vacation rentals in chicago

Vacation Rentals in Chicago

How mahy people consider getting a vacation rental in the city of Chicago. It is often a super place for a vacation,. You may want a short term rental or long term rental. You may require a cheap rental or luxury. Would you like a condo, or villa or a house or an apartment.

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 3rd most populous city in the United States, with nearly 3 million people. The city is located almost entirely in Cook County, though a portion of the city's O'Hare International Airport overlaps into DuPage County. 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 USA. Adjacent to Lake Michigan, it is the largest city located on the Great Lakes and among the world's 25 largest urban areas by population. Chicago has been classified as an alpha world city for its worldwide economic influence.

Chicago's history and economy are closely tied to its proximity to Lake Michigan. While the Chicago River historically handled much of the region's waterborne cargo, today's huge lake freighters use the city's far south Lake Calumet Harbor. The Lake also moderates Chicago's climate, making it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Lake Shore Drive runs adjacent to a large portion of Chicago's lakefront. Parks along the lakeshore include Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Burnham Park and Jackson Park; 29 public beaches are found all along the shore. Near downtown, landfills extend into the Lake, providing space for the Jardine Water Purification Plant, Navy Pier, the Museum Campus, Soldier Field, and large portions of the McCormick Place Convention Center. Most of the city's high rise commercial and residential buildings can be found within a few blocks of the Lake.

Chicago is partitioned into four main sections: Downtown (which contains the Loop), the North Side, the South Side, and the West Side. In the late 1920s sociologists at the University of Chicago subdivided the city into 77 distinct community areas. The boundaries of these areas are more clearly defined than those of the over 210 neighborhoods throughout the city, allowing for better year-by-year comparisons.

Downtown and The Loop

The downtown area, lying somewhat roughly between Division Street on the north, Lake Michigan on the east, Roosevelt Road on the south and DesPlaines Avenue on the west, serves as the city's commercial hub. The area known as The Loop, is a portion of downtown named for it once having been located within a circuit of cable cars. Today the name reflects the elevated train Loop. Many of downtown's commercial, cultural, and financial institutions are located in the Loop.

North Side

The city's North Side (extending north of downtown along the lakefront) is the most densely populated residential section of the city. It contains public parkland and beaches stretching for miles along Lake Michigan to the city's northern border. Much of the North Side has benefited from an economic boom which began in the 1990s. For example, the River North area, located just north of the Chicago River and the Loop, has undergone a transition from a warehouse district to an active commercial, residential, and entertainment hub, featuring the nation's largest concentration of contemporary art galleries outside of Manhattan. Just north of River North's galleries and bistros, demolition of the CHA's Cabrini - Green housing project began in 2003, being replaced by upscale townhomes.

South Side

The South Side ( extending south of downtown along Lake Michigan ) is the largest section of the city, encompassing roughly 60% of the city's land area. The section along the lake is marked with public parkland and beaches. The South Side has a higher ratio of single-family homes and also contains most of the city's industry.

Along with being the largest section of the city in terms of geography, the South Side is also home to two of the city's largest parades: the annual Bud Billiken Day parade, which is held during the second weekend of August and celebrates children returning to school, and the South Side Irish Parade, which is always held the Sunday prior to Saint Patrick's Day, unless the holiday falls on a Sunday in which case the parade is held that day.

The South Side has two of Chicago's largest public parks. Jackson Park, which hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, is currently the site of the Museum of Science and Industry. The park stretches along the lakefront, linking the neighborhoods of Hyde Park and South Shore. Washington Park, which is connected to Jackson Park by the Midway Plaisance, is currently being considered as the primary site of the Olympic Stadium for the 2016 Summer Olympics if Chicago wins the bid.

West Side

The West Side (extending west of downtown) is made up of neighborhoods such as Austin, Lawndale, Garfield Park, West Town, and Humboldt Park among others. Some neighborhoods, particularly Garfield Park and Lawndale, have socio-economic problems including urban decay and crime. Other West Side neighborhoods, especially those closer to downtown, have been undergoing gentrification.

Major parks on the West Side include Douglas Park, Garfield Park, and Humboldt Park. Garfield Park Conservatory houses one of the largest collections of tropical plants of any USA city. Cultural attractions on the West Side include Humboldt Park's Puerto Rican Day festival, and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen.

Upscale shopping along the Magnificent Mile, thousands of restaurants, as well as Chicago's eminent architecture, continue to draw tourists. The city is the United States' 3rd largest convention destination. Most conventions are held at McCormick Place, just south of Soldier Field.

Navy Pier houses retail, restaurants, museums, exhibition halls, and auditoriums. Its 150 foot tall Ferris wheel is north of Grant Park on the lakefront and is one of the most visited landmarks in the Midwest,

Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois at the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan. It sits on the continental divide at the site of the Chicago Portage, connecting the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes watersheds. The city lies beside Lake Michigan, and two rivers, the Chicago River in downtown and the Calumet River in the industrial far South Side, flow entirely or partially through Chicago. The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal connects the Chicago River with the Des Plaines River, which runs to the west of the city.

Community areas of Chicago
Far North side
Rogers Park, West Ridge, Uptown, Lincoln Square, Edison Park, Norwood Park, Jefferson Park, Forest Glen, North Park, Albany Park, O'Hare, Edgewater
North side
North Center, Lakeview, Lincoln Park , Avondale, Logan Square
Northwest side
Portage Park, Irving Park, Dunning, Montclare, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa
Central, Near North, and Near South side
Near North Side, The Loop, Near South Side
West and Near West side
Humboldt Park, West Town, Austin, West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park, Near West Side, North Lawndale , South Lawndale, Lower West Side
Southwest side
Garfield Ridge, Archer Heights, Brighton Park, McKinley Park, New City, West Elsdon, Gage Park, Clearing, West Lawn, Chicago Lawn, West Englewood Englewood
South side
Armour Square, Douglas, Oakland, Fuller Park, Grand Boulevard, Kenwood, Washington Park, Hyde Park ,Woodlawn, South Shore, Bridgeport , Greater Grand Crossing
Far Southwest side
Ashburn, Auburn Gresham, Beverly, Washington Heights, Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park
Far Southeast side
Chatham, Avalon Park, South Chicago, Burnside, Calumet Heights, Roseland, Pullman, South Deering, East Side, West Pullman, Riverdale, Hegewisch

Illinois Counties :

Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, DeWitt, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin , Henderson, Henry, Iroquois , Jackson , Jasper, Jefferson , Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lawrence, Lee Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Massac, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt , Pike, Pope, Pulaski , Putnam, Randolph , Richland , Rock Island, Saline, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott , Shelby, St. Clair, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Union, Vermilion, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Will , Williamson, Winnebago, Woodford

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