The ultimate result of the Chicago Fire of 1874 was a major restructuring of the Fire Department, creation of stricter fire safety laws and building codes, and an end to wooden construction within city limits. Fire safety became a priority for city officials and many citizens.

The Great Chicago Fire left an estimated 300 people dead and 100,000 others homeless. More than 17,000 structures were destroyed and damages were estimated at $200 million. The disaster prompted an outbreak of looting and lawlessness.

The city’s fire and building codes were strengthened considerably after the fire, specifically placing more stringent regulations and thorough safety inspections of fire protection systems. But it is not just the Great Chicago Fire that was the catalyst for change in the city’s safety codes.

The fire, the most famous in American history, claimed about 300 lives, destroyed some 17,450 buildings covering almost 3.5 square miles (9 square km), and caused $200 million in damage.

St. Michael’s Church and the Pumping Station were both gutted in the fire, but their exteriors survived, and the buildings were rebuilt using the surviving walls. The fire was an enormous calamity at the time, but the rebuilding laid the groundwork for modern Chicago.

In fact, Chicago is sinking and has sunk about four inches in the last century. And while that may not seem like a lot, it could have a big impact on not just the region but on individual homeowners, too.

Chicago, America’s Second City, is built on a swamp. Indigenous people showed the pair a watery pathway between the Mississippi and Lake Michigan and that was the beginning of what would become America’s Second City. The elevation between the two bodies of water was minuscule.

Big businesses, innovative buildings, and a new style of architecture were the results. The Great Chicago Fire started on the evening of Oct. 8, 1871. Rain put out the fire more than a day later, but by then it had burned an area 4 miles long and 1 mile wide.

“Chicago was a really busy town, it was exploding at that time,” Rumsey notes, pointing to the crisscross of railroads as a primarily clue to the Windy City’s massive expansion. “One of the things that you notice right away are the railroads shown. There are around seven railroads coming into the city.

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“There’s a story that immediately after the fire, bingo – we had a bunch of skyscrapers. But that’s really not true. It took a good 10 years,” said Shubart. Both New York City and Chicago – ever in competition – claim the first skyscraper.

Chicago was incorporated as a town in 1833 and as a city in 1837, when its population reached 4,000. In 1848 Chicago got its first telegraph and railroad.

Before Europeans settled here, the sluggish Chicago River was lined with cattails and miles of indistinguishable marsh. Native Americans trolled for wild rice in several areas, including the area near the river’s outlet into the Lake.

Some of the many things Chicago is famous for are: Chicago-style hot dogs, Chicago-style (deep dish) pizza, Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, jazz music, and 1920s gangsters, for example Al Capone. Chicago is also known for architecture, for example the Sears Tower and museums. It is also known for its loyal sports fans.

Chicago has been called the “windy” city, the term being used metaphorically to make out that Chicagoans were braggarts. An explanation for Chicago being a naturally breezy area is that it is on the shores of Lake Michigan. Chicago had long billed itself as an ideal summer resort because of its cool lake breeze.

Is Chicago a Windy City? Contrary to popular belief, Chicago is not the windiest city in the United States. That honor goes to Boston, Massachusetts, which boasts wind speeds that are regularly up to two miles per hour faster than Chicago’s.

Wellington, New Zealand