Welcome to Chicago ...
The city of Chicago is primarily located in Cook County<1> and is the County Seat for Cook County. A portion of Chicago extends into DuPage County.
The pronunciation of Chicago: shi-KAW-goh<2>
When the people of Chicago refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Chicagoan<3>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Chicago has a population of 2,691,497 people<4> (see below for details).
While we don't have a date for the establishment of Chicago, you might get a feel for its founding by knowing that they incorporated March 4, 1837.
Chicago is 590 feet [180 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Chicago lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel east from Chicago (for example, toward New Carlisle (IN)), you will leave Central Time and cross into the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT).
Chicago is served by one (or more) of the following area codes: (312), (773) and (872).
The ZIP codes for Chicago: 60601-60626, 60628-60634, 60636-60641, 60643-60647, 60649, 60651-60657, 60659-60661, 60663-60665, 60667-60675, 60677-60681, 60683-60685, 60687, 60690-60691, 60693-60694, 60697, 60699, 60701<6>
Websites for Chicago ...
Official Website: www.cityofchicago.org/
Chamber of Commerce: www.chicagolandchamber.org/
Junior League: www.jlchicago.org/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Chicago had an population of 2,691,497 people. This is a decrease of 0.15% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 7.06% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Chicago had a population of 2,695,598 people (which is 51.89% of the total population of Cook County). This makes Chicago the county's most populous community.
The population of Chicago represents 21.01% of the total population of Illinois (which has 12,830,632 people), making it the state's most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 2,695,598 people, the population of Chicago decreased 6.92% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 2,896,016 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Chicago.
Communities Also Named Chicago ...
Using our Gazetteer, we have found that there are 9 communities that are also named Chicago - they are located in California, Kansas (2), Kentucky, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Chicago.
Communities near Chicago ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Chicago.
- Cicero [Cook County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicero
- Cicero [Cook County] lies 6 miles [9.7 km]<7> to the west of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 79,727 people
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cicero have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Cicero
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cicero<9>
- Evanston [Cook County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evanston
- Evanston [Cook County] lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<7> to the north of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72,683 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Evanston
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evanston<9>
- Skokie [Cook County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skokie
- Skokie [Cook County] lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<7> to the northwest of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62,404 people
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skokie have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Skokie
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Skokie<9>
- Des Plaines [Cook County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Des Plaines
- Des Plaines [Cook County] lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<7> to the northwest of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 58,179 people
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Des Plaines have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Des Plaines
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Des Plaines<9>
- Continue List (6 more) ...
- Oak Lawn [Cook County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Lawn
- Oak Lawn [Cook County] lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<7> to the southwest of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54,376 people
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Lawn have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Oak Lawn
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Lawn<9>
- Berwyn [Cook County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwyn
- Berwyn [Cook County] lies 8 miles [12.9 km]<7> to the west of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 53,701 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Berwyn
- Oak Park [Cook County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
- Oak Park [Cook County] lies 7 miles [11.3 km]<7> to the west of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 51,852 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Oak Park
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Park<9>
- Downers Grove [DuPage County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downers Grove
- Downers Grove [DuPage County] lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<7> to the west of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48,727 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Downers Grove
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Downers Grove<9>
- Glenview [Cook County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenview
- Glenview [Cook County] lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<7> to the northwest of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46,823 people
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenview have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Glenview
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glenview<9>
- Elmhurst [DuPage County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmhurst
- Elmhurst [DuPage County] lies 15 miles [24.1 km]<7> to the west of Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46,532 people
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Elmhurst
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmhurst<9>
- Oak Lawn [Cook County]
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Chicago. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Chicago.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Chicago. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chicago.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Chicago. Our list includes 1,504 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Chicago.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Chicago ...
Looking for more information about Chicago? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Chicago, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Chicago.
Adding Chicago to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Chicago in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
In addition, our notes show that the earliest dated mention that we've found for Chicago was on a map (with an unknown title) dated 1870.
We also found Chicago in the Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details about the above, see References and Mentions for Chicago on our Genealogy Page.
Other Roadside Stops ...
Search for a Community in Illinois
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Chicago: www.cityofchicago.org/
The official website for Cook County: www.co.cook.il.us/
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Cook, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Chicago. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Chicago refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Chicago may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Chicago. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Chicago - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Chicago). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Chicago or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Chicago includes: 60601, 60602, 60603, 60604, 60605, 60606, 60607, 60608, 60609, 60610, 60611, 60612, 60613, 60614, 60615, 60616, 60617, 60618, 60619, 60620, 60621, 60622, 60623, 60624, 60625, 60628, 60629, 60630, 60631, 60632, 60633, 60636, 60637, 60638, 60639, 60640, 60643, 60644, 60645, 60646, 60649, 60651, 60652, 60653, 60654, 60655, 60656, 60659, 60660, 60663, 60664, 60667, 60668, 60669, 60670, 60671, 60672, 60673, 60674, 60677, 60678, 60679, 60680, 60683, 60684, 60687, 60690, 60693, 60697, 60699 & 60701. |
| <7> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chicago) to Point B.If you need the driving distance, we recommend that you use one of the Mapping Services listed on our Map Page for Chicago. Since we usually use Google Maps for our own planning, we've provided the following link for your convenience: Google Map and Driving Directions starting from ChicagoOur distance measurements begin at a specific point in Chicago. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8758, Longitude: -87.6361 |
| <8> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we have found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <9> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |