A Guide to Windy City
If there is a true crossroads to the nation, then Windy City is it. Located centrally in the northern Midwest, the city is not only a nexus of major highways, but is also a railroad hub and home to the world’s largest airport, serving both domestic and international destinations.
Windy City has large populations of Irish and Eastern European heritage dating back from its earliest days. The African population increased steadily in the years just prior to and following the Civil War, and is perhaps now even more significant than the earlier ethnic majorities. Other groups are in the minority, though they are visibly present. Overall there is much less ethnic tension in Windy City than other communities – here strife is based on class separations instead. Still, there is little violence (relatively speaking) and Windy City is one of the most friendly cities in the nation.
The north side and Lyondale are where most of the old wealth lives.
The south side and Calumet Park are the poorest neighborhoods.
The west side begins as poor to middle class, and generally gets more wealthy the farther west you go. Oak Grove is a very wealthy suburb that’s not too far from the city.
Downtown is built from many blocks of skyscrapers, apartments, and various businesses and shops. The whole area seems to go on and on, almost like it could go on forever, a whole city unto its own. One could walk through here seemingly for days. The Loop, an elevated train, circles around and through downtown, with ground-level spurs to all the outlying areas.
Landmarks
Soldier Field: This Greco-roman style oval coliseum is the home of the Windy City Grizzlies (football) and the Sting (soccer). It is located a little ways south of downtown (not quite into the south side though).
Chicago Stadium: The west side home of the Windy City Buffaloes (basketball), and the Arrows (hockey).
Comiskey Park: Not too far from Soldier Field, this baseball stadium is the home of the Clovers.
The Rosemont Horizon: A ways west from the airport, into the suburbs, this smaller indoor facility sees high profile basketball and soccer games from the area’s high school and private youth teams. It also hosts concerts and special events, and sometimes Sting games when they have a conflict with the Grizzlies.
O’brien Airport: The world’s largest airport, serving both domestic and international destinations, O’brien is a sprawling complex of terminals, concourses, runways, hangars, warehouses, and more. A miniature city unto itself, complete with shops, restaurants, hotels, and an interstate spur to handle all the traffic.
Schaumfield Tower: The country’s tallest building, and the world’s second tallest. This black skyscraper dominates the city, home to businesses, shops, and tourist attractions.
The Magnificent Mile: A ‘mile’ of Michigan avenue in downtown is home to upscale stores and shops of spectacular proportion and wares. This is one of the huge tourist attractions of the city.
Woodberg Mall: A shopping center among the country’s largest, located in the western suburbs. The surrounding area is full of satellite strip upon single store, along with a few small towers of cube farms.
Navy Pier: A small, upscale shopping center located on a man-made peninsula on the downtown lakefront. Various parks line the area from here to the Museum of Natural History, from the north to the south end of downtown.
Museums: Art – downtown; Science & Industry – south side, near Soldier Field; Natural History, Planetarium, and Aquarium – downtown lakefront
Public High Schools: in the city, North High, West High, and South High; the suburbs have Lyons High in Lyondale, Lincoln High in Oak Grove, and Kaufmann High in Calumet Park
Private High Schools: Barrington Academy in Lyondale, St. Catherine’s in the west side
Universities: Evanston University in Lyondale, Windy City University along the south side lakefront, a branch of University of Illinois just south-west of downtown, and Windy Community College in the west side.
Fermilab: Another largest for the nation, and second largest in the world, Fermilab is a laboratory and particle accelerator. Besides their studies, the distinctive inverted-Y tower hosts lectures, concerts, and other cultural events.
Houseton Street Station: A firehouse on the west side close to downtown, serving both firemen and EMTs. This is an old, stone building, built during the reconstruction of Windy City after a great fire destroyed essentially the entire community in 1871. Houseton Street often goes to calls all over the city due to their central location.
Hospitals: Norris Hospital in Oak Grove; Chicago Memorial in the north side; Washington Medical Center in the south side; Pulaski Hospital in the west side
