "po' boy" of New Orleans and the equivalent "hoagie" of Philadelphia in the Italian beef sandwich.

Florida consists of a panhandle extending along the northern Gulf of Mexico and a large peninsula with the Atlantic Ocean as its eastern border and the Gulf of Mexico as its western border. In the field of popular cuisine, Chicago style Pizza provides the antithesis to New York styles and hot dogs, being synonymous with deep-dish and stuffed pizza in addition to being linked to a robustly complex Chicago style Hot Dog (often called "the garbage dog") that challenges the relative simplicity of a New York coney dog. See: List of counties in Florida. In the field of music, Chicago is well-known for its Chicago blues, but it is also the birthplace of the House style of music, whose history is related to the development and fostering of the techno electronic style of music in nearby Detroit. The state use tax is 6 percent on purchases made out of state and brought into Florida within 6 months of the purchase date. For its youth as compared to Eastern cities, Chicago has made many significant pop-cultural contributions. Local governments may levy a local option sales on top of that, so sales taxes vary by county between 6 and 7.5 percent. Related topics.

The state sales tax rate is 6 percent. Additionally Chicago is considered to be the Prime Global Advertising Service Center by the GaWC. Florida is one of the nine states which does not impose personal income tax (list of others). Chicago is considered to command the third-largest market in North America (after New York City and Los Angeles - although Mexico City is larger, its market does not hold such importance) and as such has many different forms of media and outlets to support its status. See: List of Florida Governors. They inspired the creation of the City Colleges of Chicago. Outside of liberal Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, the Florida Democratic Party tends to be socially conservative and heavily associated with the good ol' boy network. Stanley Brown in 1899.

Tampa, once a hotbed of Democratic union support, is now about 50% both registered Republicans and Democrats making it, and surrounding areas, part of the important I-4 Corridor swing region. Community colleges were pioneered by locals William Rainey Harper and J. In Miami, the liberal Democrats vie for control with wealthy Cuban conservative Republicans and their business allies. Columbia College, Roosevelt University and The School of the Art Institute are major schools geared towards urban studies, fine arts and performance arts. As such, and because of its high population and large number of electoral votes, Florida is considered by political analysts to be a key swing state in Presidential elections. Major research universities such as the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois at Chicago call Chicago home. The Presidential election in Florida in 2000 was extremely close. Loyola is one of the largest institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

Despite this demographic parity, Republicans control the governorship and most other statewide elected offices; both houses of the state legislature; 18 of the state's 25 seats in the House of Representatives; and one of the state's two senate seats. Two of the most honored institutions of the Roman Catholic Church are DePaul University in Lincoln Park and Loyola University in Rogers Park and Edgewater. Though Florida has traditionally been a Democratic state, in recent years explosive population growth has brought with it many Republicans, leaving the state approximately evenly split between the two parties. Chicago holds a distinguished place in the United States for higher education as the home of such schools as the University of Chicago in Hyde Park and Northwestern University in Evanston. Bush. Main article: Colleges and universities of Chicago. W.
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Bush and son of former President George H. Related topics. The current governor is Republican Jeb Bush, brother of President George W. Of the total population, 28.1% of those under the age of 18 and 15.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. The Florida Legislature has a Senate of 40 members and a House of 120 members. Below the poverty line are 19.6% of the population and 16.6% of the families. Today, Florida is the fourth most populous state in the Union. The per capita income for the city is $20,175.

After the fall of the Confederacy in 1865, Florida was readmitted into the Union on June 25, 1868. Males have a median income of $35,907 versus $30,536 for females. Florida joined the CSA on February 10, 1861. The median income for a household in the city is $38,625, and the median income for a family is $42,724. On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state of the United States of America. Florida seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861 and was one of the founding members of the Confederate States of America (CSA, also known as the Confederacy). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.1 males. Spain finally ceded Florida to the United States with the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819, in exchange for the US renouncing any claims on Texas. For every 100 females there are 94.2 males.

Control of parts of Florida passed among Spanish, British, and American control. The median age is 32 years. The area of Florida diminished with the establishment of British colonies to the north and French colonies to the west. Of the city population, 26.2% are under the age of 18, 11.2% are from 18 to 24, 33.4% are from 25 to 44, 18.9% are from 45 to 64, and 10.3% are 65 years of age or older. Over the following century, the Spanish and French both established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. The average household size is 2.67 and the average family size is 3.50. Archaelogical finds indicate that Florida had been inhabited for many thousands of years prior to any European settlements. Spaniards first arrived in 1513 and laid claim to a large, imprecisely defined area extending from about modern day Gainesville northward to the Carolinas, which they called La terra florida, "The flowery land". Of all households, 32.6% are made up of individuals and 8.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older.

Main article: History of Florida. There are 1,061,928 households, of which 28.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% are married couples living together, 18.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% are non-families. USS Florida was named in honor of this state. It is also considered to be the second-largest Serbian city in the world after Belgrade (which has a population of two million). Postal abbreviation is FL. Daley. Chicago has the largest ethnically Polish population outside of Polish capital of Warsaw, making it one of the most important Polonia centers. The U.S. Many of Chicago's politicians have come from this massive Irish population, including the current mayor, Richard M.

It was discovered by Spanish explorers during the Easter season, which is called Pascua Florida in Spanish. The main ethnic groups in Chicago are Irish, German, Italian and Polish. Chicago has a very large Irish-American population on its South Side. "Florida" is a Spanish adjective which means "flowery". Chicago's unique culture arises from it being a melting pot, with nearly even percentages of Whites and African-Americans and a sizeable Hispanic minority. It is known as the Sunshine State. Of the population, 26.02% are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Florida is a southern state in the United States. The racial makeup of the city is 41.97% White, 36.77% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 4.35% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 13.58% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races.

Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. There are 1,152,868 housing units at an average density of 1,959.8/km² (5,075.8/mi²). Petersburg. The population density is 4,923.0/km² (12,750.3/mi²). Tampa Bay Devil Rays in St. This encompasses about one-fifth of the entire population of the state of Illinois and 1% of the population of the United States. Saint Louis Cardinals in Jupiter. As of the census² of 2000, there are 2,896,016 people, 1,061,928 households, and 632,909 families residing in the city of Chicago proper.

Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton. People living in the Chicago area are called "Chicagoans.". Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater. Main article: Demographics of Chicago. New York Yankees in Tampa.
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New York Mets in Port St. Today Chicago is considered to be a Prime Accountancy, Advertising and Legal Service Centers by the GaWC. Washington Nationals in Viera. From this were established the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), and the modern systems we use today for futures and commodity trading. Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers. Later, people as far away as New York City began buying contracts by telegraph on the goods that would be stored in Chicago in the future. Los Angeles Dodgers in Vero Beach. Grain was stored in Chicago, and people began buying contracts on it.

Houston Astros in Kissimmee. Massive amounts of goods passed through Chicago from places in the Mississippi Valley such as St. Louis, Missouri. Florida Marlins in Jupiter. A number of events led to this, along with Chicago's transportation systems and geographic proximity to the rest of the country. Detroit Tigers in Lakeland. Modern-day futures and commodity trading markets were pioneered in Chicago. Cleveland Indians in Winter Haven. As the major meat companies grew in Chicago many, such as Armour, created global enterprises and communicated with divisions spread across the globe via telegraph.

Cincinnati Reds in Sarasota. Today, we consider industries such as steel, oil, and banking to be the great global market segments, but in the 1860s Chicago's pork and beef industry represented the first global industry. Boston Red Sox in Palms Park. The efficiency of Chicago's meat packing industry and its disassembly plants inspired others such as Henry Ford when he developed Model-T assembly lines. Baltimore Orioles in Fort Lauderdale. More operating months meant hundreds of thousands of new man-hours in which people could work. Atlanta Braves at Walt Disney World. Before this time, meat production and distribution facilities, otherwise known as disassembly plants, had to shut down in the hot summer months.

During the 1860s two factors helped this development: First, the Civil War increased the demand for food products, and Chicago's transportation network ensured that goods could be delivered quickly to soldiers all over the northern United States; second, meat packing plants began to utilize ice. By 1862 Chicago had displaced Cincinnati, Ohio, as "Porkopolis". Swift and Philip Armour helped the area to become the largest producer of meat products in the world at the time. Great entrepreneurs such as Gustavus F.

In the 1850s and 1860s Chicago's pork and beef industry exploded. Carl Sandburg described Chicago as a "stacker of wheat", and some would argue that the grain elevators were Chicago's first skyscrapers. In 1848 Chicago built its first grain elevator, and in 1858 there were twelve grain elevators dotting the skyline. In the 1840s Chicago became the largest grain port in the world, shipping food from the Mississippi Valley region which was also growing into the largest food-producing region in the world.

Additionally, the building of the Illinois and Michigan Canal helped move goods south down the Mississippi River. With that, many railroads started to be built from Chicago to other parts of the country, further aiding the growth of the city. Situated on the Great Lakes and with so many new people settling the area, Chicago became an ideal location for shipping and receiving goods. Before it was incorporated as a town in 1833 the primary industry was the fur trade. Chicago's early explosive growth led many land speculators and enterprising individuals to the area.

In fact Chicago's gross metropolitan product would rank 18th in the world if it were a nation-state at approximately 380 billion dollars. Today Chicago remains the United States' second financial center with the nation's second largest central business district and third largest gross metropolitan product. Chicago has been a center for commerce in the United States for most of its modern history. Main article: Economy of Chicago.

The coldest temperature ever recorded officially in Chicago is -27°F (-33°C) on January 11, 1982, with unofficial reports of -30°F.
. The highest official temperature ever recorded is 105°F (42°C) on July 17, 1995 during the Chicago Heat Wave. The highest temperature ever recorded in Chicago is an unofficial 109°F (44°C) on July 24, 1935. For example, in Chicago it has snowed in September (1942), been 90°F (33°C) in March (1982), and had a day where the high and low temperatures differed by more than 65°F (31°C) in one day (February 8, 1900).

Chicago has four clearly defined seasons, although in certain years some seasons may overextend their welcome and linger into months they do not traditionally occupy. Sudden changes of weather, large daily temperature ranges, and unpredictable precipitation patterns are all staples of Chicago weather. Chicago has a climate typical of the Midwest. Main article: Climate of Chicago.

. Related topics. A list of the color aerial views of the urban area of Chicago. Chicago is also recognized around the world for its magnificent skyline, and is globally ranked fourth based on number of buildings and floors.[1] (http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/sr/).

The Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Cook County and five surrounding Illinois counties as well as the Chicago–Gary–Kenosha Consolidated Statistical Area (CSA), which is made up of nine counties, two of them in northwestern Indiana and one in southeastern Wisconsin. Connecting the Chicago River with the Des Plaines is the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The city lies beside Lake Michigan and two rivers, the Chicago in Downtown Chicago and the Calumet in the industrial Far South Side, entirely or partially flow through Chicago. The city has been built on relatively flat land; the average height of land is 579 feet (176 metres) above sea level.

The total area is 2.94% water. Census Bureau, Chicago has a total area of 606.1 km² (234.0 mi²), of which 588.3 km² (227.1 mi²) is land and 17.8 km² (6.9 mi²) is water. According to the U.S. When the city we know today was initially founded in the 1830s the land was swampy and most of the early building began around the mouth of the Chicago River.

Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois at the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan. Main article: Geography of Chicago.
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The city is the county seat of Cook County. The council takes official action through the passage of ordinances and resolutions. Government priorities and activities are established in a budget ordinance usually adopted each November. The council enacts local ordinances and approves the city budget.

The City Council is the legislative branch and is made up of 50 aldermen, one elected from each ward in the city. In addition to the mayor, Chicago's two other citywide elected officials are the clerk and the treasurer. Daley. The current mayor is Richard M.

The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the various departments. The mayor is the chief executive, elected by general election for a term of four years. The government of the City of Chicago is divided into executive and legislative branches. Main article: Law and government of Chicago.

Related topics. Today, the Chinatown near 35th and Cermak is a tourist draw, and Devon avenue is a lively Indian neighborhood based on Indians and Pakistanis working as professionals in Chicago. Prior to World War I and the dispersal and persecution of German-Americans consequent on war hysteria, Lincoln Avenue was a major German-speaking area. Lively ethnic neighborhoods have long been a Chicago feature.

In a reversal of the pattern of the 1960s which is an emulation of modern Paris, the very wealthy once again dominate the city center, with new residential housing in the Loop (even the financial district), River North (formerly the Near North Side) and south of the Loop, while the poor have been migrating to the older ring of suburbs of Chicago. At the same time, pathologies remain including homelessness and crime. Chicago's population declines and lack of new construction, characteristic of the town during the 1960s and 1970s, have been reversed by a considerable amount of mostly private investment which make its center today quite lively, with a number of museums, a first rate symphony and opera company, and many live theaters. In August 1968, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was disrupted, at first by peaceful, if noisy, protests and then by what an ex-governor of Illinois characterized as a "police riot" when overworked Chicago police charged demonstrators on Michigan avenue.

On December 2, 1942, the world's first controlled nuclear reaction was conducted at the University of Chicago as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. Instead, the River flowed into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and eventually into the Mississippi River. The Chicago River's direction of flow was reversed in 1900 to prevent sewage from running into Lake Michigan, the city's water source. Today, Chicago remains a town of still-strong unions as a result of a tradition of labor militancy.

The 1880s and 1890s were a time when many Chicagoans made their fortune, but the ordinary person's lot was fairly grim, with poor housing, disease and long hours the norm. Two noted events of this period were the Haymarket Riot, which started in a way that is still under debate and the Pullman Strike of 1894, started when railcar magnate George Pullman turned workers out of their company housing when they were no longer needed. Chicago's resurgence onto the world scene was capped by the World Columbian Exposition (1893 Chicago World's Fair). The first skyscraper was constructed in 1885 using novel steel-skeleton construction. In the following years, Chicago rebuilt itself and its architecture became influential throughout the world.

In 1871, most of the city burned in the Great Chicago Fire. The 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago nominated home-state candidate Abraham Lincoln. In 1855, the level of the city was raised four to seven feet, with individual buildings jacked up and fill brought in to raise streets above the swamp. Chicago also became home to nationwide retailers such as Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck and Company that offered catalog shopping using these connections.

Chicago would go on to become the transportation hub of the United States with its road, rail, and water (and later air) connections. The first rail line to Chicago, the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, was also completed in 1848. The opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848 allowed shipping from the Great Lakes through Chicago to the Mississippi River and so to the Gulf of Mexico. On March 4, 1837, Chicago was granted a city charter by the state.

On August 12, 1833, the Town of Chicago was incorporated with a population of 350. It was destroyed in the Fort Dearborn Massacre during the War of 1812, but was rebuilt in 1816 and remained in use until 1837. In 1803, Fort Dearborn was built. In 1795, the Chicago area was ceded by the Native Americans in the Treaty of Greenville to the United States for use as a military post.

In the 1770s the first non-native settler, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian of African descent, settled on the banks of the Chicago River. The area now known as Chicago was primarily inhabited by Potawatomis. Main article: History of Chicago. Its unique cuisine, skyscrapers and sports teams are also the most recognized symbols of the city.

Chicago is known for its cultural and ethnic diversity and frontier and political history. With several colloquial nicknames, Chicago is ranked by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network as one of the ten alpha world cities. A former frontier town in existence for over 175 years, Chicago is located in the midwest state of Illinois along the western shores of Lake Michigan. Chicago and Chicagoland, when combined with the greater Milwaukee region, is often considered a megacity or megalopolis with a population that nears approximately 12 million people.

The city itself covers 606.1 km² (234.0 mi²) but when combined with its suburbs and eight collar counties, forming the greater metropolitan area known as Chicagoland, it encompasses more than 5,000 mi² with a population that nears approximately 10 million people. Classified as a world class city, it is the fourth largest in North America and the seventh largest in Western Hemisphere. Chicago, Illinois — officially the City of Chicago and colloquially known as Chicago, the Second City and the Windy City — is the third largest city of the United States after New York City and Los Angeles and is the largest inland city of the nation. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 2,896,016 people.
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Miller ISBN 0684801949. City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America by Donald L. The Encyclopedia of Chicago (online version) (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/). The Encyclopedia of Chicago ISBN 0226310159.

City of Chicago Homepage (http://www.cityofchicago.org/). Travel guide to Chicago, Illinois from Wikitravel. Photos of Chicago - Terra Galleria (http://www.terragalleria.com/america/mid-west/illinois/). Spertus Institute - Museum dedicated solely to Judaica.

The Pacific Northwest–themed Oceanarium features dolphins, whales, and other animals from the region, as well as a panoramic view of Lake Michigan. Located on the Museum Campus, the Shedd Aquarium is home to a large collection of marine life from throughout the world. Lake Shore Dr., +1 312-939-2438. Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S.

Museum of Science and Industry. Museum of Holography. Oriental Institute, part of the University of Chicago, one of the best collections of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern archeology in the world. $10 ($6 student, free Tu after 5PM).

Art of all types from around the world made since 1945. Tu 10AM-8PM, W-Su 10AM-5PM. Chicago Ave., +1 312-280-2660. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E.

$12 ($7 children, seniors and students; Monday and Tuesday are free seasonally). Highlights include the largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in the world as well as a great, kids-friendly Egyptian exhibit. Chicago's natural history museum. Every day 9AM-5PM.

Lake Shore Dr., +1 312-922-9410. Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. The ceiling of Preston Bradley Hall includes a 38-foot Tiffany glass dome. Built in 1897 as Chicago's first public library, the building now houses the city's Visitor Information Center, galleries, and exhibit halls.

Except holidays, M-Th 10AM-7PM, F 10AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 11AM-5PM. Washington St. Chicago Cultural Center (Home Page (http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/CultureCenterTour/)), 78 E. Famous pieces include American Gothic by Grant Wood, and A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat.

Michigan Ave. One of the premier museums in the United States. Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Public Transit Trip Planner (http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/). Chicago Pedway.

Chicago Tunnel Company. Chicago Trolley Company. Route 66. Chicago rail stations.

Chicago Regional Port District. Multilevel streets in Chicago. Streets and highways of Chicago. Mass transit in Chicago.

Airports of Chicago. Chicagoland hospitals. U.S. cities with teams from four major sports. Chicago Wolves.

Chicago Bruisers. Chicago Enforcers. Chicago Rush. Chicago Blitz.

Chicago Motor Speedway. Arlington Park. List of non-fiction about Chicago. List of fiction set in Chicago.

Area code 773. Area code 312. Area codes