Windy City is a popular nickname of Chicago: Find out why
Chicago: What comes to your mind when you think of this US city? Hot dogs, deep dish pizza, jazz music, the distinguished Sears Tower and much more!
Located on the banks of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the largest city in the US state Illinois with nearly 10 million people. Maybe that’s why it is also the third most populous city in the USA and is one of the most important business, finance, trade, transportation and telecommunication hubs of USA. But did you know, apart from all these, Chicago is famous for its wide range of nicknames, such as, ‘Chi-town’ (or shy town), ‘Second City’, ‘City of Big Shoulders’, the most notable one being ‘Windy City’? Why do you think Chicago is called the Windy City? Is it simply because it’s breezy, or is there something more? Come, let’s dig out the story!
Naturally breezy
Yes, you read that right! Due to its location along the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago has a naturally windy tendency. However, USA’s windiest city is Brockton, Massachusetts. Then why such a nickname? Well, it’s because the wind in Chicago feels more than it really is. Confused? Let’s make it easy for you to understand. Chicago is built in such a way that its infrastructure (especially modern-day skyscrapers) allows the maximum wind circulation at the ground level. This is how it works: As soon as the lake pushes the wind towards the city, the it gets sucked down towards the roads, due to artificial pressure from the buildings around. In fact, Chicago, during the 1870s, advertised itself as a perfect summer retreat thanks to its cool breeze!
The city of braggers!
There’s another theory behind this nickname. Chicago has a history of rivalry with Cincinnati, Ohio. Turns out, in the mid-19th century, both Chicago and Cincinnati were the two main competitors in the meatpacking trade across USA. Over time, this industry rivalry got intensified when the baseball teams of the two cities faced each other. This is when Cincinnati newspapers started referring to Chicago as the ‘Windy City’, meaning, this city was ‘full of wind’ or as we say it, braggers!
The host of 1893 World’s Fair
Perhaps the most well-known reason of why Chicago is called the ‘Windy City’ has to do with its competition with New York, Saint Louis and Washington D.C., to host the World’s Fair of 1893, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in America. It was around this time that a reporter from New York named Charles A. Dana wrote that the city was full of ‘windbag’ advocates who didn’t shy away from campaigning for their hometown. Guess what? Despite Dana’s attempts to ridicule, Chicago managed to win the rights to host the World’s Fair. Now whether that was because of the advertisements or otherwise is not known. However, the name stuck around ever since!