Chicago

Chicago is the largest city by population in the state of Illinois and the Midwest, and a dominant center of finance, industry and culture in the region. The city was long the "second city" (second in population to New York), and is currently the third-most populous city in the United States, with nearly 3 million people. The Chicago metropolitan area (commonly referred to as Chicagoland) has a population of over 9.7 million people in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, making it also the third largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Adjacent to Lake Michigan, it is among the world's twenty-five largest urban areas by population. Loughborough University classifies Chicago as an alpha world city for its worldwide economic influence.
(from wikipedia)

History of Chicago

The name "Chicago" is the French rendering of the Miami-Illinois name shikaakwa, meaning “wild leek”. Etymologically, the sound /shikaakwa/ in Miami-Illinois literally means 'striped skunk', and was a reference to wild leek, or the smell of onions. The name was initially applied to the river, but later came to denote what is presently the site of city. The sound Chicago is said[who?] to be the result of a French mis-transcription of the original sound by Louis Hennepin, a Catholic priest, missionary and explorer, who in 1683 first placed the name 'Chicago' on a map.
During the mid-18th century the area was inhabited primarily by Potawatomis, who had taken the place of the Miami and Sauk and Fox peoples. The first permanent settler in Chicago, Haitian Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, arrived in the 1770s, married a Potawatomi woman, and founded the area’s first trading post. In 1803 the United States Army built Fort Dearborn, which was destroyed in the 1812 Fort Dearborn massacre. The Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi later ceded the land to the United States in the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis. On August 12, 1833, the Town of Chicago was organized with a population of 350. Within seven years it grew to a population of over 4,000. The City of Chicago was incorporated on March 4, 1837

(from wikipedia)

The City Hall rooftop garden - Chicago

The City Hall rooftop garden sits atop Chicago's City Hall, an 11-story office building in Chicago's Loop. City Hall and the adjacent Cook County building appear to most people as one building spanning a city block bounded by LaSalle, Randolph, Clark and Washington streets. First planted in 2000, the City Hall rooftop garden was conceived as a demonstration project - part of the City's Urban Heat Island Initiative - to test the benefits of green roofs and how they affect temperature and air quality. The garden consists of 20,000 plants of more than 100 species, including shrubs, vines and two trees. The plants were selected for their ability to thrive in the conditions on the roof, which is exposed to the sun and can be windy and arid. Most are prairie plants native to the Chicago region.

web: http://cityofchicago.org/

Chicago store

Chicgostore.com features gifts, memorabilia and other unique items sold by the City of Chicago Store. Whether you're a visitor to this beautiful city, or call it your home, we're sure you'll find everything you need to remember and celebrate Chicago!
Also, be sure to visit the new and official website for Shop at the Cultural Center: www.culturalcentershop.com. Here you'll find CDs from performers featured at the Chicago Cultural Center, exhibition catalogs from current and past exhibitions, as well as all the arts and artifacts from Chicago's diverse cultures that makes this shop so unique.

web :http://www.chicagostore.com/

Green City Market - Chicago

To improve the availability of a diverse range of high qualityfoods .
To connect local producers and farmers to chefs, restaurateurs,food organizations and the public.
And, to support small family farms and promote a healthier societythrough education and appreciation for local, fresh, sustainably raised produce and products.

web: http://www.chicagogreencitymarket.org/

City Year Chicago

As a City Year Chicago corps member, you will join 100 of your peers in serving children and youth in Chicago’s public schools. Get ready to make a difference as you improve a child’s ability to read, or serve as role model to middle or high school youth.

web: http://www.cityyear.org/chicago_ektid1505.aspx

Opening Day - Chicago

Opening Day, an annual tradition at City Year dating back to the organization's pilot program in 1988, launches the corps and the organization as a whole into a new civic adventure, a new campaign of idealism. It is at Opening Day that City Year corps members are sworn into a year of fulltime service by taking the City Year Pledge and AmeriCorps Pledge.

web: http://www.cityyear.org/chicago_ektid1863.aspx