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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 . 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. Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning The area has a population of 8.15 million (as of the 2000 Census). Chicago Area Transportation Study - Regional Information It consists of seven counties in the state of Illinois : 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:
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 defines it as all of Cook, and DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce was closely tied to the metropolis by rail lines and commercial links. Cronon (1992); Keating (2005); Keating (2004) 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 Boomburb s 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. {Link without Title} Settlement patterns in the Chicago metropolitan area tend to follow those in the city proper: the northern suburbs along the shore of $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. 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 100,000-1,000,000 Suburbs with over 100,000 people: 60,000-99,999 Suburbs with over 60,000 people:
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. 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
Commuter rail
Major highways
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:
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.
Proposed overlay area codes
REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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