Chicago's Geography Advantage 

This video's primary source is the wonderful book "Nature's Metropolis" by William Cronon. You can grab the book here (not an affiliate link): www.amazon.com/Natures-Metropolis-Chicago-Great-West/dp/0393308731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534132675&sr=8-1&keywords=nature%27s+metropolis

No one in Chicago looks at St. Louis as a competitor

Unbelievable how young United States cities are, and yet so big.

Wendover Productions' got Geography problems. You've got Geography answers. Boom. Great to collaborate with you on this one!

Chicago and St Louis do NOT compete on pizza. That is Chicago and New York.

As a St. Louisan, I really appreciate you mentioning us in a non negative light.

Because they have the best flag out of all of them.

Chicago is so huge and has world class museums, shopping, theater, Finance and the worlds best and tallest architecture and parks, beaches, Public transit, best food, friendliest people and the city is so clean! And the world best downtown area and endless incredible neighborhoods, and the breathtaking River walk!

Chicago is a prime example of the American "can do" spirit. It was founded in 1845, by 1865 they'd actually jacked the entire downtown up by 8-20', finishing right before it all burned down and they rebuilt it again. Not to mention, they just turned the river around when they realized their sewage was making the lake stinky. How many cities have just said "oh, we'll just turn the river around?" One reason why the city burned down so bad was that when the jacked up all the big buildings they also raised the roads and sidewalks, which they made out of wood. Wooden streets, wooden sidewalks, wooden buildings... it was a tinderbox. The other thing to note about the railroads, you can't take a railroad across Lake Michigan. So any of the raw materials such as Lumber, Iron Ore, or Granite coming out of places like Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, or Minnesota, or even parts of Canada, would *have* to be routed around the tip of Lake Michigan, IE... Chicago. Speaking of Iron ore, right next door is a massive amount of sand dunes, the perfect kind of sand for both making glass and sand-casting iron. When you cast iron, you've gotta pour it into something, that's usually sand. That's why Gary was so huge, sitting on a sandpit right were all the Iron was being routed from Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. The lumber was grand while it lasted too... Most of Northern Illinois and Central / Southern Wisconsin wasn't prairie, but Oak Savannah. Millions of Oak trees, many of them over 200 years old were just covering the land when it was settled.

I've never heard of St. Louis pizza...

Chicago is a city with so much potential

Birthplace of House Music, Best Deep Dish Pizza, 90's Smooth Jazz Stations, Cold Winters Hot Summers, Diverse City, Clean, Public Transportation, Lakes, Beaches, Best Architecture in the Northwest, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Art Institute and it's Lions in the Entrance, The Sears Tower, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears, Great Nightclubs (Soundbar Best Sound system in North America) the list goes on and on.

I spent most of my twenties and thirties in Chicago. I loved it. Of course I had a full head of hair to keep me warm then...

Chicago is the capital of the midwest ...like California rules the west and New york the East .

I always wonder why Chicago grew into a huge metro city. I searched the web for answers nothing help, but this video answered all my questions! Great vid

At the time of the civil war, both st Louis and Cincinnati were larger than Chicago. Because those cities were close to the front lines and relied on riverboat traffic, their local economies were disrupted while Chicago, situated far north of the front lines, continued to boom. The population of Chicago surpassed Cincinnati by 1870 and st Louis by 1880 leaving it as the largest city in the Midwest.

Chicago is a well equipped metropolis with great infrastructure.

Chicago is nice as a city and a lot of parts are especially clean if you compare it to other major cities but the winters are just brutal and cold. If you're young maybe its fine but as you get old that cold breaks your bones..

That is an incredible act of kindness on the part of the neighbouring cities. I hope Chicago remembers that every once in a while.

Chicago is really a beautiful city.

Chicago is unique on every level. It may have its problems, But the food, The architect and the people are very genuine!

Lol I've never left O'hare International Airport on time. Greatest delay: 2 and a half days. Like you said, it's a tradition. Wonderful video, City Beautiful!

Let's not forget the SOX and our other sport teams. It's simply a BEAUTIFUL city. My home ♥️

All of my favorite RU-vidrs are collaborating

Okay, that sponsorship transition was amazingly smooth!

I've lived in Austin, Texas for the last 33 years......but I was born ans raised in Chicago. Back of the Yards and then my teen years in Oak Lawn. I will always be proud of my Chicago heritage. I live in Texas, I'm FROM Chicago. But....it's been so long I'm a tourist when I go there now.

I currently started playing Cities Skylines on Steam and am just REALLY into city planning now... this is friggin' interesting!

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As a Buffalo resident, I kinda look up to Chicago as a big brother city. It's much more culturally similar to my town than that other city in this state.

"Ms. O'Leary's cow kicked that lantern over..." Allegedly!!!

Every time I want to go to New York City I wind up going to Chicago. Best big city in America!! It’s so beautiful seeing that skyline on Lake Michigan!

Just came back after spending Christmas with our daughter and we were Bkessef with 61 degrees. 3 weeks prior it was 11 degrees. We had a great time, really love this city.

Let's not forget that Jean Baptise Point DuSable first settler in Chicago Haitian descent

My favourite city!!! In a way - the rebuilding of Chicago after the fire kind of created opportunities for innovation in new building technology, as well as open canvases for new aesthetic styles. So, maybe that's also a contributing factor to Chicago's rise to prominence in the late 19th/early 20th century.

Chicago, my home town for 30 years, and the San Francisco Bay Area, my career town for 10 years, are the BEST, most interesting, people, food, sight seeing, museums, cultural events, sports, restaurants, etc. in all USA Cities. Very unique neighborhoods. I have been very lucky where I lived my life.

Love seeing videos about my home

Thanks for the quality content man. You deserve more attention...

Love your videos it has sparked my interest even more into cities

I'm from Chicago and it's an awesome city with lots of history! I feel lucky to live there. The cow kicking over the lantern is a legend by the way, it is unknown to this day what exactly happened in the O'leary's barn.

I live in Pittsburgh. It is a great city, at the confluence of the three rivers. You can go from Pittsburgh to Minneapolis to New Orleans on the rivers. But you are right it is not far west enough. Plus the geography is very hilly. It is extra tough to build roads and things in Pittsburgh than it is in other cities that are flat.

whoa new video, keep interesting topics to discuss!

I absolutely love this video, and would greatly appreciate more geographic explanations for city growth.

Hello my friend, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! I have never thanked you yet, but tla thousand thanks for your illustrative, creative and informative videos ! Keep up the good work! Regards from Portugal!

This was a beautiful video my grandfather on my mom's side grew up in Englewood in the 1920s, and my other grandfather was a homicide detective for the Chicago Police Department. I love Chicago with all my heart.

I love your videos, man. Well produced and well researched. Love it. Could you do something on Seattle, Spokane, or Missoula at some point in the future?

I remember reading about the "White City" and I couldn't believe such a magnificent area was built then mostly torn down (sadly). I still look at the Museum of Science and Industry, the Art Institute, and the smaller golden statue and smile just thinking of what it was. Anyways, great video as usual and I look forward to a video on the city beautiful movement you make it!

Your channel is awesome!

This has to be one of the most fascinating RU-vid channels out there! Keep up the great work

What about when Chicago lifted itself on stilts? The roads that have some lanes travel underneath others?

FYI, Chicago actually used the port of NY via the Erie canal as it's primary shipping route to the ocean until the rise of the shipping container. Then the canal became obsolete for most large freight ships, and Midwestern industry slowed to a grinding hault. Projects to widen the canal, as well as partnering with Canada to widen the St. Lawrence seaway (having the same effect) were shot down by legislators from West coast/Gulf coast. Have you done a video on the Erie Canal? It produced a ton of interesting, planned industrial cities in upstate New York that are full of stunning architecture. Edit: Your video depicted Chicago using the St. Lawrence seaway, which is neat, because that's how the French initially reached Chicago. But after the French and Indian war (please forgive my lack of knowledge of a better name for this conflict) the Great Lakeshore was divided, giving French Canada total control of the ocean access. New York built the Erie canal to reach the Great Lakes at Buffalo to edge Boston and Baltimore out for top port on the East coast. Baltimore actually responded by building the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) railroad, first in the United States. Sorry this is so rambling, it's late. I hope you get a chance to read it all! Source:History Major with a concentration in the America's (I focused on the industrial Great Lakeshore)

One note: It wasn't the mouth of the Illinois River, it was the Chicago River. The Illinois is to the southwest of the city and the canal connected the Chicago River to the Illinois.

this videos are really fun, keep them coming!

Are you still in Chicago? Air and water show tommorow! woot woot

Love Chicago, and love this video

I really enjoy all of your videos. You inspire me to learn more.

Love this channel. Keep up the great work!

Very great video! As for someone from europe I dont know much about american cities. This really helped me understand about chicago. I really liked the part where you went outside and film a bit on the airport, so do more of that! Cheers from holland.

I noticed that you made a slight mistake with regards to the rivers around Chicago. The mouth of the Chicago river used to flow into Lake Michigan, and during the wet season, one could make portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi river basin via the wetland without having to exit his boat. The Illinois river's head isn't for another 60 miles to the southwest in Channahon, IL. The Illinois river is formed via the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers. In 1900 the Chicago Sanitation and Shipping Canal opened, leading the Chicago river to flow not into Lake Michigan, but into the Des Plaines. The canal also allowed for year round water transport between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi basin (and it redirected thousands and thousands of gallons of raw sewage away from Chicago's drinking water supply). Your statements regarding Chicago's rivers would be more correct if you replaced "Illinois river" with "Chicago river" and explained the canal. If you want to learn more about the fascinating history of Chicago and its hinterlands, I highly suggest reading William Cronon's "Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West."

I will never tire of your geography vids. 😊

Good video...always have found Chicago an interesting place. I like how you integrated the sponsor into the end of the video, it felt natural and didn’t seem to take away from anything

One the most beautiful cities! You should do more videos on it. PLEASE!!!! lol

As a world builder who struggles to design a deatled world map this was very helpful.

The best video you've made so far!

Love the video bro, please keep bringing such good content!

St Louis lost the pizza competition generations ago

Home town..💚Sweet home Chicago!!!🖤

amazing content, thanks!

Your videos are extremely entertaining and informative. Thanks

GORGEOUS CITY OF CHICAGO WOW!!! BEST SKYLINE EVER

Love the videos... but I must correct a big flaw. The primary water route from Chicago diverted from the great lakes into the Erie canal, which connected it to the Hudson river and subsequently to the Atlantic at NYC. The routes via Lake Ontario was not feasible until the Welland Canal and St Lawrence Seaway was built to bypass Niagara Falls and the Rapids west of Montreal. And the Rideau Canal (Lake Ontario-Ottawa River-St Lawrence River) was built as a military asset to protect from potential American aggression and was not freely open to American commerce at the time.

Chicago is where the Chicago River used to flow into Lake Michigan. The rivers flow was reversed by building a canal between the Chicago and Illinois Rivers and locks at the mouth of the Chicago River.

Great job, as always!

Chicago's greatest advantage is its diversity. In literature, education, science, food and music, Chicago is great because of the multi-lingual and multi-national mix of its people.

I always thought it have to do with the cattle drive, due to the meat market and the trains going through Chicago

Great video, thanks!

Love your videos!

I would love to see a Detroit vs. Toledo video because both major cities are only 55 miles apart yet both are important industrial and transportation hubs.

if you filmed this yesterday... man, i know you felt that humidity

So proud of my city!

At 3:06 on the video, there was another water advantage for Chicago as well. That is the Erie Canal. Having that ship traffic did not need to sail north up the St. Lawrence River.The cargo would be unloaded onto canal barges at the west end of the Erie, then transported east to Albany, where it would be loaded onto the Hudson River vessels, then south to NYC and the ocean.

This is the best channel ever

I live in Chicago :)

Thank you for mentioning Cahokia!

Good series of informative video clip presentations

Great video! What is the city appearing on 04:27 ? Do you have any information about the photo? Thank you in advance.

I went to 8th Grade there. God I love that city!

Super interesting, thank you!

2:49 Illinois River? The river that goes in the lake is the Chicago. The Illinois connects a little west. I am a Chicagoan btw but I am in Portland right now

My favourite city ❤️

I never considered what an ideal location Toledo has. It's hard to imagine it being the dominant city in the central US.

I find it funny how no one mentions Jean Baptise Dusable. The founder of Chicago. There’s a museum here in Chicago named after the man.😩🤣

Thinking about moving there to for a bit once I finish college.

The Chicago elite has managed from the beginning to put Chicago on top of every trend. Water shipping. Railroads. Meat packing. Heavy industry. Manufacturing. Aviation. The financial, services and knowledge economy. Whole sectors were abandonned early and the replacements put in place early too. Other old sectors were kept though. Chicago jettisoned heavy industry, manufacturing and meat packing and embraced finance, service and knowledge very early in the game. Water transportation, railroading, aviation have been kept. Chicago has never quite embraced the knowledge economy the way other cities have, but the knowledge economy might be riskier than finance and services. Don't be fooled by the fiscal problems of city government or the continued existence of blighted and low income neighborhoods. Major corps don't build office towers by the dozens and the numbers of neighborhoods populated by educated young and older adults don't increase unless something right is happening. Not that I would live there again. I left in 1975. But I did grow up there and I still know the ground.

if you are feeling hot, maybe you should drink some of that Gulp stuff that you were drinking in your previous video. it looked nicely cold and refreshing :)

Nice episode I would personally recommend a video on my city of Grand Rapids Michigan it has quite the interesting history

On the air transportation side, the Toronto-Chicago-New York triangle is very significant. Three large cities that are well-connected on relatively short flights (only an hour from Toronto to each)

Best city in the world imho. So glad to live here !

The unique part about St. Louis now is that it has a good chance of expanding its railroad reach at the time now since it’s known that Chicago has now become a bottleneck for the rail industry. Many RR companies are looking for different options, and St. Louis has a real chance now since it has 6 of the 7 Class I railroads interchanging in the city (the Canadian Pacific is the only one that doesn’t each STL), and it has the TRRA. There’s no way St. Louis can be Chicago’s railroad replacement, but it has a solid foundation to become a second midwestern hub to help alleviate Chicago’s strain.

I Love Chicago in the Spring, Summers and 3 Weeks at Christmas Holidays Time.

It is definitely the busiest rail hub. 7 class 1 Railroads all converge at Chicago and some smaller railroads too.