A város története
Chicago is a well-known, large city in the State of Illinois. Yet, the capital of the state is Springfield.
The area of the city once saw the famous battle between the American army and Shawnee Indians. From 1820 Chicago became a rapidly developing city. The Chicago Board of Trade was founded in 1848 the main profile of which was trade in maize. (To this day it is the most important Commodity Exchange of the world.)
In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was nominated for president in this Chicago. The legendary fire of 1871 devastated the city but it soon got back on track.
In 1885 the first skyscraper of the world –owned by the Home Life Insurance Company- was built here and Chicago played host to the World Exhibition in 1893.
During the 1920s Chicago’s image was tainted by the emergence of “new kids on the block.” Criminal syndicates, produced gangsters, (Al Capone, Bugsy Moran), which took advantage of the prohibition and sold bootlegged alcohol.
Today Chicago is a bustling industrial and commercial centre as well as a cultural and art centre of outstanding importance.
Chicago geográfiai pozíciója
Chicago is often referred to as the Windy City. As the biggest city in the Midwest it sprawls along Chicago River on the shore of Lake Michigan. (Lake Michigan is the third biggest of the Great Lakes.)
Chicago River divides the town into three parts: north, south and west. The northern part is the main industrial area, the other two are the central urban area and the residential area, respectively.
The seasons can deliver extreme weather conditions. Chicago experiences cold winters with lots of wind and snow. In the summer months the heat can be extreme too.
The average temperature in January is around 5 degrees below zero while the average temperature in July is 24 degrees above zero.
Egyéb tények, adatok
The indigenous people of the area gave Chicago its name after a type of onion that grew wild in the area.
The population of Chicago is about 2,7 million people.
Spanish and Polish are the most spoken languages beside English, however, most ethnic groups are represented in Chicago.
A vast number of city-residents find employment in the food industry.
The talk show A.M.Chicago changed its name in 1985 to Oprah Winfrey Show and soon became world famous.
Chicago is considered the Mecca of blues.
The most famous family of Chicago is the Bundy family and Al Bundy from the TV series “Married with children” (Rém rendes család)
One-third of the world’s agricultural and industrial products pass through Chicago’s commodity market.
21. századi közoktatás - fejlesztés, koordináció (TÁMOP-3.1.1-08/1-2008-0002)
