Chicago is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and Wisconsin. Chicago was founded in 1833, near a portage between the "Great Lakes" and the Mississippi River Watershed where the native American people "Potawatomi" were forcibly removed from their land following the Treaty of Chicago.
The foundations of todays Chicago were laid out by some of the leading architects reconstructing the city after the Great Fire of 1871. Daniel Burnham designed the first visionary urban plan for a city, the 1909 Chicago plan. It was nicknamed 'Paris on the Prairie' and included wide boulevards and parks that are still a source of tranquility within the downtown city.
The city became a major transportation and telecommunications hub in North America. Today, the city dhas a population of 2.8 million within the city limits and it without doubt a major centre of commerce in Central North USA - both for industry and infrastructure. This is evident by virtue of O'Hare International Airport being the second busiest airport in the world.
Chicago is a stronghold of the Democratic Party and has been home to many influential politicians, including the current President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Chicago is one of the most popular and visited cities US with over 45 million visitors in 2008 alone. With twelve man made beaches that are busy during the summer months, tourism is all year round. Chicago is also home to the USA's largest building "Willis Tower". Formerly known as the "Sears Tower", the structure currently stands above the Illinois skyline 108 stories above ground. The Willis Tower stands at a height of 1,451 feet (442M). The name was changed from Sears to Willis due to the naming rights of Sears expired in late 2003. In March 2009, a London based insurance group called "Willis Group Holdings Inc" bought the naming rights and therefore changed the name of the structure to "Willis Tower"
Chicago is home to some of Americas most famous sports teams. These include the baseball teams, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. The Chicago Bulls, an internationally famous basketball team is also based here. In both 1993 and 2006, Chicago won the The Sporting News award for the Best Sports City in the USA. Of course the Chicago Bears, playing out of the magnificent 67,000 capacity Soldier Field, dominate the winter sporting season for natives. With huge tradition and history, in an ever changing and commercialised sport, the Bears have been able to maintain an ethical cultural which saw them reach reach the 2007 Superbowl, falling to The Colts - their one and only win coming in 1986 against New England Patriots.
There are some fabulous restaurants in Chicago with every nationalities cuisine represented. For the All-American flavour try "312" in the Loop district of the city. From Afghani to Vietnamese all tastes are catered for and this town has a bellyfull in between.