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Chicago, Illinois

26 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1997. It stands in Chicago City. It lies in ZIP code area 60608. It stands on South Branch Chicago River. The Survey maps it on the Englewood quadrangle. 2,731,585 people lived here at the 2025 count. It stands 587 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Chicago within Cook County

On record in Chicago

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 416 shown

Every listing in Cook County

Population over time

3 figures

Chicago grew from 350 to 2,746,388 between 1833 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
1833350
20102,695,598
20202,746,388+50,790 (+2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 26 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

What happened here

An account from the chapter on Chicago city. The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.

From Politics and Politicians of Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois : Memorial Volume, 1787-1887; a Complete Record of Municipal, County, State and National Politics from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, published 1887 - Chicago City

Index To Content

Chapter I. - First Settler of Chicago, 5. Various Appellations of Chicago. .Garies' River, 6. The Main River Bed Changed. .Chicago in Virginia. .Treaty of Greenville. . Original Site of Chicago. .Illinois in Indiana Territory. .Fort Dearborn Established. .First Commandants of the Fort. .Massacre of 1S12, 7. Captain John and Lieutenant Wm.

Read the rest of this passage

In the county-history sources

902,150 words on this township

Politics and Politicians of Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois : Memorial Volume, 1787-1887; a Complete Record of Municipal, County, State and National Politics from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, published 1887 names this settlement in its chapter on Chicago City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Designed to be a Book of Reference and Authority for every important incident connected -with the early settlement of Chicago and Northern Illinois, containing data of City, State and National Con- Ventions, Campaigns, Elections and Administrations, important Public Meetings, complete Lists of Officials, Biographical Sketches of Noted Men, Valuable Public Records, Mayors' Messages, Resolutions of the Common Council. Official Election Returns, Tables of Population and of Voters by Wards and Nationalities, Occupations, Valuation, Taxation, Summary

Passage source: Politics and Politicians of Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois : Memorial Volume, 1787-1887; a Complete Record of Municipal, County, State and National Politics from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, published 1887.

CHAPTER V. - Municipal Campaign of 1S56. . Mayor Thomas Dyer. .Great Free State Meeting in the Court House Square. .Col. J. H. Lane's Famous Speech, 102, 104. John Wentworth the Republican Candidate for Mayor. .Trouble at the Rolls Mayor Wentworth's Inaugural Message .. I lis Administration, 105, 109. Sketch of John Wentworth, 109, in. Mayor John C. Haines. .Mayor Wentworth's Second Election and Inaugural, III, 117. Mayor Julian S. Rumsey. . Incidents of 1 1 is Administration, 117, 119. Constitutional Convention of r 861. .Campaign of 1S62.. Speech of Isaac N. Arnold. Sketch of Arnold. . Speech of Owen Lovejoy. .Congressional Election, 119, 122.

Passage source: Politics and Politicians of Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois : Memorial Volume, 1787-1887; a Complete Record of Municipal, County, State and National Politics from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, published 1887.

CHAPTER VI.- - New City Charter. .Extension of Territory. .Mayor Francis C. Sherman's Second and Third Terms. .The "Chicago Conspiracy". .The "Sons of Liberty". - Wrentworth and Vallandigham, 123, 126. Campaign of 1S64. . Repeal of the "Black Code". . Illinois in the War. .Death of Lincoln. .Mayor John B. Rice. .National Campaign of 186S. Lirst Fall City Flection, Mayor Roswell B. Mason, 126, 131. The Great Fire Message of Mayor Mason. .Efforts to Change the Location of the City Government. .Sketch of Mayor Mason, 131, 134.

Passage source: Politics and Politicians of Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois : Memorial Volume, 1787-1887; a Complete Record of Municipal, County, State and National Politics from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, published 1887.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Chicago City - it names this place 13 more 13 times.

Mines and quarries near this place

10 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of Chicago: 5 past producers, 3 producers, 2 plants. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Aluminum, Zinc, Ruthenium, Gold, Iridium, Palladium, Platinum, Silver, Gallium. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
(Facility) Simmons Precious Metals RefineryRuthenium, Gold, Iridium, Palladium, Platinum, Silver, GalliumPlant
Apex Intl Alloys-Chicago PlantAluminum, ZincPlant
Superior Graphite,Chicago PlantGraphiteProducer
Us Steel Chicago Plant--South WorksIronProducer
Chicago Union Lime Works QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
City of Chicago Eng. - Own CrewsStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Cook County Highway Dept.-Own CrewsStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Grand and Campbell Ave QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Lyons QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Stearns Lime and Stone Co QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Cook County

Storms near this place

60 of 90 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Chicago in 90 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 48 thunderstorm wind, 22 hail, 7 lightning, 6 flash flood. The reports record 1 death and 9 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago1 killed, $100,000Measured gust to 74 mph near Wrigley Field. A cinder block wall was blown down near Wrigley Field. Debris from this wall fell onto a man and crushed him. The man died one week later from his injuries.
June 1999LightningChicago2 hurtLightning struck a tree, causing a limb to fall on a car on the southwest side of Chicago.
August 2006LightningChicago1 hurt, $25,000A house was struck by lightning on the northwest side of Chicago. A young girl was watching TV and was taken to the hospital with numbness in her arm. A few blocks away, another bolt of lightning struck a hair salon and knocked down part of the facade.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago1 hurt, $10,000Numerous windows were blown out in a lobby of River Plaza Condominiums in downtown Chicago. One person was injured by flying glass.
May 2005LightningChicago1 hurtA 27 year old man was struck by lightning and suffered burns and internal injuries.
September 1997LightningChicago1 hurtA 13 year old boy was critically injured when he was struck by lightning while playing soccer at Gage Park on 55th Street on the southwest side of Chicago. It was not raining and there were no signs of lightning before he was struck.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindChicago1 hurtno account filed
May 1996LightningChicago1 hurtno account filed
September 1996LightningChicago1 hurtno account filed
June 2007Flash FloodChicago$1,000,000One foot of water was reported near Granville and McCormick. One foot of standing water at Lincoln and Devon. One foot of water in the viaduct at Oak Street and Lake Shore Drive with two cars stuck in the flood waters. Exit ramps flooded and closed at Irving Park and Belmont exiting the Kennedy Expressway. Every exit viaduct on Lake Shore Drive flooded and impassable from Randolph north to Hollywood. Car stuck in flood waters with a person still in the car at LaSalle Drive exit from Lake Shore Drive. A taxi was submerged in flood waters at Irving Park Road and Lake Shore Drive. The rain caused a roof of a residental building to cave in on Elston. Hundreds of basements were flooded. The dugouts were also flooded at Wrigley Field. A rain gage two miles northwest of Lincoln Park in Chicago measured 3.09 inches of rain between 1245 pm CST and 245 pm CST. A rain gage in Jefferson Park measured 2.30 inches of rain in one hour between 155 pm CST and 255 pm CST.
September 2006Thunderstorm WindChicago$50,000The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation reported 255 downed trees, 20 downed wires, and 18 damaged light poles across northern sections of the city. A roof was blown off a building on West Cornelia Avenue on the northwest side of Chicago.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindChicago$25,000A tree was blown down onto multiple cars.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindChicago$10,000Large tree limbs were blown down with damage to two cars.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindChicago$10,000A tree was blown down onto a car on the 400 block of West 37th Street.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago$10,000Windows blown out at the Chicago Historical Society near Fullerton and Lake Shore Drive.
August 2006LightningChicago$10,000A house was struck by lightning on the west side of Chicago. The surge blew out some appliances.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindChicago$3,000Trees and power lines were blown down on the northwest side of Chicago.
September 2024FloodChicago-High water was reported in the right lane of Interstate 90/94 near the Jane Byrne Interchange.
May 2020Flash FloodChicago-Flooding was reported on 47th street at a railroad underpass with a water rescued reported.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindChicago-Widespread tree damage occurred across Chicago. At least 11,000 trees were blown down. Many more trees were damaged. Dozens of vehicles were damaged by falling trees and tree limbs, some vehicles were crushed. Numerous roads were blocked by the fallen trees. Hundreds of power lines were blown down, some started small fires.
October 2020FloodChicago-Multiple lanes of Interstate 290 were flooded near Des Plaines Street.
April 2016HailChicago-Quarter size hail was reported in Lincoln Park.
July 2016Flash FloodChicago-Flooded viaduct along with multiple reports of water on roads on the north side of the city of Chicago.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindChicago-At 540 pm CST, Racine blue line station canopy collapsed due to wind, with the structure falling onto the third rail apparently causing the sparking and explosions seen on video. At 540 pm CST, wires downed onto CTA Brown Line approximately 3 miles north-northwest of Chicago. At 544 pm CST, there was a measured 73 mph wind gust approximately 1 mile south-southeast of Chicago near Michigan and Roosevelt in the South Loop. Multiple street lights were damaged. Numerous trees blown down approximately 2 miles south-southeast of Chicago.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindChicago-Over 30 reports of tree limbs down across the city of Chicago. Time was estimated with radar.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindChicago-The City of Chicago Streets and Sanitation reported 1,120 tree emergencies, which can range from a tree limb blown down to an entire tree blown over or uprooted.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago-Tree limbs blown down on the northwest side of Chicago.
June 2007FloodChicago-Five inches of water covering Interstate 55 at Kedzie and Pulaski.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago-Up to 20 trees and tree limbs blown down along King Drive between 70th and 100th Streets to LakeShore Drive.
July 2007Heavy RainChicago-Two inches of rain measured in Wrigleyville.
August 2007Flash FloodChicago-Northbound Michigan Avenue entrance tunnel to northbound Lakeshore Drive was flooded.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago-A gust to 60 mph was measured at the Lasalle Bank building.
October 2007HailChicago-Nickel size hail was reported at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River.
October 2007HailChicago-Penny size hail was reported in the Loop.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago-Sixteen inch diameter tree down on North Fairfield, on the north side of Chicago. Estimated wind gust to 60 mph.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago-Large trees and tree limbs blown down at Diversey and Harlem on the north side of Chicago.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindChicago-A tree was blown down on a house on Laramie Avenue. Other significant tree damage near Jefferson Park neighborhood on the northwest side.
August 2007FloodChicago-Standing water in the left lane of Interstate 94 at 130th on the far south side of Chicago.
March 2006Thunderstorm WindChicago-Wind gusts to 75 mph were estimated near Van Buren and Central.
March 2006Thunderstorm WindChicago-Wind gusts to 70 mph were estimated near 171st and Harlem.
April 2006HailChicago-Quarter size hail was reported near the Eisenhower Expressway and Laramie Avenue.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindChicago-The Streets and Sanitation Department reported 92 damaged trees across southern parts of the City of Chicago as well as 56 traffic signals that were out.
June 2006HailChicago-Nickel size hail was reported at 59th and Pulaski.
May 2006HailChicago-Quarter size hail was reported at Belmont and Central.
May 2006HailChicago-Quarter size hail reported at Nagle and Northwest Highway.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindChicago-Numerous trees and tree limbs were blown down on the northwest side of Chicago. Hardest hit wards were 36, 37, 38, 39, 41 and 45.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindChicago-Numerous trees blown down in wards 12, 22, 24, 25, and 28 on the west side of Chicago.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindChicago-Several trees blown down mainly across southern parts of Chicago.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindChicago-Nearly 300 damaged trees were reported to the Streets and Sanitation Department.
September 2006Tornado (F0)Chicago-A small tornado was filmed at Loyola University on the north side of Chicago, near Sheridan Road and Devon Avenue. The tornado quickly moved east over Lake Michigan. The only damage reported were trees and tree limbs blown down in the area near where the tornado touched down.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindChicago-Trees were blown on to buildings in the 4700 block of Fransisco and the 1400 block of North Kostner.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindChicago-Trees were blown down on the west side of Chicago near the intersection of Latham and Forest Glen Roads.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindChicago-Large tree limbs were down and shingles blown off of a roof 6 miles east of O'Hare. A wind gust was measured with an unofficial weather instrument.
May 2004HailChicago-Reported at the intersection of 54th Street and Karlov Road.
April 2004HailChicago-Reported at 64th and Maplewood.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindChicago-Large tree limbs were blown down and shingles were blown off a roof at 54th Street and Kedvale Road.
May 2004Flash FloodChicago-Street flooding occurred, sewers backed up, and alleys flooded.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindChicago-Large tree limbs were blown down north of the Kennedy-Edens Junction in the Jefferson Park neighborhood.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindChicago-Trees were uprooted and large branches and power lines were blown down in the West Ridge area.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindChicago-Power lines were reported down in the Jefferson Park area.

Every storm recorded in Cook County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
South Branch Addition0.5 miles26
Pilsen0.7 miles26
Bridgeport0.8 miles26
Locks0.9 miles26
Lower West Side0.9 miles26
Chinatown1.1 miles26
Armour Square1.1 miles26
Robert Brooks Homes1.2 miles26

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on ChicagoAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1297The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 423587. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.