Chicago metropolitan area Totally Explained

Everything about The Chicago Metropolitan Area totally explained

The Chicago metropolitan area is the metropolitan area associated with the city of Chicago in the United States and its suburbs. It is the area that's closely linked to the city through social, economic, and cultural ties. There are several definitions of the area, the two most common being the area under the jursidiction of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (a metropolitan planning organization), and the area defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
The metropolitan area is also informally known by residents as Chicagoland, a term which may include areas outside the MSA as part of the broader Combined Statistical Area (CSA). The Indiana portion of the area is known as Northwest Indiana.
The Chicago metropolitan area is sometimes grouped together with Milwaukee and Racine in Wisconsin, creating a megalopolis, gradually spreading toward nearby urban centers like Rockford, South Bend, and Madison.

Definitions

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is responsible for transportation infrastructure, land use, and long term economic development planning for the areas under its jurisdiction. The area has a population of 8.15 million (as of the 2000 Census). It consists of seven counties in the state of Illinois:

Metropolitan statistical area

The Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950 and consisted of the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will along with Lake County in Indiana. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Chicago MSA is the third largest MSA by population in the United States with a population of 9,524,673 (2007 estimate).
The MSA is further subdivided into the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL Metropolitan Division, corresponding roughly to the CMAP region, the Gary, IN Metropolitan Division surrounding the city of Gary, Indiana, and the Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division. The components of the MSA and their 2007 populations The Illinois Department of Tourism defines Chicagoland as Cook County without the city of Chicago, and only Lake, DuPage, Kane and Will counties. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce defines it as all of Cook, and DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. Colonel Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, usually gets credit for placing the term in common use. McCormick's conception of Chicagoland stretched all the way to nearby parts of Iowa and Michigan. The first usage came on July 27, 1926 (page 1) with the headline: "Chicagoland's Shrines: A Tour of Discoveries" by reporter James O'Donnell Bennett. He claimed that Chicagoland comprised everything in a 200 mile radius in every direction and reported on many different places in the area. The Tribune was the dominant newspaper in a vast area stretching to the west of the city, and that hinterland was closely tied to the metropolis by rail lines and commercial links.

Demographics

The suburbs, surrounded by easily annexed flat ground, have been expanding at a tremendous rate since the early 1960s. Naperville is noteworthy for being one of only a few boomburbs outside the Sunbelt, West Coast and Mountain States regions, and exurban Kendall County ranked as the fastest-growing county in the United States with a population greater than 10,000 between 2000 and 2007.
   Settlement patterns in the Chicago metropolitan area tend to follow those in the city proper: the northern suburbs along the shore of Lake Michigan are comparatively affluent, while the southern suburbs (sometimes known as Chicago Southland) are less so, with lower median incomes and a lower cost of living. However, there's a major exception to this. While Chicago's west side is the poorest section of the city, the western and northwestern suburbs contain many affluent areas. According to the 2000 Census, DuPage County had the highest median household income of any county in the Midwest.
   According to the 2000 US Census, poverty rates of the largest counties from least poverty to most are as follows: McHenry 3.70%, Dupage 5.90%, Will 6.70%, Lake 6.90%, Kane 7.40%, Cook 14.50%.
   In an in-depth historical analysis, Keating (2004, 2005) examined the origins of 233 settlements that by 1900 had become suburbs or city neighborhoods of the Chicago metropolitan area . The settlements began as farm centers (41%), industrial towns (30%), residential railroad suburbs (15%), and recreational/institutional centers (13%). Although relations between the different settlement types were at times contentious, there also was cooperation in such undertakings as the construction of high schools.

Population

July 1, 2007

Census 2000	1990 Census	1980 Census	1970 Census	1960 Census	1950 Census
Chicago- Naperville- Joliet, IL-IN-WI	9,524,673	9,098,316	8,065,633	7,869,542	7,612,314	6,794,461	5,495,364
Cook County, Illinois	5,285,107	5,376,741	5,105,067	5,253,655	5,492,369	5,129,725	4,508,792
DeKalb County, Illinois	103,729	88,969	77,932¹	74,624¹	71,654¹	51,714¹	40,781¹
DuPage County, Illinois	929,192	904,161	781,666	658,835	491,882	313,459	154,599
Grundy County, Illinois	47,144	37,535	32,337	30,582¹	26,535¹	22,350¹	19,217¹
Kane County, Illinois	501,021	404,119	317,471	278,405	251,005	208,246	150,388
Kendall County, Illinois	96,818	54,544	39,413	37,202¹	26,374¹	17,540¹	12,115¹
Lake County, Illinois	710,241	644,356	516,418	440,372	382,638	293,656	179,097
McHenry County, Illinois	315,943	260,077	183,241	147,897	111,555	84,210	50,656¹
Will County, Illinois	673,586	502,266	357,313	324,460	249,498	191,617	134,336
Jasper County, Indiana	32,275	30,043	24,960¹	26,138¹	20,429¹	18,842¹	17,031¹
Lake County, Indiana	492,104	484,564	475,594	522,965	546,253	513,269	368,152
Newton County, Indiana	14,014	14,566	13,551¹	14,844¹	11,606¹	11,502¹	11,006¹
Porter County, Indiana	160,578	146,798	128,932	119,816	87,114	60,279	40,076¹
Kenosha County, Wisconsin	162,921	149,577	128,181	123,137	117,917¹	100,615¹	75,238¹

¹County wasn't a part of this statistical area at the time of this Census and the county's population isn't included in the total.

Average Home Values

In October of 2007, Chicago Magazine's home prices of various towns are as follows:
(Data is from National Assoc of Realtors) North suburbs (Cook/Lake): � Waukegan $162,000

   North Chicago $142,000 � Mundelein $322,000

   Libertyville $566,000 � Morton Grove $422,000

   Lake Zurich $ 377,000 � Skokie $428,000

   Evanston $621,000 � Zion $164,000

Northwest suburbs: � Rolling Meadows $327,000

   Wheeling $302,000 � Antioch $273,000

   Carpentersville $217,000 � Des Plaines $354,000

   Elk Grove Village $346,000 � Mount Prospect $389,000

   Schaumburg $379,000 � Elgin $255,000

West Suburbs (DuPage County): � Burr Ridge $1,048,405

   Clarendon Hills $813,796 � Downers Grove $471,000

   Elmhurst $549,000 � Wheaton $441,000

   Glen Ellyn $514,000 � Naperville $511,371

   Itasca $475,000 � Oak Brook $1,172,729

   Hinsdale $1,135,633 South suburbs: � Calumet City $132,000

   Evergreen Park $233,000 � Hickory Hills $290,000

   Chicago Ridge $243,000 � Park Forest $121,000

   Blue Island $161,000 � Alsip $232,000

   Lansing $167,000

Economy

The Chicago metropolitan area is home to many of the nation's largest companies, including Boeing, McDonalds, Motorola, and United Airlines. The Chicago area economy headquarters a wide variety of financial institutions, and is home to the two largest futures exchanges in the United States, the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
   A key piece of infrastructure for several generations was the Union Stock Yards of Chicago, which from 1865 until 1971 penned and slaughtered millions of cattle and hogs into standardized cuts of beef and pork.
   The Chicago area, meanwhile, began to produce significant quantities of telecommunications gear, electronics, steel, automobiles, and industrial products.
   By the early 2000s, Illinois's economy had moved toward a dependence on high-value-added services such as financial trading, higher education, logistics, and medicine. In some cases, these services clustered around institutions that hearkened back to Illinois's earlier economies. For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a trading exchange for global derivatives, had begun its life as an agricultural futures market.
   The Wall Street Journal summarized Illinois's economy in November 2006 with the comment that "Chicago has survived by repeatedly reinventing itself."

Principal municipalities

Over 1,000,000 population

Chicago, Illinois (2,873,790 within the city limits)

Suburbs over 100,000 population

Aurora, Illinois

Elgin, Illinois

Gary, Indiana

Joliet, Illinois

Naperville, Illinois

Suburbs over 60,000 population

Arlington Heights, Illinois

Bolingbrook, Illinois

Cicero, Illinois

Hammond, Indiana

Skokie, Illinois

Waukegan, Illinois

Urban areas within the Chicago CSA

Within the boundary of the 16-county Chicago Consolidated Statistical Area lies the Chicago urban area, as well as 27 smaller urban areas and clusters. Smallest gap indicates the shortest distance between the given urban area or cluster and the Chicago urban area.

Rank	Urban area	type	Population (2000 census)	Land Area (km²)	Smallest gap (km)
1	Chicago-Aurora-Elgin-Joliet-Waukegan, IL-IN	UA	8,307,904	5,498.1	n/a
2	Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake, IL-WI^ †	UA	226,848	344.9	2
3	Kenosha, WI †	UA	110,942	109.2	1
4	Michigan City-LaPorte, IN-MI^^ †	UA	66,199	86.1	3
5	Kankakee-Bradley-Bourbonnais, IL	UA	65,073	71.5	>10
6	DeKalb-Sycamore, IL	UA	55,805	46.3	>10
7	Woodstock, IL †	UC	20,219	21.1	4
8	Morris, IL	UC	13,927	19.3	>10
9	Sandwich, IL^^^	UC	12,248	23.9	>10
10	Braidwood-Coal City, IL	UC	11,607	19.5	>10
11	Harvard, IL	UC	8,575	13.3	>10
12	Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN †	UC	8,450	12.5	4
13	Lowell, IN	UC	7,914	15.8	>10
14	Wilmington, IL	UC	7,107	20.8	>10
15	Manteno, IL	UC	7,106	9.4	>10
16	Marengo, IL	UC	6,854	8.6	>10
17	Rensselaer, IN	UC	6,096	10.9	>10
18	Plano, IL †	UC	5,911	6.5	3
19	Genoa, IL	UC	5,137	5.5	>10
20	Genoa City, WI-IL^^^^ †	UC	5,126	12.5	>10
21	Westville, IN	UC	5,077	4.4	>10
22	Hebron, IN	UC	4,150	11.7	>10
23	Momence, IL	UC	3,711	9.7	>10
24	Peotone, IL †	UC	3,358	3.5	9
25	Wonder Lake, IL †	UC	2,798	2.0	5
26	Monee, IL †	UC	2,787	3.7	3
27	Union Township, IN †	UC	2,593	4.9	1
28	Hampshire, IL †	UC	2,591	2.0	6

The formerly distinct urban areas of Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Waukegan were absorbed into the Chicago UA as of the 2000 census.
   † These urban areas and urban clusters are expected to be joined to the Chicago Urban Area by the next census in 2010.
   ^ The Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake, IL-WI UA extends into Walworth County, WI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.
   ^^ The Michigan City-LaPorte, IN-MI UA extends into Berrien County, MI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.
   ^^^ The Sandwich, IL UC extends into LaSalle County, IL, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.
   ^^^^ The Genoa City, WI-IL UC extends into Walworth County, WI, which lies (for the moment) outside the Chicago CSA.

Transportation

Major airports

Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)

Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY)

Commuter rail

Chicago Transit Authority trains, locally referred to as "the L", (after "elevated train") serving Chicago and the near suburbs

Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, also known as Metra:

4 lines serving southern Cook County and Will County
3 lines serving western Cook County, DuPage County, and Kane County
1 line serving northwestern Cook County and McHenry County
3 lines serving northern Cook County and Lake County, with 1 line extending up to Kenosha, Wisconsin

South Shore Line shares the Metra electric lines and connects Chicago to Gary, Michigan City, ending at South Bend, Indiana.

Major highways

Interstate 90, Interstate 290, Interstate 94, Interstate 294, Interstate 88, Interstate 65, Interstate 55, Interstate 355, Interstate 57, Interstate 80

Major corridors

In addition to the Chicago Loop, the metro area is home to a few important subregional corridors of commercial activities. Among them are:

Illinois Technology and Research Corridor, along the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88)

Golden Corridor, along the Northwest Tollway (Interstate 90)

Area codes

From 1947 until 1988, the Illinois portion of the Chicago metro area was served by a single area code, 312, which abutted the 815 area code. In 1988 the 708 area code was introduced and the 312 area code became exclusive to the city of Chicago.
   It became common to call suburbanites "708'ers", in reference to their area code.
   The 708 area code was partitioned in 1996 into three area codes, serving different portions of the metro area: 630, 708, and 847.
   At the same time that the 708 area code was in trouble, the 312 area code in Chicago was also exhausting its supply of available numbers. As a result, the city of Chicago was divided into two area codes, 312 and 773. Rather than divide the city by a north/south area code, the central business district retained the 312 area code, while the remainder of the city took the new 773 code.
   In 2002, the 847 area code was supplemented with the overlay area code 224. In February 2007, the 815 area code (serving outlying portions of the metro area) was supplemented with the overlay area code 779. In October 2007, the 630 area code was supplemented with the overlay area code 331.
   Plans are in place for overlay codes in the 708, 773, and 312 regions as those area codes become exhausted in the future.

312 Chicago - City (The Loop and central neighborhoods, for example the Near North Side)

773 Chicago - City (Everywhere else within the city limits, excluding central area)

847/224 (North and Northwest Suburbs)

630/331 (Western Suburbs)

708 (Near West and South Suburbs)

815/779 (Far Northwest/Southwest Suburbs; Joliet, DeKalb, Rockford)

219 (Northwest Indiana)

574 (North-central Indiana)

262 (Southeast Wisconsin surrounding Milwaukee County)

Proposed overlay area codes

464 overlay for 708 (no effective date)

872 overlay for 312 & 773 (no effective date)Further Information

Get more info on 'Chicago Metropolitan Area'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://chicago_metropolitan_area.totallyexplained.com">Chicago metropolitan area Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.