Chicago, Illinois
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chicago is a large city in Illinois, USA. It is the largest city in Illinois, and is the third largest in the USA. Chicago is next to one of the five Great Lakes, Lake Michigan. In the 2000 census, almost 2,900,000 people lived there, with six million more people living nearby. Chicago is also about 90 miles south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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[edit] Culture
Chicago has a very well-known culture. Some of the many things Chicago is famous for are: Chicago-style hot dogs, Chicago-style (deep dish) pizza, jazz music, and 1920s gangsters like Al Capone. Chicago is also known for interesting architecture like the Sears Tower, many museums, and many loyal sports fans.
[edit] Museums
There are many museums in Chicago. These include:
- Adler Planetarium - built in 1930, it is the oldest planetarium in the world
- Art Institute of Chicago - has a large collection of American and Impressionist art
- Field Museum of Natural History - has Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus fossil known
- Museum of Science and Industry - has many exhibits including a real Boeing 727 jet plane which was given to the museum by United Airlines
- Shedd Aquarium - at one time the world's largest aquarium. Has 19 million liters (5 million gallons) of water and 22,000 fish
[edit] Sports
Sports are a big part of the cultural life in Chicago. Chicago is home to 15 sports teams. All of the city's major sports teams play within the city limits.
Chicago is one of only three cities in the United States to have two Major League Baseball teams: the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs. The White Sox play at the U.S. Cellular Field and the Cubs play at Wrigley Field. The White Sox won the World Series in 2005.
Chicago's National Basketball Association (NBA) team is the Chicago Bulls. For many years, Michael Jordan played for the Bulls and he helped them win six Championships during the 1990s.
In American football, Chicago is the home of the Chicago Bears (National Football League) and the Chicago Rush (Arena Football League).
Chicago has two ice hockey teams, the Chicago Blackhawks (who play for the National Hockey League) and the Chicago Wolves (who play for the American Hockey League).
Chicago also has a Major League Soccer team, the Chicago Fire.
[edit] Travel
Many people and things travel through Chicago to get to other places. Chicago has a complex network of trains and buses, which help people who live in Chicago travel across the city. Chicago's train system is called the Metra. It runs within the city and also into the suburbs that are around Chicago. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is a system of buses and elevated trains (called the 'L') that run inside the city.
O'Hare International airport, one of the busiest airports in the United States, is a major center for air travel. Chicago has another airport called Midway Airport. Many trains use Chicago as a place to change loads and to change directions. There is also a canal between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River.
