In the historical development of cities, the rise and fall of many cities are inseparable from transportation. With the help of the tide of the times, the city of Chicago has successively grasped the three major development opportunities of water transportation, railroad and aviation, so as to achieve the prosperity of its city.
Urban development driven by waterways and railways
Located on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago was officially founded in 1834. After the city was founded, Chicago artificially dug a 72-kilometer canal on the shores of Lake Michigan, which ran southwest through downtown Chicago to the Kankaki River and then south to the Mississippi River, forming a large artificial river. Through this canal, medium-sized seagoing vessels can travel from the southern tip of the Gulf of Mexico through the Mississippi River, the Illinois River, Lake Michigan and the Atlantic Ocean. The opening of the canal quickly made Chicago the largest lakeport city in the world.
At the same time, the surge in railroad construction also brought development opportunities to Chicago. The completion of the Pacific Railroad connected Chicago with California, connecting the East Coast of the United States with the vast Midwestern Great Plains, opening a new chapter in population migration and economic development in the United States. Chicago became the intersection of 32 major railroad lines and was known as the "transportation hub of North America."
Relying on its excellent transportation location, Chicago actively developed heavy industry and became the most important center of the steel industry in the United States in the early 20th century. The city's population also exceeded the 1 million mark, making it the second largest city in the United States after New York at the time.
Opportunities for the aviation industry
In 1916, the Boeing Company was founded in Chicago, which produced a large number of transport aircraft and bombers during World War II. After World War II, O'Hare Airport, which was originally used to make aircraft, was converted into a civilian airport. In the 50s of the 20th century, with the popularity of air travel, the City of Chicago and the Federal Aviation Administration began to build O'Hare as Chicago's main airport.
In 1955, O'Hare Airport welcomed its first commercial flight, and in 1958 the International Terminal was completed. O'Hare Airport quickly became the busiest airport in the world and the largest aviation hub in the United States. In the 80s of the 20th century, O'Hare Airport had more than 670,000 annual flight movements and served more than 20 million passengers.
By the end of the '90s, Atlanta International Airport surpassed O'Hare in terms of passenger traffic to become the largest airport in the United States. But O'Hare remains the airport with the highest number of flights in the world, with a record 97 in 2005With a record of 20,000 takeoffs and landings, the average annual passenger volume exceeds 75 million, ranking fourth in the world.
The city of skyscrapers
Chicago is also known for its skyscrapers, and the city is lined with high-rise buildings. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost the entire city. After the fire, Chicagoans rebuilt on the rubble, and the world's first 10-story building was inaugurated in Chicago.
Today's Chicago isn't just famous for Jordan playing basketball here for more than a decade. In terms of population and economic size, it is the third largest city in the United States after New York and Los Angeles. The urban area has a population of 2.8 million and a total GDP of more than 550 billion US dollars. If the entire Chicago metropolitan area is calculated, its total GDP is as high as 750 billion US dollars, with a total population of nearly 10 million, and it is also the third largest metropolitan area in the United States.
If Chicago's economy is placed in China, in terms of cities alone, it is second only to China's Shanghai and Beijing, and its total GDP exceeds that of Shenzhen by more than 600 billion yuan.