Chicago's city center is usually referred to as The Loop. It is officially one of the city's 77 designated community areas. It contains the heart of Chicago – its commercial core, the City Hall, and of course the seat of Cook County.
How the Loop got its name
The explanation for the curious nickname is pretty simple. Throughout the 19th century the center of Chicago was gradually encircled by cable car turnarounds and prominent elevated railway – hence, the Loop. The name, as it often happens, stuck, and it is now part of the Chicago culture no less than the White Sox.
The boundaries
The Chicago city centre is a rather spacious area that is traditionally defined by the following boundaries: The Chicago River forms the north and west border, Lake Michigan constitutes the eastern boundary of the Loop, and Roosevelt Road is to the south. One should note however that in recent decades the commercial areas span across Roosevelt Road and now districts that are there are also considered to be part of the Loop.
The business
Like any city centre, the Loop is where most of the commercial and financial activities in Chicago take place. There are hundreds of large corporations, companies and smaller ventures that are to be found across Chicago's downtown. Some of the names that stand out include:
•The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the world's largest options and futures contracts open interest exchange)
•United Continental Holding (a leader in the field of airfare)
•AON
•Blue Cross Blue Shield
•Hyatt Hotels Corporation
•BorgWarner
In addition to big corporate offices, the Loop is a home to a vibrant shopping area.
Some vital stats
Despite the fact that the Loop serves mainly commercial and cultural purposes, it boasts a considerable population too. According to the last census, there are 29 283 people registered living there, on a population density of 19 000 people per square mile and median household income of $78 124. There are many benefits of living in the Loop. In addition to the vibrant culture and the closeness to all the amenities that you might be needing, downtown Chicago offers access to all sorts of services that you might ever be looking for, including but not limited to a hardworking and friendly cleaning team in Chicago for those of you who wish to skip taking care of the chores at home after a hard day at the office, food deliveries, carpentry and much more. Literally, whatever you can think of you will find it in the Loop.
Demography of Downtown Chicago as of 2014 (source)
Neighborhoods in Downtown Chicago:
•The Loop
•New East Side
•Printer's Row
•South Loop
•Dearborn Park
•Historic Michigan Boulevard District
Places to see, things to do
Life happens in the Loop, believe us when we tell you that. Some of the finest institutions for culture and entertainment in the country are located namely here. Three of them represent the Chicago lifestyle very well. Those are as follows:
1)The Art Institute of Chicago. Founded in 1879 in Grant Park, it stands out as one of the oldest and of course largest museums in the United States. The collection, which is divided into 11 departments, is described as "encyclopedic". There are quite many iconic works there - Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884, Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, and Grant Wood's American Gothic, along with more than 300 000 more pieces of high-art in the permanent collection that will leave you in awe. Many people take up going to the Institute as a hobby, and it is a thriving location for dates too. As many as 1.5 million people visit the Art Institute of Chicago on an annual basis. The departments hold something for every taste – African and Indian Art from the Americas, American Art, Byzantine and ancient art, European Decorative Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Photography, Textiles etc.
2)The Goodman Theatre is the leader in the Chicago theatre scene, and the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. In addition to its reputation for high-quality productions, the Goodman Theatre benefits from the fact that part of it occupies the landmark Harris and Selwyn Theatres complex of buildings, which was built in 1922 and has been officially called a Chicago Landmark on March 31 1983.
3)The Chicago Cultural Center was opened in 1897 across Michigan Avenue from Millennium Park. In addition to the other purposes that the Center serves, it contains the official reception venue for the city of Chicago, where the Mayor of Chicago receives the President, foreign diplomats and other upper class personalities. There are over 1000 events, exhibitions etc. that are held every year here, which makes the Chicago Cultural Center the beating heart of the city's life.
If you just want to walk around and see what's what in the Loop, you are not going to be disappointed either. Some of the more notable attractions that you are going to come across along the way include the iconic Willis Tower, which was once the tallest building in the world, The Chicago Union Station, as well as examples of public art that have no equivalent anywhere in the United States. We are talking about of course the sculptures by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Henry Moore, Jean Dubuffet and many others. Those were placed on key locations across the Loop as part of a cultural program in the 1960s and 1970s that aimed at rejuvenating the landscape of central Chicago and bring in into the new era – quite successively, if we are allowed to add.
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