ZIPmouse Chicago Illinois City Guide

Welcome to Chicago Illinois - via ZIPmouse! Knowing the difference between important Chicago Illinois links and "everything else," ZIPmouse scours the web to bring you only the most relevant Chicago city guide, and we present it in an efficient web directory format. Whether you need information about hotels and restaurants, Chicago art galleries and museums, vacation information, Chicago entertainment and cultural events, recreation links, or a basic Chicago vacation & travel guide, ZIPmouse makes it easy.

Chicago Illinois City Profile

Chicago, located along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, is the Midwest's largest city and the third largest in the US. Long known for its ethnic diversity, the "windy city" is also considered the financial and cultural capital of the Midwest. Chicago's skyscrapers, local restaurants, left-leaning political traditions, and sports teams such as the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears, are some of its most recognized characteristics. Culturally, Chicago boasts many art galleries and museums, of which its Museum Campus includes perhaps its three most recognizable, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium. The ethnic diversity of Chicago is also reflected in its restaurants. From pizza to hot dogs to upscale French and Mexican cuisine, Chicago's restaurant selection is perhaps the most varied in the Midwest.

Chicago Illinois Facts at a Glance:

• The name Chicago comes from the indigenous Potawatomi Indian tribe, who called the marshy land on which Chicago was built "Checagou," which translates to "wild onion".
• Chicago's greater area population is about 8 million. It's the third most populous city in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles.
• Chicago claims the world's first skyscraper, built in 1885.
• Chicago is the birthplace of improvisational comedy, where is it still popular today