Friday, November 4, 2011

Chicago and the city:

Chicago as the American city, represents the amazing transformation that the United States had gone through in the 19th century, and this is due to various reasons.
Chicago was declared as a town in 1833, with the poor population of almost 200 at the time. The social situation at the time was not even considered due to the amount of people that the town consisted of. However, in less than a decade the population grew tremendously to the amazing and impossible population of 4,000. This population growth was considered the fastest in the world. Many people as well as many immigrants, came to Chicago to try to develop themselves in the growing city and community. In 1848 the Chicago railway was built, this allowed the city of Chicago to advance vastly. Many businessmen started putting their trust and the city and eventually their businesses. This kept the economy flourishing and therefore Chicago became the city where opportunities were given. In order to improve the health and the quality of living within the city- Chicago had built the first United States comprehensive sewerage system, this helped improve life style and assist to bring the city out of the mud and dirt in which it lied. In addition, two very important developments in the city were the University of Chicago and the Home Insurance Building. The University of Chicago was founded in the late 19th century by the American Baptist Education Society, and was sponsored by one of the wealthiest men at the time John D Rockefeller. The university helped raise a whole different level of culture that was expected of the citizens of Chicago. As well as the university, there was the first skyscraper designed by the architect William Le Baron Jenney, built in 1884- the first building that was ever supported by a fire-proof steel and was constructed completely with metal from the inside and out.
Chicago had developed and advanced vastly in the 19th century, and it took even less than a decade for the city to break through so amazingly. Chicago is most definitely the city of the modern and advanced United States Of America because it shows exactly what the United States were aiming for by the industrialization and transformation that happened.

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