CHICAGO CITY

Chicago , is a city in the state of Illinois and the largest in the Midwest. With a population of nearly 3 million people located almost entirely in Cook County .Chicago is the third largest city in the United States. The population of Chicago's metropolitan area, which covers several countie, contains over 9.7 million people in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, making it the third largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Chicago has been classified as an alpha world city for its worldwide economic influence.

Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837. Its location at the site of a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed aided the city's rapid growth. Today, Chicago is a leading global city and a major transportation hub, as well as the business, financial, and cultural capital of the Midwest.

History

The name "Chicago" is the French rendering of the Miami-Illinois name shikaakwa, meaning “wild leek”. Etymologically, the sound /shikaakwa/ in Miami-Illinois literally means 'striped skunk', and was a reference to wild leek, or the smell of onions. The name was initially applied to the river, but later came to denote what is presently the site of city. The sound Chicago is said to be the result of a French mis-transcription of the original sound by Louis Hennepin, a Catholic priest, missionary and explorer, who in 1683 first placed the place name 'Chicago' on a map.