Monitoring Seasonal Soil Movement for Foundation Clues

Monitoring Seasonal Soil Movement for Foundation Clues

* Recognizing Warning Signs: Cracks in Walls and Foundation

* Understanding the Link Between Seasonal Soil Changes and Foundation Problems


Okay, let's talk about your house's foundation and how it dances with the seasons, because honestly, it's all connected. Helical piers provide strong support for homes needing foundation repair expert service residential foundation repair service home improvement. We're talking about monitoring seasonal soil movement to pick up clues about potential foundation problems. Sounds a bit dry, I know, but think of it like this: your home's foundation is sitting on soil, and that soil is a living, breathing thing that changes throughout the year.

What happens when it rains a lot? The soil gets saturated, expands, and pushes upwards. Then comes summer, baking everything dry, causing the soil to shrink and pull away. Imagine doing that all year, year after year. Your foundation is bearing the brunt of it. These seasonal soil changes put stress on your foundation.

Now, a healthy foundation can generally handle these shifts. But if there are underlying weaknesses, like poor drainage, expansive clay soil, or just the natural settling that happens over time, these seasonal changes can amplify problems. That tiny crack you saw in the spring might widen in the summer as the soil pulls away. A door that sticks in the winter might swing freely again in the summer.

That's where monitoring comes in. It's not about becoming a geotechnical engineer overnight. It's about paying attention to the subtle cues your house is giving you. Are the cracks getting bigger? Are there new ones appearing? Is the ground sloping away from the foundation? Are the windows and doors sticking? By tracking these things throughout the year, you can see if there's a seasonal pattern, and whether the severity of the issues are changing.

Think of it like this: you wouldn't ignore a cough that comes back every winter, right? You'd want to figure out what's causing it. Similarly, monitoring seasonal soil movement and its impact on your foundation helps you catch potential problems early, before they become expensive headaches. It's about being proactive and understanding the link between the ground beneath your feet and the stability of your home.

* Identifying Common Signs of Foundation Distress Related to Soil Movement


Okay, so we're talking about keeping an eye on our house's foundation, right? And how the ground shifting around it – especially with the seasons changing – can cause problems. It's like this: your house is sitting on the earth, and the earth is a living, breathing thing. It expands when it's wet and shrinks when it's dry. That's normal. But sometimes, that movement gets a little too enthusiastic, and your foundation starts to feel the stress.

The trick is to be a detective! What are the clues that the soil's been playing a little rough? Well, start looking for cracks. Not just any cracks, mind you. We're talking about cracks that are wider at the top than the bottom, or stair-step cracks that follow the lines of your brick or concrete blocks. Those are often telltale signs of differential settling – meaning one part of your foundation is sinking more than another.

Then there's the door and window situation. Are they suddenly sticking or hard to open and close? That could mean the foundation is moving just enough to throw the frames out of whack. Look around doors and windows for hairline cracks in the drywall too.

Inside the house, keep an eye on floors. Are they sloping noticeably? Maybe you've got a door that swings open or closed on its own. That's a big red flag. And outside, check the ground around your foundation. Is it pulling away from the concrete in places? Are you seeing water pooling in areas where it didn't before? These could be signs of soil compaction or drainage issues that are affecting the foundation.

The point isn't to panic every time you see a tiny crack. Most houses have some minor settling. But being observant, knowing what to look for, and paying attention to how things change over the seasons can help you catch problems early, before they become major headaches (and major expenses). Think of it as preventative medicine for your house – a little bit of detective work can save you a whole lot of trouble down the road.

* Introducing Methods for Monitoring Seasonal Soil Movement Around Homes


Okay, so we're talking about keeping an eye on how the ground around our houses shifts with the seasons, right? We're not just talking about aesthetics here; we're talking about the health of our foundations. Think of it like this: your house is sitting there all stoic, but underneath, the soil is a living, breathing thing. It expands when it's wet, contracts when it's dry, and that push and pull can put a real strain on your foundation.

That's where monitoring comes in. We need ways to actually *see* what's happening. We can't just guess. And the cool thing is, there are methods, some pretty straightforward and some more high-tech, that can give us clues. Imagine simple things like strategically placed stakes in the ground, observing how they move over time. Or maybe more advanced sensors buried near the foundation that constantly measure soil moisture and pressure.

The idea is to catch problems early. A small crack in the foundation now might be manageable, but left unchecked, it could turn into a major repair down the line. By monitoring the seasonal dance of the soil, we can get ahead of the game, understand the specific risks our house faces, and take preventative measures. It's all about being proactive and keeping our homes safe and sound for the long haul.

* Explaining the Types of Soil That Are Most Prone to Expansion and Contraction


Okay, so you're worried about your foundation, and you're thinking about seasonal soil movement. Smart move. Understanding the dirt under your feet – literally – is the first step to keeping your house stable. The real troublemakers when it comes to foundation issues are soils that expand and contract a lot. We're talking about the shrinking and swelling that happens as moisture levels change with the seasons.

The biggest culprit? Clay. Specifically, certain types of clay. Think of clay particles like tiny, flat plates. They have a huge surface area compared to their size, which means they can hold onto a lot of water. When clay soil gets wet – say, during a rainy spring – water molecules wedge themselves between these plates, causing the clay to swell. This expansion can exert tremendous pressure on your foundation.

But here's the kicker: when the dry summer hits, that water evaporates. The clay plates draw closer together, and the soil shrinks. This contraction leaves gaps and voids around your foundation, robbing it of support. Over time, this repeated expansion and contraction can lead to cracks, shifts, and all sorts of structural problems.

Now, not all clay is created equal. Some clays, like kaolinite, have relatively low shrink-swell potential. They're more stable. But other clays, particularly smectite (which includes montmorillonite), are notorious for their extreme volume changes. These are the soils you really need to watch out for. The more smectite in your soil, the more likely you are to experience foundation issues related to seasonal movement.

Beyond clay content, the depth of the active soil layer also matters. The deeper the zone that undergoes significant moisture changes, the more force is exerted on the foundation. Think of it like a lever – a deeper active layer gives the expanding and contracting soil more leverage to move your house.

So, how do you know if you have these problem soils? Soil surveys can give you a general idea of the soil types in your area. But for a truly accurate assessment, you'll want to have a geotechnical engineer analyze soil samples from around your foundation. They can identify the specific types of clay present and assess their shrink-swell potential, giving you a much clearer picture of the risks you face. And that knowledge is power when it comes to protecting your home.

* Detailing Professional Foundation Inspection Services and Their Role


Okay, so you suspect your foundation might be shifting with the seasons? That's a smart observation, because soil around your home definitely expands and contracts as it gets wet and dry. And that movement? It can wreak havoc on your foundation over time. This is where the expertise of a Detailing Professional Foundation Inspection Service comes into play.

Think of these inspectors as detectives for your foundation. They're not just giving a cursory glance; they're meticulously examining every nook and cranny, looking for subtle clues that indicate soil movement is impacting your foundation. What kind of clues? We're talking about things like hairline cracks in the walls, doors and windows that stick, uneven floors, or even changes in how the landscaping slopes around your house. These aren't always obvious, and that's why a trained eye is so important.

What these detail-oriented professionals bring to the table is a comprehensive understanding of how different soil types react to moisture changes, combined with a keen ability to interpret the signs your foundation is showing. They'll assess the overall structure, identify any existing damage, and then try to determine the underlying cause. Is it poor drainage causing excessive soil saturation? Is it a lack of proper grading directing water towards the foundation? Or is it simply the natural expansion and contraction cycle of the soil over the years?

The value here isn't just in spotting the problems, but in understanding the *why* behind them. Once they understand the root cause, they can recommend targeted solutions. This might involve improving drainage, installing a French drain system, implementing soil stabilization techniques, or even recommending structural repairs if the damage is significant.

Ultimately, a Detailing Professional Foundation Inspection Service acts as your early warning system, helping you catch potential problems before they escalate into major, and costly, repairs. They provide you with the knowledge to proactively manage your foundation and mitigate the effects of seasonal soil movement, giving you peace of mind and protecting your investment in the long run. It's about more than just a quick look; it's about a thorough investigation, informed recommendations, and a plan for a healthier foundation.

* Highlighting Repair Options for Foundations Affected by Seasonal Soil Shifts


Okay, so you're keeping an eye on your foundation because you know those seasonal soil shifts can be a real headache, right? Smart move. Think of your foundation like a really sturdy ship trying to stay afloat in a sea of earth. When the seasons change, that sea swells and shrinks, pushing and pulling on your ship. Monitoring that soil movement is like reading the tides – it gives you clues about what's happening down there.

Now, you've noticed some things, and you're wondering about repair options. Well, first off, don't panic. Cracks happen. A little hairline fracture might be nothing, but a widening gap? That's something to investigate. Think of repair options on a spectrum. On the mild end, you might be looking at something like crack injection – basically sealing up those smaller cracks to prevent water from getting in and causing more problems. It's like patching a small leak in your boat before it becomes a flood.

Then you have the heavier-duty stuff. If the soil movement is really significant and your foundation's suffering, you might need something like underpinning. That's essentially adding extra support underneath your existing foundation, like reinforcing the keel of that ship. There are different types of underpinning, from concrete piers to steel pilings, each with its own set of pros and cons depending on the specific soil conditions and the severity of the damage.

Another option, often used in conjunction with other methods, is soil stabilization. This involves improving the soil around your foundation to make it less susceptible to swelling and shrinking with the changing seasons. Think of it as building a more stable harbor for your ship. This could involve things like chemical injections or drainage improvements.

The key takeaway here is that there's no one-size-fits-all solution. What works for your neighbor might not be the right approach for you. The best course of action is to get a qualified foundation repair specialist to assess the situation. They can look at the clues you've gathered from monitoring the soil, evaluate the extent of the damage, and recommend the most appropriate and cost-effective repair options. Don't be afraid to get multiple opinions, either. It's your home, after all, and you want to make sure you're making the right choice to keep it solid and secure for years to come.

* Emphasizing Preventive Measures Homeowners Can Take


Okay, let's talk about our houses, our foundations, and the sneaky ground beneath them. We're focusing on how to keep an eye on things – specifically, seasonal soil movement – so we can catch foundation problems *before* they become expensive headaches. Think of it like this: you wouldn't let your car go years without an oil change, right? Your foundation deserves the same kind of proactive attention.

The earth breathes, in a way. It expands when wet, shrinks when dry, and this natural dance can put a real strain on your home's foundation. We're talking about subtle shifts, often just fractions of an inch, but over time, these movements can lead to cracks, uneven floors, and doors that stick.

So, what can a homeowner *actually* do? First, become observant. Take a walk around your house a few times a year, especially after heavy rains or long dry spells. Look for new cracks in the foundation, or existing cracks that seem to be getting wider. Pay attention to the ground around your foundation. Is it pulling away from the concrete? Is water pooling near the base of the house? These are red flags.

Next, manage your landscaping. Make sure downspouts are directing water away from the foundation. Avoid planting trees or shrubs too close to the house, as their roots can exacerbate soil movement. Consider adding a French drain or other drainage system if you have persistent moisture problems. Proper grading, ensuring the ground slopes away from your house, is also crucial.

Inside, watch for signs like sticking doors and windows, cracks in walls, and uneven floors. These can be indicators of foundation settlement or movement. Don't ignore them!

Finally, don't be afraid to call in a professional. A structural engineer or foundation specialist can assess your home's foundation and recommend solutions if needed. Early detection and repair can save you a lot of money and stress in the long run. It's all about being a proactive homeowner, paying attention to the subtle clues your house is giving you, and taking steps to protect your investment. Your foundation is the backbone of your home, so let's treat it that way.



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"Chicagoland" redirects here. For other uses, see Chicagoland (disambiguation).

 

Chicago metropolitan area
Conurbation
Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI
Combined Statistical Area
From top, left to right: Chicago skyline from Lakefront Trail at Northerly Island during sunrise, aerial view Evanston, view of Gold Coast, Downtown Naperville, view of Downtown Aurora
Map
Map of Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI CSA
  Chicago–Naperville–Schaumburg, IL
  Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division
  Lake County, IL Metropolitan Division
  Lake County–Porter County–Jasper Cty, IN

Other Statistical Areas in the Chicago CSA

  Kenosha, WI MSA
  Ottawa, IL µSA
  Michigan City–La Porte, IN MSA
  Kankakee, IL MSA

 

Country United StatesStates Illinois
Indiana
WisconsinCore city ChicagoSatellite cities

  •  - Aurora
  •  - Elgin
  •  - Crystal Lake
  •  - Joliet
  •  - Naperville
  •  - Schaumburg
  •  - Waukegan
  •  - Kankakee
  •  - Gary
  •  - Hammond
  •  - Michigan City
  •  - Kenosha

Area

 

 • Metro

 

10,856 sq mi (28,120 km2)Highest elevation

[1]

673 ft (205 m)Lowest elevation

[1]

579 ft (176 m)Population

 

 • Density886/sq mi (342/km2) • Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) (2022)

 

9,441,957[2] (3rd) • Combined Statistical Area (CSA) (2022)

 

9,806,184 [3] (4th)DemonymChicagolanderGDP

[4]

 • Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)$894.862 billion (2023) • Combined Statistical Area (CSA)$919.229 billion (2023)Time zoneUTC−6 (CST) • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)Area codes219, 224/847, 262, 312/872, 331/630, 574, 464/708, 773/872 and 779/815

The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. Encompassing 10,286 square mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hinterland, that span 13 counties across northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. The MSA had a 2020 census population of 9,618,502 and the combined statistical area, which spans 19 counties and additionally extends into southeast Wisconsin, had a population of nearly 10 million people.[5][6] The Chicago area is the third-largest metropolitan area in the United States and the fourth-largest metropolitan area in North America (after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles), and the largest in the Great Lakes megalopolis. Its urban area is one of the 40 largest in the world.

According to the 2020 census, the metropolitan's population is approaching the 10 million mark. The metropolitan area has seen a substantial increase of Latin American residents on top of its already large Latino population, and the Asian American population also increased according to the 2020 Census. The metro area has a large number of White, Black, Latino, Asian, and Arab American residents, and also has Native American residents in the region, making the Chicago metropolitan area population truly diverse. The Chicago metropolitan area represents about 3 percent of the entire US population.

Chicagoland has one of the world's largest and most diversified economies. With more than six million full and part-time employees, the Chicago metropolitan area is a key factor of the Illinois economy, as the state has an annual GDP of over $1 trillion.[7] The Chicago metropolitan area generated an annual gross regional product (GRP) of approximately $700 billion in 2018.[8] The region is home to more than 400 major corporate headquarters, including 31 in the Fortune 500[9] such as McDonald's, United, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. With many companies moving to Chicagoland, and many current companies expanding, the area ranked as the nation's top metropolitan area for corporation relocations and expansions for nine consecutive years, the most consecutive years for any region in the country.[10]

The Chicago area is home to a number of the nation's leading research universities including the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, Loyola University, and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). The University of Chicago and Northwestern University are consistently ranked as two of the best universities in the world.

There are many transportation options around the region. Chicagoland has three separate rail networks; the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and the South Shore Line. The CTA operates elevated and subway lines that run primarily throughout the city, Downtown Chicago, and into some suburbs. The CTA operates some of its rail lines 24 hours a day, every day of the year, nonstop service, making Chicago, New York City, and Copenhagen the only three cities in the world to offer some 24 hour rail service running nonstop, everyday throughout their city limits. The Metra commuter rail network runs numerous lines between Downtown Chicago and suburban/satellite cities, with one line stretching to Kenosha, Wisconsin, which is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The interurban South Shore Line runs between Downtown Chicago and the northwest Indiana portion of the metropolitan area. In addition, Amtrak operates Union Station in Downtown Chicago as one of its largest rail hubs, with numerous lines radiating to and from the station.

CTA bus routes serve the city proper, with some service into the suburbs. Pace bus routes serve the suburbs, with some service into the city. In addition, numerous CTA bus routes operate 24 hours a day, nonstop.

Definitions

[edit]

Chicago Metropolitan statistical area

[edit]
The Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI Combined Statistical Area as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget:
  Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI MSA
  Michigan City–La Porte, IN MSA
  Kankakee, IL MSA
  Ottawa, IL MSA

The Chicago metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950. It comprised the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County in Indiana. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Chicago MSA, now defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the third-largest MSA by population in the United States. The 2022 census estimate for the population of the MSA was 9,441,957.[11]

The Chicago MSA is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. A breakdown of the county constituents and 2021 estimated populations of the four metropolitan divisions of the MSA are as follows:[11]

Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area (9,509,934)

  • Chicago–Naperville–Schaumburg, IL Metropolitan Division (7,159,394)
    • Cook County, Illinois (5,173,146)
    • DuPage County, Illinois (924,885)
    • Grundy County, Illinois (52,989)
    • McHenry County, Illinois (311,122)
    • Will County, Illinois (697,252)
  • Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division (750,869)
    • DeKalb County, Illinois (100,414)
    • Kane County, Illinois (515,588)
    • Kendall County, Illinois (134,867)
  • Lake County, IL Metropolitan Division (711,239)
    • Lake County, Illinois (711,239)
  • Lake County–Porter County–Jasper County, IN Metropolitan Division (719,700)
    • Jasper County, Indiana (33,091)
    • Lake County, Indiana (498,558)
    • Newton County, Indiana (13,808)
    • Porter County, Indiana (174,243)

Combined statistical area

[edit]

The OMB also defines a slightly larger region as a combined statistical area (CSA). The Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI Combined Statistical Area combines the following core-based statistical areas, listed with their 2021 estimated populations. The combined statistical area as a whole had a population of 9,806,184 as of 2022.[11]

  • Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI metropolitan statistical area (9,509,934)
  • Kankakee, IL metropolitan statistical area (106,601)
    • Kankakee County, Illinois (106,601)
  • Michigan City–La Porte, IN metropolitan statistical area (112,390)
    • LaPorte County, Indiana (112,390)
  • Ottawa, IL micropolitan statistical area (147,414)
    • Bureau County, Illinois (32,883)
    • LaSalle County, Illinois (108,965)
    • Putnam County, Illinois (5,566)

United Nations' Chicago urban agglomeration

[edit]

The Chicago urban agglomeration, according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report (2023 revision), lists a population of 8,937,000.[12] The term "urban agglomeration" refers to the population contained within the contours of a contiguous territory inhabited at urban density levels. It usually incorporates the population in a city, plus that in the contiguous urban, or built-up area.

Chicagoland

[edit]
Chicagoland by county and state[13]
A map of Chicagoland in relation to the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana

Chicagoland is an informal name for the Chicago metropolitan area. The term Chicagoland has no official definition, and the region is often considered to include areas beyond the corresponding MSA, as well as portions of the greater CSA.[citation needed]

Colonel Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, usually gets credit for placing the term in common use.[14][15] McCormick's conception of Chicagoland stretched all the way to nearby parts of four states (Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa).[14] The first usage was in the Tribune's July 27, 1926, front page headline, "Chicagoland's Shrines: A Tour of Discoveries", for an article by reporter James O'Donnell Bennett.[16] He stated that Chicagoland comprised everything in a 200-mile (320 km) radius in every direction and reported on many different places in the area. The Tribune was the dominant newspaper in a vast area stretching to the west of the city, and that hinterland was closely tied to the metropolis by rail lines and commercial links.[17]

Today, the Chicago Tribune's usage includes the city of Chicago, the rest of Cook County, eight nearby Illinois counties (Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Will, and Kankakee), and the two Indiana counties of Lake and Porter.[18] Illinois Department of Tourism literature uses Chicagoland for suburbs in Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, and Will counties,[19] treating the city separately. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce defines it as all of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.[20]

In addition, company marketing programs such as Construction Data Company's[21] "Chicago and Vicinity" region and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association's "Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana" advertising campaign are directed at the MSA itself, as well as LaSalle, Winnebago (Rockford), Boone, and Ogle counties in Illinois, in addition to Jasper, Newton, and La Porte counties in Indiana and Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth counties in Wisconsin, and even as far northeast as Berrien County, Michigan. The region is part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis, containing an estimated 54 million people.[citation needed]

Collar counties

[edit]

The term "collar counties" is a colloquialism for the five counties (DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will) of Illinois that border Chicago's Cook County. After Cook County, they are also the next five most populous counties in the state. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, there is no specifically known origin of the phrase, but it has been commonly used among policy makers, urban planners, and in the media. However, it also notes that as growth has spread beyond these counties, it may have lost some of its usefulness.[22]

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

[edit]
Main article: Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is an Illinois state agency responsible for transportation infrastructure, land use, and long-term economic development planning for the areas under its jurisdiction within Illinois.[23] The planning area has a population of over 8 million, which includes the following locations in Illinois:[24]

  • Cook County
  • DuPage County
  • Kane County
  • Kendall County
  • Lake County
  • McHenry County
  • Will County
 
 
Panorama of North Avenue Beach

Geography and environment

[edit]
Further information: Geography of Chicago

The city of Chicago lies in the Chicago Plain, a flat and broad area characterized by little topographical relief. The few low hills are sand ridges. North of the Chicago Plain, steep bluffs and ravines run alongside Lake Michigan.

Along the southern shore of the Chicago Plain, sand dunes run alongside the lake. The tallest dunes reach up to near 200 feet (61 m) and are found in Indiana Dunes National Park. Surrounding the low plain are bands of moraines in the south and west suburbs. These areas are higher and hillier than the Chicago Plain. A continental divide, separating the Mississippi River watershed from that of the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River, runs through the Chicago area.

A 2012 survey of the urban trees and forests in the seven county Illinois section of the Chicago area found that 21% of the land is covered by the tree and shrub canopy, made up of about 157,142,000 trees. The five most common tree species are buckthorn, green ash, boxelder, black cherry, and American elm. These resources perform important functions in carbon storage, water recycling, and energy saving.[25][26]

The Chicago skyline
 
Night aerial view of Chicago and vicinity

Demographics

[edit]
Taken from the ISS on June 23, 2022; downtown Chicago is at the center by the lake.

As of 2022, the metropolitan area had a population of 9,442,159. The population density was 1,312.3 per square mile. The racial makeup was 50.1% Non-Hispanic White, 23.4% were Hispanic, 15.5% were Non-Hispanic African Americans, 7.2% were Asian, 0.1% were Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.4% identified as “some other race,” and 3.2% were non-Hispanic multiracial.[27]

According to 2022 estimates from the American Community Survey, the largest ancestries in the Chicago metro area were Mexican (18%), African (17.7%), German (12.8%), Irish (9.9%), Polish (8%), Italian (5.9%), English (5.2%), Indian (2.7%), Puerto Rican (2.3%), Filipino (1.7%), Swedish (1.5%), and Chinese (1.4%).[28][29][30][31]

The suburbs, surrounded by easily annexed flat ground, have been expanding at a tremendous rate since the early 1960s. Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Naperville are noteworthy for being four of the few boomburbs outside the Sun Belt, West Coast and Mountain States regions, and exurban Kendall County ranked as the fastest-growing county (among counties with a population greater than 10,000) in the United States between the years 2000 and 2007.[32]

Settlement patterns in the Chicago metropolitan area tend to follow those in the city proper: the northern and northwestern suburbs are generally affluent and upper-middle class, while the southern suburbs (sometimes known as Chicago Southland) have somewhat lower median incomes and a cost of living, with the exception being the southwest suburbs which contain many upper-middle class areas. Another exception to this is the West Side, which has a somewhat lower median income, but the western suburbs contain many affluent and upper-middle class areas. According to the 2000 Census, DuPage County as a whole had the highest median household income of any county in the Midwestern United States, although there are individual cities and towns in other surrounding counties in the metro that have even higher median incomes.

According to 2022 estimates from the U.S. Census, poverty rates of the largest counties from least poverty to most are as follows: McHenry 4.0%, Dupage 6.7%, Will 6.9%, Kane 7.8%, Lake 8.0%, and Cook 13.6%.[33] However, Cook County, which contains luxury high rises and expensive houses in sections of the city and expensive houses along the waterfront in the North Shore area, would also have the highest percentage of expensive homes in the region.

In an in-depth historical analysis, Keating (2004, 2005) examined the origins of 233 settlements that by 1900 had become suburbs or city neighborhoods of the Chicago metropolitan area. The settlements began as farm centers (41%), industrial towns (30%), residential railroad suburbs (15%), and recreational/institutional centers (13%). Although relations between the different settlement types were at times contentious, there also was cooperation in such undertakings as the construction of high schools.[citation needed]

Population

[edit]

As the Chicago metropolitan area has grown, more counties have been partly or totally assimilated with the taking of each decennial census.

Census Area Area Type 2020 census 2010 census 2000 census 1990 census 1980 Census 1970 census 1960 census 1950 census
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan 9,618,502 9,461,105 9,098,316 8,065,633 7,869,542 7,612,314 6,794,461 5,495,364
Cook County, Illinois Metropolitan 5,275,541 5,194,675 5,376,741 5,105,067 5,253,655 5,492,369 5,129,725 4,508,792
DeKalb County, Illinois Metropolitan 100,420 105,160 88,969 77,932 74,624 71,654 51,714 40,781
DuPage County, Illinois Metropolitan 932,877 916,924 904,161 781,666 658,835 491,882 313,459 154,599
Grundy County, Illinois Metropolitan 52,533 50,063 37,535 32,337 30,582 26,535 22,350 19,217
Kane County, Illinois Metropolitan 516,522 515,269 404,119 317,471 278,405 251,005 208,246 150,388
Kendall County, Illinois Metropolitan 131,869 114,736 54,544 39,413 37,202 26,374 17,540 12,115
McHenry County, Illinois Metropolitan 310,229 308,760 260,077 183,241 147,897 111,555 84,210 50,656
Will County, Illinois Metropolitan 696,355 677,560 502,266 357,313 324,460 249,498 191,617 134,336
Jasper County, Indiana Metropolitan 32,918 33,478 30,043 24,960 26,138 20,429 18,842 17,031
Lake County, Indiana Metropolitan 498,700 496,005 484,564 475,594 522,965 546,253 513,269 368,152
Newton County, Indiana Metropolitan 13,830 14,244 14,566 13,551 14,844 11,606 11,502 11,006
Porter County, Indiana Metropolitan 173,215 164,343 146,798 128,932 119,816 87,114 60,279 40,076
Lake County, Illinois Metropolitan 714,342 703,462 644,356 516,418 440,372 382,638 293,656 179,097
Kenosha County, Wisconsin Metropolitan 169,151 166,426 149,577 128,181 123,137 117,917 100,615 75,238
Kankakee County, Illinois Combined 107,502 113,449 103,833 96,255 102,926 97,250 92,063 73,524
LaSalle County, Illinois Combined 109,658 113,924 111,509 106,913 112,003 111,409 110,800 100,610
Bureau County, Illinois Combined 33,244 34,978 35,503 35,688 39,114 38,541 37,594 37,711
Putnam County, Illinois Combined 5,637 6,006 6,086 5,730 6,085 5,007 4,570 4,746
LaPorte County, Indiana Combined 112,417 111,467 110,106 107,066 108,632 105,342 95,111 76,808
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI Combined 9,986,960 9,686,021 9,312,255 8,385,397 8,264,490 8,089,421 7,204,198 5,911,816

Counties highlighted in gray were not included in the MSA for that census. The CSA totals in blue are the totals of all the counties listed above, regardless of whether they were included in the Chicago Combined Statistical Area at the time.[34]

Principal municipalities

[edit]

Over 1,000,000 population

[edit]
  • Chicago (2,746,388)

Over 100,000 population

[edit]
  • Aurora, Illinois (180,542)
  • Joliet, Illinois (150,362)
  • Naperville, Illinois (149,540)
  • Elgin, Illinois (114,797)

Over 50,000 population

[edit]
  • Kenosha, Wisconsin (99,986)
  • Waukegan, Illinois (89,321)
  • Cicero, Illinois (85,268)
  • Schaumburg, Illinois (78,723)
  • Evanston, Illinois (78,110)
  • Hammond, Indiana (77,879)
  • Arlington Heights, Illinois (77,676)
  • Bolingbrook, Illinois (73,922)
  • Gary, Indiana (69,093)
  • Palatine, Illinois (67,908)
  • Skokie, Illinois (67,824)
  • Des Plaines, Illinois (60,675)
  • Orland Park, Illinois (58,703)
  • Oak Lawn, Illinois (58,362)
  • Berwyn, Illinois (57,250)
  • Mount Prospect, Illinois (56,852)
  • Tinley Park, Illinois (55,971)
  • Oak Park, Illinois (54,583)
  • Wheaton, Illinois (53,970)
  • Downers Grove, Illinois (50,247)
 
View of Chicago greater metropolitan region and the dense downtown area from the Willis Tower
 
View of Chicago greater metropolitan region and the North branch of the Chicago River from the Willis Tower

Urban areas within

[edit]

Within the boundary of the 16-county Chicago Combined Statistical Area lies the Chicago urban area, as well as 26 smaller urban areas.[35] Some of the urban areas below may partially cross into other statistical areas. Only those situated primarily within the Chicago combined statistical area are listed here.

Urban areas contained within the Chicago combined statistical area as of the 2020 census:
  Urban areas
  Counties in the Chicago MSA
  Counties in the Chicago CSA but not the MSA
Urban area Population
(2020 census)		 Land area
(sq mi)		 Land area
(km2)		 Density
(population / sq mi)		 Density
(population / km2)
Chicago, IL–IN 8,671,746 2,337.89 6,055.09 3,709.2 1,432.1
Round Lake Beach–McHenry–Grayslake, IL–WI 261,835 127.61 330.52 2,051.8 792.2
Kenosha, WI 125,865 56.17 145.48 2,240.8 865.2
Michigan City–La Porte, IN–MI 71,367 49.16 127.32 1,451.7 560.5
Kankakee, IL 66,530 31.66 82.00 2,101.4 811.3
DeKalb, IL 64,736 25.63 66.39 2,525.6 975.1
Valparaiso–Shorewood Forest, IN 51,867 33.64 87.12 1,542.0 595.4
Peru–LaSalle, IL 29,763 21.45 55.56 1,387.4 535.7
Woodstock, IL 25,298 9.31 24.10 2,718.7 1,049.7
Ottawa, IL 20,122 9.99 25.87 2,014.2 777.7
Streator, IL 16,209 8.12 21.04 1,995.3 770.4
Coal City–Braidwood, IL 15,837 10.29 26.65 1,539.4 594.4
Morris, IL 15,740 8.64 22.37 1,822.2 703.5
Lowell, IN 10,747 5.28 13.66 2,037.2 786.6
Manteno, IL 10,437 6.01 15.56 1,736.8 670.6
Harvard, IL 9,376 4.36 11.30 2,148.7 829.6
Princeton, IL 7,979 6.20 16.06 1,287.1 497.0
Marengo, IL 7,509 3.81 9.86 1,971.5 761.2
Lake Holiday, IL 7,313 4.30 11.14 1,700.5 656.6
Mendota, IL 6,918 2.85 7.38 2,426.2 936.8
Wilmington, IL 6,388 3.95 10.23 1,617.3 624.5
McHenry Northwest–Wonder Lake, IL 5,758 2.35 6.08 2,453.6 947.4
Hampshire, IL 5,699 2.72 7.06 2,091.4 807.5
Rensselaer, IN 5,509 3.23 8.37 1,703.9 657.9
Genoa, IL 5,484 2.20 5.69 2,498.0 964.5
Westville, IN 5,189 2.10 5.45 2,466.0 952.1
Marseilles, IL 4,660 2.39 6.19 1,948.4 752.3

Economy

[edit]
Westward view from the Willis Tower in Chicago
Main article: Economy of Chicago
See also: List of companies in the Chicago metropolitan area, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and Economy of Illinois

The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the corporate headquarters of 57 Fortune 1000 companies, including AbbVie Inc., Allstate, Kraft Heinz, McDonald's, Mondelez International, Motorola, United Airlines, Walgreens, and more. The Chicago area also headquarters a wide variety of global financial institutions including Citadel LLC, Discover Financial Services, Morningstar, Inc., CNA Financial, and more. Chicago is home to the largest futures exchange in the world, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In March 2008, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange announced its acquisition of NYMEX Holdings Inc, the parent company of the New York Mercantile Exchange and Commodity Exchange. CME'S acquisition of NYMEX was completed in August 2008.

A key piece of infrastructure for several generations was the Union Stock Yards of Chicago, which from 1865 until 1971 penned and slaughtered millions of cattle and hogs into standardized cuts of beef and pork. This prompted poet Carl Sandburg to describe Chicago as the "Hog Butcher for the World".[36]

The Chicago area, meanwhile, began to produce significant quantities of telecommunications gear, electronics, steel, crude oil derivatives, automobiles, and industrial capital goods.

By the early 2000s, Illinois' economy had moved toward a dependence on high-value-added services, such as financial trading, higher education, logistics, and health care. In some cases, these services clustered around institutions that hearkened back to Illinois's earlier economies. For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a trading exchange for global derivatives, had begun its life as an agricultural futures market.

In 2007, the area ranked first among U.S. metro areas in the number of new and expanded corporate facilities.[37] It ranked third in 2008, behind the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown and Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan areas,[38] and ranked second behind the New York metropolitan area in 2009.[39]

The Wall Street Journal summarized the Chicago area's economy in November 2006 with the comment that "Chicago has survived by repeatedly reinventing itself."[40]

Transportation

[edit]
O'Hare Airport
Chicago 'L' in the Loop
Metra surface rail
The Eisenhower Expressway with the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line tracks and the non-revenue ramp that leads to the Pink Line
Main articles: Transportation in Chicago and Roads and freeways in Chicago

Major airports

[edit]
  • Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
  • Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
  • Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) (located in the adjacent Milwaukee metropolitan area)
  • Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) (located in the adjacent Rockford metropolitan area)
  • Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY)

Commercial ports

[edit]
  • Port of Chicago
  • Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor

Transit systems

[edit]

Commercial freight

[edit]

Chicago has been at the center of the United States' railroad network since the 19th century. Almost all Class I railroads serve the area, the most in North America.[41]

Passenger

[edit]
  • Chicago Transit Authority trains, locally referred to as "the 'L' ", (after "elevated train") serving Chicago and the near suburbs
  • Pace Suburban Bus operates suburban bus and regional vanpool, paratransit, and ride-matching services in the Chicagoland region.
  • Metra run by the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation:
    • 4 lines serving southern Cook County and Will County
    • 3 lines serving western Cook County, DuPage County, and Kane County
    • 2 lines serving northern Cook County and Lake County
    • 1 line serving northern Cook County, Lake County, and Kenosha County
    • 1 line serving northwestern Cook County and McHenry County
  • South Shore Line shares the Metra Electric Line in Illinois and connects Chicago to Gary, Michigan City, and ending at South Bend.
  • Amtrak operates Union Station which is the major Amtrak passenger rail hub with connections to Metra and the within a few blocks of connections to several 'L' lines. Amtrak also operates a connecting station out of Joliet.

Major highways

[edit]

Interstates

[edit]
  • Interstate 41 (I-41) runs concurrently with Interstate 94 from the northern terminus of the Tri-State Tollway to Milwaukee.
  • Interstate 55 (I-55) is the Adlai Stevenson Expy.
  • I-355 is the Veterans Memorial Tollway (formerly North-South Tollway).
  • I-57 is unofficially the "West Leg" of the Dan Ryan Expy.
  • I-65 has no name, whether official or unofficial.
  • I-80 is officially called the Borman Expy (cosigned with I-94), Kingery Expy (cosigned with I-94 for 3 miles), Tri-State Tollway (cosigned with I-294 for 4 miles) and is unofficially called the Moline Expy west of I-294.
  • I-88 is the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (formerly East-West Tollway)
  • I-90 is locally known as Jane Addams Tollway (formerly Northwest Tollway), John F. Kennedy Expy (cosigned with I-94), Dan Ryan Expy (cosigned with I-94), and Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge.
  • I-94 is Tri-State Tollway in Lake County, Edens Spur, Edens Expy, John F. Kennedy Expy (cosigned with I-90), Dan Ryan Expy (cosigned with I-90), Bishop Ford Frwy (formerly Calumet Expy), Kingery Expy (cosigned with I-80) and Borman Expy (cosigned with I-80).
  • I-190 is the John F. Kennedy Expy spur heading into Chicago-O'Hare Int'l Airport.
  • I-290 is the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expy.
  • I-294 is the Tri-State Tollway.

Other main highways

[edit]
  • US Routes in the Illinois part of the area include: US 6, US 12, US 14, US 20, US 30, US 34, US 41, US 45, and US 52.
  • Illinois Route 53, an arterial north–south state highway running through Grundy, Will, DuPage, Cook and Lake counties
  • Historic US Route 66's eastern terminus is in Chicago.

Major corridors

[edit]

In addition to the Chicago Loop, the metro area is home to a few important subregional corridors of commercial activities. Among them are:

  • Illinois Technology and Research Corridor, along the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88)
  • Golden Corridor, along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (Interstate 90)
  • Lakeshore Corridor, along the Edens Expressway and Tri-State Tollway

Culture

[edit]

Sports

[edit]
Main article: Sports in Chicago

Listing of the professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area

Major league professional teams:

  • Major League Baseball (MLB)
    • Chicago Cubs
    • Chicago White Sox
  • National Football League (NFL)
    • Chicago Bears
  • National Basketball Association (NBA)
    • Chicago Bulls
  • National Hockey League (NHL)
    • Chicago Blackhawks
  • Major League Soccer (MLS)
    • Chicago Fire FC

Other professional teams:

  • Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
    • Chicago Sky
  • National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
    • Chicago Stars FC
  • American Association of Professional Baseball (AA)
    • Chicago Dogs
    • Kane County Cougars
    • Gary SouthShore RailCats
  • American Hockey League (AHL)
    • Chicago Wolves
  • NBA G League (NBAGL)
    • Windy City Bulls
  • Major League Rugby (MLR)
    • Chicago Hounds

The Chicagoland Speedway oval track has hosted NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar Series races. The Chicago Marathon is one of the World Marathon Majors. The Western Open and BMW Championship are PGA Tour tournaments that have been held primarily at golf courses near Chicago.

NCAA Division I College Sports Teams:

  • Atlantic 10 Conference
    • Loyola University Chicago Ramblers
  • Big East Conference
    • DePaul University Blue Demons
  • Big Ten Conference
    • Northwestern University Wildcats (Evanston)
  • Mid-American Conference
    • Northern Illinois University Huskies (DeKalb)
  • Missouri Valley Conference
    • University of Illinois Chicago Flames
    • Valparaiso University Beacons (Valparaiso, IN)
  • Northeast Conference
    • Chicago State University Cougars

Cuisine

[edit]
Further information: Chicago § Cuisine
  • Chicago-style hot dog
  • Chicago-style pizza
  • Italian beef
  • Caramel popcorn

Media

[edit]
Main article: Media in Chicago

The two main newspapers are the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. Local television channels broadcasting to the Chicago market include WBBM-TV 2 (CBS), WMAQ-TV 5 (NBC), WLS-TV 7 (ABC), WGN-TV 9 (Ind), WTTW 11 (PBS), MeTV 23, WCIU 26 (CW), WFLD 32 (FOX), WCPX-TV 38 (Ion), WSNS-TV 44 (Telemundo), WPWR-TV 50 (MyNetworkTV), and WJYS-TV 62 (The Way). Radio stations serving the area include: WBBM (AM), WBEZ, WGN (AM), WMBI, WLS (AM), and WSCR.

Education

[edit]
Further information: List of school districts in Illinois, List of school districts in Indiana, and List of colleges and universities in Chicago
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago

Elementary and secondary education within the Chicago metropolitan area is provided by dozens of different school districts, of which by far the largest is the Chicago Public Schools with 400,000 students.[42] Numerous private and religious school systems are also found in the region, as well as a growing number of charter schools. Racial inequalities in education in the region remain widespread, often breaking along district boundaries;[43] for instance, educational prospects vary widely for students in the Chicago Public Schools compared to those in some neighboring suburban schools.[44]

Historically, the Chicago metropolitan area has been at the center of a number of national educational movements, from the free-flowing Winnetka Plan to the regimented Taylorism of the Gary Plan.[45] In higher education, University of Chicago founder William Rainey Harper was a leading early advocate of the junior college movement; Joliet Junior College is the nation's oldest continuously operating junior college today.[46] Later U of C president Robert Maynard Hutchins was central to the Great Books movement, and programs of dialogic education arising from that legacy can be found today at the U of C, at Shimer College,[47] and in the City Colleges of Chicago and Oakton College in the Northwest suburbs.[48]

Area codes

[edit]
Main article: List of Illinois area codes

From 1947 until 1988, the Illinois portion of the Chicago metro area was served by a single area code, 312, which abutted the 815 area code. In 1988 the 708 area code was introduced and the 312 area code became exclusive to the city of Chicago.

It became common to call suburbanites "708'ers", in reference to their area code.

The 708 area code was partitioned in 1996 into three area codes, serving different portions of the metro area: 630, 708, and 847.

At the same time that the 708 area code was running out of phone numbers, the 312 area code in Chicago was also exhausting its supply of available numbers. As a result, the city of Chicago was divided into two area codes, 312 and 773. Rather than divide the city by a north–south area code, the central business district retained the 312 area code, while the remainder of the city took the new 773 code.

In 2002, the 847 area code was supplemented with the overlay area code 224. In February 2007, the 815 area code (serving outlying portions of the metro area) was supplemented with the overlay area code 779. In October 2007, the overlay area code 331 was implemented to supplement the 630 area with additional numbers.

Plans are in place for overlay codes in the 708, 773, and 312 regions as those area codes become exhausted in the future.

  • 312 Chicago - City (The Loop and central neighborhoods, e.g. the Near North Side)
  • 773 Chicago - City (Everywhere else within the city limits, excluding central area)
  • 872 Chicago - City (overlay for 312 & 773, effective November 7, 2009)
  • 847/224 (North and Northwest Suburbs)
  • 630/331 (Outer Western Suburbs)
  • 708 (South and Near West Suburbs)
  • 815/779 (Rockford & Joliet: Far Northwest/Southwest Suburbs)
  • 219 (Northwest Indiana)
  • 574 (North-central Indiana)
  • 262 (Southeast Wisconsin surrounding Milwaukee County)

Proposed overlays

[edit]
  • 464 overlay for 708 (January 21, 2022, rollout)

See also

[edit]
  • Index of Illinois-related articles

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Elevations of the 50 Largest Cities". U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2016. Chicago city proper only
  2. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. August 12, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "USA: Combined Metropolitan Areas". CityPopulation.de. August 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (MSA)". Federal Reserve Economic Data. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
  5. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Combined Statistical Areas in the United States and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 (CSA-EST2019-ANNRES)". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 (CBSA-MET-EST2019-ANNRES)". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  7. ^ "CAEMP25N Total Full-Time and Part-Time Employment by NAICS Industry 1/ 2018". Bureau of Economic Analysis. November 14, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  8. ^ "CAGDP1 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) summary by county and metropolitan area 2018". Bureau of Economic Analysis. December 12, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  9. ^ "Economy". Worldbusinesschicago.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  10. ^ "Chicago Named Nation's Top Metro Area for Corporate Relocation For the Sixth Straight Year". World Business Chicago. March 25, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2021". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  12. ^ "The World's Cities in 2018" (PDF). United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  13. ^ As defined by Construction Data Company.
  14. ^ a b Fuller, Jack (2005). "Chicagoland". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  15. ^ "The Press: The Colonel's Century". TIME. June 9, 1947. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  16. ^ O'Donnell Bennett, James (July 27, 1926). "Chicagoland's Shrines: A Tour of Discoveries". Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963). Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  17. ^ Cronon (1992); Keating (2005); Keating (2004)
  18. ^ "Classifieds map of Chicagoland". Chicagotribune.com. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  19. ^ [1] Archived November 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "About Chicagoland". Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  21. ^ "Bidtool Coverage area: Chicago, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Kentucky project leads". Bidtool.net. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  22. ^ Mariner, Richard D. (July 10, 2018). "Collar Counties". The Electrictronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago, IL: Chicago Historical Society (2005), Newberry Library (2004).
  23. ^ "Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning". Chicagoareaplanning.org. Archived from the original on August 12, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  24. ^ "About - CMAP". Cmap.illinois.gov. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  25. ^ Nowak, David J.; Hoehn, Robert E. III; Bodine, Allison R.; Crane, Daniel E.; Dwyer, John F.; Bonnewell, Veta; Watson, Gary. (September 17, 2013). "Urban trees and forests of the Chicago region". Nrs.fs.fed.us. doi:10.2737/NRS-RB-84. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  26. ^ "Regional Tree Census | The Morton Arboretum". Mortonarb.org. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  27. ^ "Grid View: Table B03002 - Census Reporter". censusreporter.org. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  28. ^ "Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter". censusreporter.org. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  29. ^ "Grid View: Table B02018 - Census Reporter". censusreporter.org. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  30. ^ "Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter". censusreporter.org. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  31. ^ "Grid View: Table B02009 - Census Reporter". censusreporter.org. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  32. ^ "Kendall County is fastest growing in the nation". Daily Herald. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  33. ^ "Census profile: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area". Census Reporter. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  34. ^ "Historical Metropolitan Area Definitions". Census.gov. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  35. ^ "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  36. ^ Carl Sandburg. "Chicago". Poetry: A Magazine of Verse, vol. 3, no. 6 (March 1914):191-192.
  37. ^ RON STARNER. "TOP METROS OF 2007 - Site Selection magazine, March 2008". Siteselection.com. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  38. ^ RON STARNER (March 9, 2009). "TOP METROS OF 2008 - Site Selection magazine, March 2009". Siteselection.com. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  39. ^ "TOP METROS OF 2009 - Site Selection Magazine, March 2010". Siteselection.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  40. ^ Brat, Ilan (November 8, 2006). "Tale of a Warehouse Shows How Chicago Weathers a Decline". The Wall Street Journal. p. A1. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  41. ^ "Chicago Highlighted as the US Railroad Capital by Trains Magazine". WTTW. February 23, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  42. ^ "About CPS". Chicago Public Schools. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  43. ^ Moore, Natalie (November 12, 2014). "Why so few white kids land in CPS — and why it matters". WBEZ. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  44. ^ Bogira, Steve (October 17, 2012). "Two students, two high schools, two divergent paths to college". Chicago Reader.
  45. ^ Thiede, Robert. "Gary Plan". Britannica.com. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  46. ^ Sydow, Debbie; Alfred, Richard (2012). Re-visioning Community Colleges: Positioning for Innovation. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 13. ISBN 978-1442214880.
  47. ^ Ronson, Jon (December 6, 2014). "Shimer College: The Worst School in America?". The Guardian.
  48. ^ "Great Books program". Oakton Community College. Retrieved January 26, 2015.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Fischer, Paul B. (July 28, 1993). Racial and Locational Patterns of Subsidized Housing in the Chicago Suburbs: A Report to the MacArthur Foundation (Archive). Lake Forest, Ill.: Lake Forest College. Report to the MacArthur Foundation.
  • Lewinnek, Elaine (2014). The Working Man's Reward: Chicago's Early Suburbs and the Roots of American Sprawl. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[edit]
Chicago metropolitan area at Wikipedia's sister projects
  • Definitions from Wiktionary
  • Media from Commons
  • Travel information from Wikivoyage
  • Data from Wikidata
  • Encyclopedia of Chicago (2004), comprehensive coverage of city and suburbs, past and present
  • U.S. Census Urbanized Area Outline Map (2000)
  • Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area (2012) map
  • Illinois CBSAs and Counties (2013) map
  • U.S. Census Bureau Chicago city, Illinois QuickFacts
  • Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas
  • About Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas
  • History of Metropolitan Areas
  • Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2010–2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

For the 1990s sitcom, see Home Improvement (TV series). For other uses, see Home improvement (disambiguation).
Merchandise on display in a hardware store
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The concept of home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home.[1] Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), exterior (masonry, concrete, siding, roofing) or other improvements to the property (i.e. garden work or garage maintenance/additions). Home improvement projects can be carried out for a number of different reasons; personal preference and comfort, maintenance or repair work, making a home bigger by adding rooms/spaces, as a means of saving energy, or to improve safety.[2]

Types of home improvement

[edit]
Man painting a fence

While "home improvement" often refers to building projects that alter the structure of an existing home, it can also include improvements to lawns, gardens, and outdoor structures, such as gazebos and garages. It also encompasses maintenance, repair, and general servicing tasks. Home improvement projects generally have one or more of the following goals:[citation needed]

Comfort

[edit]
  • Upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC).
  • Upgrading rooms with luxuries, such as adding gourmet features to a kitchen or a hot tub spa to a bathroom.
  • Increasing the capacity of plumbing and electrical systems.
  • Waterproofing basements.
  • Soundproofing rooms, especially bedrooms and baths.

Maintenance and repair

[edit]

Maintenance projects can include:

  • Roof tear-off and replacement.
  • Replacement or new construction windows.
  • Concrete and masonry repairs to the foundation and chimney.
  • Repainting rooms, walls or fences
  • Repairing plumbing and electrical systems
  • Wallpapering
  • Furniture polishing
  • Plumbing, home interior and exterior works
  • Shower maintenance

Additional space

[edit]

Additional living space may be added by:

  • Turning marginal areas into livable spaces such as turning basements into recrooms, home theaters, or home offices – or attics into spare bedrooms.
  • Extending one's house with rooms added to the side of one's home or, sometimes, extra levels to the original roof. Such a new unit of construction is called an "add-on".[3]

Saving energy

[edit]

Homeowners may reduce utility costs with:

  • Energy-efficient thermal insulation, replacement windows, and lighting.
  • Renewable energy with biomass pellet stoves, wood-burning stoves, solar panels, wind turbines, programmable thermostats,[4] and geothermal exchange heat pumps (see autonomous building).

Safety, emergency management, security and privacy

[edit]

The need to be safer or for better privacy or emergency management can be fulfilled with diversified measures which can be improved, maintained or added. Secret compartments and passages can also be conceived for privacy and security.

  • Interventions for fire protection and avoidance. Possible examples are fire sprinkler systems for automatic fire suppression, smoke detectors for fire detection, fire alarm systems, or passive fire protection (including some wildfire management strategies).
  • Technical solutions to increase protection from natural disasters, or geotechnical and structural safety (e.g. hurricane or seismic retrofit).
  • Interventions and additions to increase home safety from other hazards, like falls, electric injuries, gas leaks or home exposure to environmental health concerns.
  • Physical security measures:
    • Access control systems and physical barriers, which can include fences, physical door and window security measures (e.g. grilles, laminated glass, window shutters), locks;
    • Security lighting, security alarms and video surveillance.
  • Safes and vaults.
  • Spaces for emergency evacuation, like emergency exits and rarer escape tunnels.
  • Spaces which provide protection in the event of different emergencies: areas of refuge, storm cellars (as protection from tornadoes and other kinds of severe weather), panic rooms, bunkers and bomb shelters (including fallout shelters), etc.
  • Home renovations or additions used to increase privacy can be as simple as curtains or much more advanced, such as some structural surveillance counter-measures. They may overlap with physical security measures.
  • Public utility outage preparedness, like backup generators for providing power during power outages .

Home improvement industry

[edit]
Screws and bolts in an OBI home improvement store in Poland
Further information: Hardware store

Home or residential renovation is an almost $300 billion industry in the United States,[5] and a $48 billion industry in Canada.[6][full citation needed] The average cost per project is $3,000 in the United States and $11,000–15,000 in Canada.

Professional home improvement is ancient and goes back to the beginning of recorded civilization. One example is Sergius Orata, who in the 1st century B.C. is said by the writer Vitruvius (in his famous book De architectura) to have invented the hypocaust. The hypocaust is an underfloor heating system that was used throughout the Roman Empire in villas of the wealthy. He is said to have become wealthy himself by buying villas at a low price, adding spas and his newly invented hypocaust, and reselling them at higher prices.[7]

Renovation contractors

[edit]

Perhaps the most important or visible professionals in the renovation industry are renovation contractors or skilled trades. These are the builders that have specialized credentials, licensing and experience to perform renovation services in specific municipalities.

While there is a fairly large "grey market" of unlicensed companies, there are those that have membership in a reputable association and/or are accredited by a professional organization. Homeowners are recommended to perform checks such as verifying license and insurance and checking business references prior to hiring a contractor to work on their house.

Because interior renovation will touch the change of the internal structure of the house, ceiling construction, circuit configuration and partition walls, etc., such work related to the structure of the house, of course, also includes renovation of wallpaper posting, furniture settings, lighting, etc.

Aggregators

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Aggregators are companies that bundle home improvement service offers and act as intermediary agency between service providers and customers.

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Home improvement was popularized on television in 1979 with the premiere of This Old House starring Bob Vila on PBS. American cable channel HGTV features many do-it-yourself shows, as does sister channel DIY Network.[8] Danny Lipford hosts and produces the nationally syndicated Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford. Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete co-host the nationally syndicated The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show.

Movies that poked fun at the difficulties involved include: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy; George Washington Slept Here (1942), featuring Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan; and The Money Pit (1986), with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. The sitcom Home Improvement used the home improvement theme for comedic purposes.

See also

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  • Home repair
  • Housekeeping
  • Maintenance, repair and operations

References

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  1. ^ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/home-improvement
  2. ^ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/home-improvements
  3. ^ "Add-on". English Oxford Living Dictionary (US). Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  4. ^ Use a Programmable Thermostat, Common Sense, to Reduce Energy Bills Archived July 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Brett Freeman, oldhouseweb.com
  5. ^ "Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2007" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  6. ^ "Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation - Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement". Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  7. ^ "Canada Homeowners Community - Example of Low-Cost Advices used by Canadian Homeowners (Community) for Home Improvement that boost the sale of your Home". Canada Homeowners Community. January 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Cerone, Daniel (September 17, 1991). "Tim Allen's Power Tools : Television: The comic who had Disney and cable executives abuzz parlayed his luck to develop 'Home Improvement". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.

Further reading

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  • Richard Harris, Building a Market: The Rise of the Home Improvement Industry, 1914-1960. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2012.
  • Michael W. Litchfield (2012). Chip Harley (ed.). Renovation (4th, Completely revised and updated. ed.). Newtown, Conn.: Taunton Press, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1600854927.
[edit]
  • Media related to Home improvement at Wikimedia Commons
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Kitchen Remodel

 

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Reviews for

Jeffery James

(5)

Very happy with my experience. They were prompt and followed through, and very helpful in fixing the crack in my foundation.

Sarah McNeily

(5)

USS was excellent. They are honest, straightforward, trustworthy, and conscientious. They thoughtfully removed the flowers and flower bulbs to dig where they needed in the yard, replanted said flowers and spread the extra dirt to fill in an area of the yard. We've had other services from different companies and our yard was really a mess after. They kept the job site meticulously clean. The crew was on time and friendly. I'd recommend them any day! Thanks to Jessie and crew.

Jim de Leon

(5)

It was a pleasure to work with Rick and his crew. From the beginning, Rick listened to my concerns and what I wished to accomplish. Out of the 6 contractors that quoted the project, Rick seemed the MOST willing to accommodate my wishes. His pricing was definitely more than fair as well. I had 10 push piers installed to stabilize and lift an addition of my house. The project commenced at the date that Rick had disclosed initially and it was completed within the same time period expected (based on Rick's original assessment). The crew was well informed, courteous, and hard working. They were not loud (even while equipment was being utilized) and were well spoken. My neighbors were very impressed on how polite they were when they entered / exited my property (saying hello or good morning each day when they crossed paths). You can tell they care about the customer concerns. They ensured that the property would be put back as clean as possible by placing MANY sheets of plywood down prior to excavating. They compacted the dirt back in the holes extremely well to avoid large stock piles of soils. All the while, the main office was calling me to discuss updates and expectations of completion. They provided waivers of lien, certificates of insurance, properly acquired permits, and JULIE locates. From a construction background, I can tell you that I did not see any flaws in the way they operated and this an extremely professional company. The pictures attached show the push piers added to the foundation (pictures 1, 2 & 3), the amount of excavation (picture 4), and the restoration after dirt was placed back in the pits and compacted (pictures 5, 6 & 7). Please notice that they also sealed two large cracks and steel plated these cracks from expanding further (which you can see under my sliding glass door). I, as well as my wife, are extremely happy that we chose United Structural Systems for our contractor. I would happily tell any of my friends and family to use this contractor should the opportunity arise!

Chris Abplanalp

(5)

USS did an amazing job on my underpinning on my house, they were also very courteous to the proximity of my property line next to my neighbor. They kept things in order with all the dirt/mud they had to excavate. They were done exactly in the timeframe they indicated, and the contract was very details oriented with drawings of what would be done. Only thing that would have been nice, is they left my concrete a little muddy with boot prints but again, all-in-all a great job

Dave Kari

(5)

What a fantastic experience! Owner Rick Thomas is a trustworthy professional. Nick and the crew are hard working, knowledgeable and experienced. I interviewed every company in the area, big and small. A homeowner never wants to hear that they have foundation issues. Out of every company, I trusted USS the most, and it paid off in the end. Highly recommend.

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