CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA


The 'Chicago metropolitan area' is the metropolitan area associated with the city of Chicago in the United States. It is the area that is 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 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 Benton Harbor in southwest Michigan.

Contents
Definitions
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Metropolitan statistical area
Combined statistical area
Chicagoland
Demographics
Largest Cities
1,000,000 or More
100,000-1,000,000
60,000-99,999
Urban areas and urban clusters within the Chicago CSA
Transportation
Major airports
Commuter rail
Major highways
Major corridors
Proposed overlay area codes
References
See also
External links

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.[1] The area has a population of 8.15 million (as of the 2000 Census).[2] It consists of seven counties in the state of Illinois:

★ Cook County

★ DuPage County

★ Kane County

★ Kendall County

★ Lake County

★ McHenry County

★ Will County
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 9,505,748 (2006 estimate).U.S. Census Bureau - 2006 population estimates for combined statistical areas and their components
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''. These commuter flow-based definitions are sometimes at odds with people's feelings about their regional affiliations. The components of the MSA and their 2006 populations are:

★ Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL Metropolitan Division (7,929,775)

★
★ Cook County

★
★ DeKalb County

★
★ DuPage County

★
★ Grundy County (part of North Central Illinois region)

★
★ Kane County

★
★ Kendall County

★
★ McHenry County

★
★ Will County

★ Gary, IN Metropolitan Division (700,896)

★
★ Jasper County

★
★ Lake County, Indiana

★
★ Newton County

★
★ Porter County

★ Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division (875,077)

★
★ Lake County, Illinois

★
★ Kenosha County, Wisconsin
Combined statistical area

The OMB also defines a slightly larger region, the Combined Statistical Area (CSA), combining the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Michigan City (in Indiana), and Kankakee (in Illinois). This area represents the extent of the labor market pool for the entire region. The combined statistical area, of which the Chicago metropolitan area is part, has a population of 9,725,317 (as of 2006).
Chicagoland

"Chicagoland" is an informal name for the Chicago metropolitan area, used primarily by copywriters, advertising agencies, and traffic reporters. There is no precise definition for the term "Chicagoland," which may be larger than the MSA and include portions of the greater CSA. The ''Chicago Tribune'', which coined the term, includes the city of Chicago, the rest of Cook County, eight nearby Illinois counties; Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee, and two counties in Indiana; Lake and Porter.[3] The Illinois Department of Tourism defines Chicagoland as Cook County ''without'' the city of Chicago, and only Lake, DuPage, Kane and Will counties.[4] The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce defines it as all of Cook, and DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. [5]
Colonel Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher of the ''Chicago Tribune'', usually gets credit for placing the term in common use.[6][7] McCormick's conception of Chicagoland stretched all the way to nearby parts of Iowa and Michigan.[8] 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.[9]

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 third fastest-growing county in the United States with a population greater than 10,000 between 2004 and 2005.[1]
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 is a major exception to this. While Chicago's west side is among the poorer sections 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. The county's second largest city, Naperville, had the lowest poverty rate of any U.S. city with a population greater than 100,000. Several DuPage County municipalities have median home prices significantly higher than that of the Chicago metropolitan area as a whole: Elmhurst $587,165, Hinsdale $1,274,558, Oak Brook $1,160,724, Glen Ellyn $579,954, Wheaton $427,428.10, Clarendon Hills $718,453 and Burr Ridge $913,579. However, some "inner-ring" western suburbs in Cook County such as Maywood and Cicero, are characterized by low income levels.
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.
Census AreaJuly 1 2005Census 20001990 Census1980 Census1970 Census1960 Census1950 Census
'Chicago- Naperville- Joliet, IL-IN-WI''9,443,356''9,098,316''8,065,633''7,869,542''7,612,314''6,794,461''5,495,364'
'Cook County, Illinois'5,303,6835,376,7415,105,0675,253,6555,492,3695,129,7254,508,792
DeKalb County, Illinois97,66588,96977,932¹74,624¹71,654¹51,714¹40,781¹
DuPage County, Illinois929,113904,161781,666658,835491,882313,459154,599
Grundy County, Illinois43,83837,53532,33730,582¹26,535¹22,350¹19,217¹
Kane County, Illinois482,113404,119317,471278,405251,005208,246150,388
Kendall County, Illinois79,51454,54439,41337,202¹26,374¹17,540¹12,115¹
Lake County, Illinois702,682644,356516,418440,372382,638293,656179,097
La Porte County, Indiana110,512110,106107,066108,632105,34295,11176,808
McHenry County, Illinois303,990260,077183,241147,897111,55584,21050,656¹
Will County, Illinois642,813502,266357,313324,460249,498191,617134,336
Jasper County, Indiana31,87630,04324,960¹26,138¹20,429¹18,842¹17,031¹
Lake County, Indiana493,297484,564475,594522,965546,253513,269368,152
Newton County, Indiana14,45614,56613,551¹14,844¹11,606¹11,502¹11,006¹
Porter County, Indiana157,772146,798128,932119,81687,11460,27940,076¹
Kenosha County, Wisconsin160,544149,577128,181123,137117,917¹100,615¹ 75,238¹

¹County was not a part of this statistical area at the time of this Census and the county's population is not included in the total.

Largest Cities


1,000,000 or More


★ Chicago, Illinois (2,873,790 2005 estimate)
100,000-1,000,000

Suburbs with over 100,000 people:

★ Aurora, Illinois

★ Gary, Indiana

★ Joliet, Illinois

★ Naperville, Illinois
60,000-99,999

Suburbs with over 60,000 people:

★ Arlington Heights, Illinois

★ Bolingbrook, Illinois

★ Cicero, Illinois

★ Elgin, Illinois

★ Evanston, Illinois

★ Hammond, Indiana

★ Kenosha, Wisconsin

★ Palatine, Illinois

★ Schaumburg, Illinois

★ Skokie, Illinois

★ Waukegan, Illinois

Urban areas and urban clusters 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.
RankUrban Area or Urban ClustertypePopulation
(2000 census)		Land Area
(km²)		Smallest gap
(km)
1 Chicago-Aurora-Elgin-Joliet-Waukegan, IL-INUA8,307,9045,498.1n/a
2 Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake, IL-WI^ †UA226,848344.92
3 Kenosha, WI †UA110,942109.21
4 Michigan City-LaPorte, IN-MI^^ †UA66,19986.13
5 Kankakee-Bradley-Bourbonnais, ILUA65,07371.5>10
6 DeKalb-Sycamore, ILUA55,80546.3>10
7 Woodstock, IL †UC20,21921.14
8 Morris, ILUC13,92719.3>10
9 Sandwich, IL^^^UC12,24823.9>10
10 Braidwood-Coal City, ILUC11,60719.5>10
11 Harvard, ILUC8,57513.3>10
12 Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN †UC8,45012.54
13 Lowell, INUC7,91415.8>10
14 Wilmington, ILUC7,10720.8>10
15 Manteno, ILUC7,1069.4>10
16 Marengo, ILUC6,8548.6>10
17 Rensselaer, INUC6,09610.9>10
18 Plano, IL †UC5,9116.53
19 Genoa, ILUC5,1375.5>10
20 Genoa City, WI-IL^^^^ †UC5,12612.5>10
21 Westville, INUC5,0774.4>10
22 Hebron, INUC4,15011.7>10
23 Momence, ILUC3,7119.7>10
24 Peotone, IL †UC3,3583.59
25 Wonder Lake, IL †UC2,7982.05
26 Monee, IL †UC2,7873.73
27 Union township, IN †UC2,5934.91
28 Hampshire, IL †UC2,5912.06

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 Midway International Airport (MDW)

★ Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)

★ 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

★ 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. 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 3 area codes (630, 708, and 847). As of 2006, the 847 area code has been supplemented with an overlay area code (224).
Plans are in place for overlay codes for all area codes serving the city and suburbs.
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 was divided into two area codes, 312 and 773. Rather than divide the city by a north/south area code, the central business district (the "Loop") retained the 312 area code, while the remainder of the city took the new 773 code.

★ 312 Chicago - City (The Loop and central neighborhoods, e.g. the Near North Side)

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

★ 847 (North and Northwest Suburbs)

★ 708 (Near West and South Suburbs)

★ 630 (Western Suburbs)

★ 224 (Overlay area code for 847)

★ 815 (far northwest and some south suburbs, Joliet)

★ 219 (Northwest Indiana)

★ 574 (North-central Indiana)

★ 262 (Southeast Wisconsin surrounding Milwaukee County)
Proposed overlay area codes


★ 331 overlay for 630 (Fall 2007)

★ 464 overlay for 708 (no effective date)

★ 779 overlay for 815 (Went into effect February 2007)

★ 872 overlay for 312 & 773 (no effective date)

References


1. Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
2. Chicago Area Transportation Study - Regional Information
3. ''Chicago Tribune'' Classifieds map of Chicagoland
4. enjoyillinois.com
5. Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
6. The Encyclopedia of Chicago, ISBN0-226-31015-9, Credit to McCormick given by Jack W. Fuller
7. Further reading: ''The Colonel's Century'', Time, June 9, 1947
8. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2.html
9. Cronon (1992); Keating (2005); Keating (2004)

See also



★ United States metropolitan area

External links



★ Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area (2003) map

★ U.S. Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts

★ U.S. Census Bureau population estimates

★ Cook County Jail

★ Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas

★ About Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas

★ Historical Metropolitan Area Definitions

★ Northwest and Western Suburbs' Community Message Board

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