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I could be wrong, but it seems Chicago has always been seen as somewhere foreign or unique to many Americans. Whenever the question is asked; "what is the most typical American city", the answers are usually Columbus, Indianapolis, Kansas City or Omaha. But I don't understand why Chicago is never included. Having done a lot more research on the place recently, to me Chicago very much seems like arguably the most average primary city in America, in the 21st century at least, given how close the demographics are to the national average. If I were to ponder the reasons why Chicago generally is excluded from the definition of somewhere 'average' in America, these would be the reasons;
*It is situated on the Great Lakes, therefor must be part of the core of the rust belt
*The local accent has become part of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift, with the distinct flat "A" vowel pronounced after consonants
*The climate is cold and snowy owing to its slightly more northern location
All of these points I believe are refutable. For a start, unlike other Great Lakes cities such as Cleveland, Detroit, or Buffalo, Chicago never suffered the worst of the effects of the Rust Belt as it was not overly reliant on a single manufacturer or employer. This lack of a major industrial decline as well as the city's central location in the country is one of the main reasons it's so fast-growing and why the demographics are so similar to the rest of the country and most likely also the reason the famous filmmaker John Hughes decided to use the Chicago metro as the setting for his iconic 1980s coming-of-age teen comedy films (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink etc.) with honest depictions of typical suburban teenage life, all of whom are still very significant and influential in American popular culture to this day. The large influx of migrants is also the primary reason why the classic 'Chicago' (though really it should be called a 'Great Lakes') accent is only really spoken by older generations, especially working class. The cold climate of Chicago is also very overstated in my view. Wind patterns over the Great Lakes are typically oriented from the west/northwest to east/southeast. This means locations east of the lakes tend to receive significantly more snow than the west in Illinois.
I'd be interested to get other opinions on this. Based on these points I've raised, is Chicago a 'typical' American city or not?
I would say it's due to Chicago's (extending to Chicagoland) size. It's the 3rd most populous city in US and 3rd largest MSA in the entire country. Those two factors already push Chicago far from "average".
It is not typical or average for America because it is a metro of 10 million. It is a melting pot and has lots in common with "average America" but it is also different by being a major metro and a northern one at that.
It was still different but perhaps more representative of the country in the 19th century and early 20th century than today with the booms in the south and west.
Barely 20% of the nation's population is in Midwest and not much than 1/3rd in Midwest / Northeast combined. Almost 2/3rds in South and West. "Average" or specifically median would be some moderately large metro in the south. Chicago is closer to "average" America than NYC or LA but not as close as say Charlotte NC or Fayetteville AR.
I have only been to Chicago 5 times and mostly around the Loop area, but I know quite a handful of friends who are either born and raised or have been in Chicago since college (Northwest) and for decades.-personally I see Chicago a very American city.
Chicago has very strong “hardware”: beautiful skyline, lovely lakeshore views, modern high rises that are made even more impressive with the river run through. People-wise and local culture-wise, personal opinion only, it still strikes me as a Midwest city and American.
It’s a great city nevertheless.
Yup. The only thing that makes it an outlier from the average Midwest City is the much larger Hispanic population (~30% of the city).
Also the presence of such an expansive rail system is not typical of the average Midwest city. Some of what separates it from the average Midwest city is an artifact of it being the 3rd largest city in the US. That in and of itself will make it somewhat different than a lot of the typical Midwest cities.
But at its core when you strip away a lot of confounders, it is pretty similar to a typical Midwest city.
It's too big. Typical Americans don't live in a place that size. A typical American city is probably a 1-3 million metro with no wildly unique features or culture.
It is not typical or average for America because it is a metro of 10 million. It is a melting pot and has lots in common with "average America" but it is also different by being a major metro and a northern one at that.
Don't most Americans now live in suburbs of major metros now though (metros with at least 2 to 4 million people)?
Quote:
Originally Posted by annie_himself
It's too big. Typical Americans don't live in a place that size. A typical American city is probably a 1-3 million metro with no wildly unique features or culture.
I don't see anything that wildly unique about Chicago, not culturally at least.
I often wonder why the protagonist Emily Cooper from that cartoon-like show Emily in Paris (major eye rolls here) is from Chicago, instead of NYC or L.A or any other big cities from the U.S. Emily, despite a good heart and overflown sweetness, seems to be portrayed as this fashionably clueless, culturally tone-deaf, less than sophisticated (but business-savvy) and almost “adorkable” American girl committing all kinds of social and cultural faux-pas in Paris.-I hate this show and could only stand 1-2 episodes but I rolled my eyes a bit when they seemed to purposely make Emily from Chicago for the obvious reason.
Culturally Chicago may be more “All-American” (I can’t help but think of all the John Hughes movies.-accurate or not, you can’t get any more “All-American” than John Hughes movies.) but its look, at least from the loop area (the only area I am familiar with in Chicago.), stands out from many typical American cities (save for NYC, parts of Philadelphia, D.C and parts of Boston.) with the impressive skyline, lovely lakeshore views, the modern high rise neatly aligned with the river cut through (and I don’t usually like modern high rise buildings.)which can be quite awe-struck if you’re only looking at the “hardware” of the city.
While I see it as an American city, I don’t think, objectively, you can really call it average or typical. It’s a bit too “grand” and for the lack of a better word, “colorful” (i can’t help but think of Al Capone and the movie The Untouchables, all the gangsters, mobs, back alley murders and the Prohibition era saga…..) to be typical and average.
I often wonder why the protagonist Emily Cooper from that cartoon-like show Emily in Paris (major eye rolls here) is from Chicago, instead of NYC or L.A or any other big cities from the U.S. Emily, despite a good heart and overflown sweetness, seems to be portrayed as this fashionably clueless, culturally tone-deaf, less than sophisticated (but business-savvy) and almost “adorkable” American girl committing all kinds of social and cultural faux-pas in Paris.-I hate this show and could only stand 1-2 episodes but I rolled my eyes a bit when they seemed to purposely make Emily from Chicago for the obvious reason.
Culturally Chicago may be more “All-American” (I can’t help but think of all the John Hughes movies.-accurate or not, you can’t get any more “All-American” than John Hughes movies.) but its look, at least from the loop area (the only area I am familiar with in Chicago.), stands out from many typical American cities (save for NYC, parts of Philadelphia, D.C and parts of Boston.) with the impressive skyline, lovely lakeshore views, the modern high rise neatly aligned with the river cut through (and I don’t usually like modern high rise buildings.)which can be quite awe-struck if you’re only looking at the “hardware” of the city.
While I see it as an American city, I don’t think, objectively, you can really call it average or typical. It’s a bit too “grand” and for the lack of a better word, “colorful” (i can’t help but think of Al Capone and the movie The Untouchables, all the gangsters, mobs, back alley murders and the Prohibition era saga…..) to be typical and average.
Is West Midlands, England the "Chicago" of England? Or at least moreso than any other place?
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