Chicago, the Third Coast of the United States ?

"It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago. She outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them." - Mark Twain, 1883

When we think about Chicago we all have images of a mythical city that come into our mind : Al Capone with his ganster acomplices who spread terror in an industrial setting city among civilian citizens who seem to walk straight out of a 1950's black and white movie, bluesmen and jazzmen playing music in dark alley's nightclubs, tall skyscrapers in an urban polluted setting contrasting with vast natural parks and the majestic Lake Michingan.

But what do we really know about Chicago ? As Mark Twain said, it's hard for outsiders to keep up with its constant evolution and it outgrows to a large extent what we can assume about it.

Located between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. As it experienced rapid growth in the mid-nineteenth century, it became a symbol of the industrialized city. It is today an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation especially thanks to the lake Michigan which provides privileged trading relationships with Canada. However, not only economically powerful, it is also a major cultural center in the United State. Its contributions to the visual arts, literature, cinema, theater, architecture make it one of the most dynamic city of the country. 

The United States is often said to be divided into two major cultural centers: the East and the West Coast. Nevertheless, with its dynamism and its proximity with the lake Michigan, Chicago could be considered as the third Coast, offering a new perspective to the balance of the country.

Throughout this blog, we will try to look into thoses cultural, historical and societal aspects as well as its particularities which make Chicago one of the greatest city of the United States.