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Population:
City: 3 million
In the suburbs: 5 million.
Time zone:
Chicago is located in the central time zone. When it is 12:00 noon in
New York City, it is 11:00 AM in Chicago.
Holidays:
New Year's Day Jan. 1
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 3rd Mon. in Jan.
President's Day 3rd Mon. in Feb.
Memorial Day last Mon. in May;
Independence Day July 4
Labor Day 1st Mon. in Sept.
Thanksgiving Day 4th Thurs. in Nov.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dec. 24 and 25
New Year's Eve Dec. 31.
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Area Codes:
The 312 area code applies to the Loop and the neighborhoods closest to
it, including River North, North Michigan Avenue, and the Gold Coast.
The code for the rest of the city is 773. Suburban area codes are 847
(north), 708 (west and southwest), and 630 (far west). You must dial
"1" plus the area code for all telephone numbers, even if you are
making a call within the same area code.
Business Hours:
Normal business hours are 10am-6pm Monday through Saturday. Malls are
until 7pm and for shorter hours on Sunday. Banking hours in Chicago are
8-5 Monday-Friday. Some banks open at 8AM.
Emergencies:
For fire or police emergencies, call tel. 911.
Hospitals:
Newest:
Northwestern Memorial Hospital:
251 E. Huron St.
Has a state-of-the-art medical center just off North Michigan Avenue.
The emergency department is located at 251 E. Erie St. Ambulance:
911.
Police:
For emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, dial 311.
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Neighborhoods
The Loop:
Downtown in Chicago is synonymous with the Loop. The Loop refers to a
core of primarily commercial, governmental, and cultural buildings
contained within a looping of elevated train tracks in the center city,
Downtown:
Greater downtown Chicago extends beyond the Loop and is bounded by the
Chicago River to the north and west, by Michigan Avenue to the east,
and by Roosevelt Avenue to the south.
The North Side:
North Michigan Avenue is known as the Magnificent Mile, from the bridge
spanning the Chicago River to its northern tip at Oak Street. Many of
the city's best hotels, shops, and restaurants are to be found on and
around elegant North Michigan Avenue. Old Town West of LaSalle Street,
principally on North Wells Street between Division Street and North
Avenue, is the residential district of Old Town, with some of the
city's best-preserved historic homes.
Chinatown, Chicago:
Chicago's large Chinese neighborhood is full of popular restaurants,
nightclubs, and shops displaying Asian wares.
Lincoln Park:
Chicago's most popular residential neighborhood is home to two major
museums and one of the nation's oldest zoos. The area also contains
many of Chicago's most popular nightclubs, restaurants, retail stores,
and off-Loop theaters, including the nationally acclaimed Steppenwolf
Theatre Company. Wrigleyville is the name given to the neighborhood in
the vicinity of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.
The South Side:
South Loop was Chicago's original "Gold Coast" in the late 19th
century, with Prairie Avenue (now an historic district) as its most
exclusive address. Cermak Road (where Chinatown begins), and from Lake
Shore Drive west to the south branch of the Chicago River is one of the
fast-growing residential neighborhoods in the city.
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Taxes:
The local sales tax is 8.75%. Restaurants in the central part of the
city, are taxed an additional 1%, for a total of 9.75%. There is also a
hotel tax.
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