Chicago, referred to as the Windy City, is the third most populous city in the United States. With over 3 million people in it, Chicago is a center for economic growth and industry. Chicago is located in Illinois along the Great Lakes. It was founded in 1833 by settlers who liked it’s location near the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. The first settler arrived in Chicago in the 1770s and married a Native American woman of the Potawatomi tribe. Now, Chicago is the economic hub of the Midwest.

The land where Chicago now rests was purchased from the Potawatomi tribe in the Treaty of St. Louis. After this, in 1833, the city was unofficially organized by 350 people. A few years later in 1837, the city was officially incorporated. Two main things helped Chicago to grow into an economic center: the railroad and the Illinois and Michigan canal. They started the railroad project in 1836 and finished it in 1848. In the same year that it was finished, the canal also opened. This made this time period in Chicago a strong time of growth. People flocked in from all over. The canal allowed transport from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. The railroad also brought many people in from the east. It was a great train station in between the east and the west. Therefore many people used it as a starting or stopping point on their journey.

Chicago grew extremely rapidly and was one of the fastest growing cities in the world. In only 40 years, it went from a population of 30,000 to over 1 million. This was obviously a great deal of people moving into a city at one time. In 1871, the city of Chicago also experienced a great fire. This fire destroyed almost a third of the entire city. The damage was great and cost many people a lot of money. Many people were out of house and home, or a place to work. Chicago soon rebuilt and came back more powerful than ever.

The 1920s ushered in a new era in America and Chicago alike. There were several gangsters that ruled the town including the notorious Al Capone. These gangsters controlled much of what went on during the prohibition era in American history. The government wanted to outlaw alcohol and Capone wanted to sell it. This meant that there were many conflicts and battles on the streets of Chicago in that time.

Since that time, Chicago has continued to grow into an economic power. Every year, more than 44 million people visit The Windy City and its attractions. If you live near the Chicago area, you will undoubtedly need some form of transportation to get around the beautiful city. Chicago has a vast array of used cars for purchase. In the market of used cars Chicago has a large supply for everyone. If you need to purchase a car, be sure and check with your local Chicago used car dealers.