Chicago's Geography Advantage

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Here is Mr. Beat’s video: • Chicago and St. Louis ...
Subscribe to Mr. Beat: / @iammrbeat
This video is based on the book Nature’s Metropolis by William Cronon. Check out this amazing book: www.amazon.com/Natures-Metrop...
Chicago is the greatest metropolis in the interior of North America. The region is home to almost 10 million people, 29 Fortune 500 companies, the Obamas, and the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. There is no bigger or more influential city between Los Angeles and New York, but Chicago’s dominance was not a foregone conclusion. Why did Chicago grow biggest, bigger than competitors such as Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh?
Produced in sunny Sacramento, California.

[@CityBeautiful]

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

[@rosswebster7877]

One of my favorite academic books of all time! Part of my reading list for my Urban History course ar CU Denver!

[@Blacktolite]

I'm a mayor on cities skyline video game on the ps4 so I'm alwsy clicking on these kind of videos cheers

[@LoganReigstad1]

I took a class with Bill Cronon at UW-Madison. One of a few classes that students burst into applause for on the last day because it was so eye-opening!

[@chrisjamel8461]

Can you do a video on Dallas becoming the next Chicago...I do think with its huge airport, exstensivd highways, railways, and soon to be bullet train and hyperloop it could become the next center of us transportation , distribution and possibly production

[@eduardocajias5626]

@@chrisjamel8461 Oh, just another suggestion: As a geographer and journalist (although not from North America) I would like some comparisons between Dallas and Houston, if possible.

[@dudeomfgstfux]

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

[@mostwanted973]

Dudeomfgstfux exactly

[@ranferiantonio5471]

Dudeomfgstfux true

[@faranqamar8130]

Thats the first im even hearing about this. lol Been living here for 7 years

[@ciahalicooo]

Yeah, if anything the rival is New York

[@CorderralLewis]

Dudeomfgstfux exactly. I literally started laughing bc no

[@Sydebern]

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

[@mrbojangles1391]

That's because they ate their vegetables and drank their milk to grow up big and strong. And by that I mean that they had an appetite and a desire and a vision to expand and be progressive. Cities like St. Louis have always been stuck in the past, refusing to progress.

[@nobrang5146]

@@mrbojangles1391 St Louis was well into the 50s as the nation's 8th largest city with 853,000 people as its peak in that time, so your wrong on that part

[@cee-lopreen6754]

MrBo Jangles if you mean progressive you mean land grabbing then you're right. A large part of why Chicago got so big is it kept increasing its footprint.

[@carstarsarstenstesenn]

@@mrbojangles1391 no city has "always" been stuck in the past. St Louis used to be a booming metropolis, as explained in this video, it was a worthy candidate to become the largest city in the West. but St Louis has been a dying city for decades now

[@MyNameIsSteveYesitis]

If you think that's crazy, look into these cities in China. That absolutely blows my mind

[@iammrbeat]

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

[@labeeb7735]

Frankfurt invaded Cologne in "Why Cities Exist." Remember that?

[@AnceOG]

Hey nice to see you mr beat

[@CitiesoftheFuture]

Cool!

[@droptimistic]

And you got yes

[@andyc9902]

Wendover is much better. Unbiased

[@lisadurant883]

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

[@K.B.Williams]

Thin crust is better than deep dish!!

[@lisadurant883]

Kev Electric Highway yep Chicago thin crust rocks!!!

[@K.B.Williams]

@@lisadurant883 I see what you did there.

[@titoslounge1946]

Lisa Durant outstanding move

[@the.abhiram.r]

Kev Electric Highway hurd that

[@relax132]

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

[@CityBeautiful]

I'm glad I didn't come across as negative toward St. Louis!

[@robertmasina4610]

nothing to bad mouth st. Louis. there's touristy things there depending on the person's interest. it's just in the category of medium-sized city.

[@adriankepler5254]

St.Louis is a lot scarier than Chicago and Detroit combined 😂

[@jordanperry4546]

Yay, I'm not the only St. Louisan who's watched this video

[@jordanperry4546]

@Harambe Was Framed #1, The north side is the most dangerous place, not all of St. Louis just so ya know. #2, Downtown and the south side doesn't have as much crimes. #3, Yeah, I'd say St. Louis is primarily black, and that's coming from a black person, but really, a chocolate city? #4, Forest Park, The hill, The Central West End, Soulard, and Tower Grove are not dirty at all. Fym? #5, You've probably never even been to STL, and only see what's on the news. What's on the news isn't an exact representation of the whole city. #6, I know I've been trying to defend St. Louis, but I'll still partly agree with you. It is dangerous, just mostly on the north side, so know your facts homieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

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

[@CityBeautiful]

Yep, the flag is iconic.

[@BMoney8600]

I got a Chicago flag T-Shirt, a Chicago flag hat, and a Chicago flag glass.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

City Beautiful Really wish mine was.

[@dipakkc9330]

Our also 🇳🇵🇳🇵

[@marcdangerfield8956]

@@dipakkc9330 Have you seen St Louis' flag. It too is beautiful.

[@robertpreston2220]

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!

[@lewizzrocks]

Robert H and thousands of gun deaths per year ?

[@robertpreston2220]

Funny in 48 years I have never seen this and I am alive and well

[@PRHILL9696]

I know I seriously could never ever live anywhere else but Chicago. Too me living any where else is not living. My only issue are these long endless brutal summers!

[@PRHILL9696]

bepis you have never been to Chicago and your ignorance proves that

[@robertpreston2220]

Thanks bepis I do enjoy this city that is why we chose it over all others

[@Belboz99]

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.

[@timmyturner327]

well said!

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

And of course, rebuilding Chicago resulted in the first skyscraper city!

[@catalannationalist9847]

Chicago was founded in the 1780s, but it wasn't incorporated until 1833.

[@0fficialdregs]

@Laurell no one cares about the two idiotic parties. love the history and the city.

[@FCVP71]

@Brandon Toad most successful cities are democratic? You gotta be kidding. Democratic cities are shitholes, masses of homeless people, lack of respect for any kind of authority, unrest, high crime rates. It's a joke :D

[@jlv3x]

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

[@K.B.Williams]

I've never heard of St Louis BBq either. Sorry, Kansas City gets no recognition whatsoever. I tried.

[@subotaiKhan]

@@K.B.Williams Never heard of St. Louis-style barbecue?

[@K.B.Williams]

@@subotaiKhan Nope. Not outside of St. Louis.

[@solomonlokshin1597]

I’ve heard of St. Louis murderers

[@j317]

imos is what they go crazy for it's alright it uses a different kind of cheese and is thin crust it taste kind of like cheddar cheese and crackers if u are not from there it is different and u have to get used to it but the people born and raised there love it and say it's the best pizza

[@jasongotcello]

Chicago is a city with so much potential

[@eddiemperor]

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.

[@twofiveb]

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...

[@boogitybear2283]

The only tall skyscraper I’ve visited is the John Hancock Tower. That’s my go to place for views.

[@archypop]

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

[@DennisTheInternationalMenace]

Agreed!

[@Its_M1zn]

South is probably be Houston or Dallas

[@RWRogers]

@@Its_M1zn soon to be Austin. Give it a few decades - if that. But right now Houston for sure. LA the west. NYC the East. Chicago the mid section.

[@fuckheinschitt239]

@@Its_M1zn Atlanta

[@kushal4956]

@@RWRogers LA doesn't really rule the west. all the techy, revolutionize the world stuff happens in San Francisco

[@IIceColld1]

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

[@ds1848bp]

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.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

In the first half of the war, until the fall of Vicksburg, northerners couldn't ship goods south through New Orleans as many were accustomed to doing. The two alternative routes, the Great Lakes and the railroads, both favored Chicago.

[@carlmaster9690]

Chicago is a well equipped metropolis with great infrastructure.

[@joshuaperkings5155]

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..

[@SquidCena]

In New York City here, cold winters do not bother us...

[@chicago4life366]

@@SquidCena YA DONT COME TO NYC ITS THE WORSE

[@SquidCena]

@@chicago4life366 I live in New York in mount Vernon which is next to the Bronx and in trying to move in...

[@SquidCena]

@@chicago4life366 and also it isn't... Detroit is the worst.. NYC is a nice normal city... especially for a city of 8 million people I go through it all the time... also Chicago which is also amazing has a crime rate that's kind if high and only has 3 million...

[@chicago4life366]

Crime is going down in Chicago

[@Snowshowslow]

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

[@jasonreed7522]

I would like to think that this act of kindness is an inherent part of the "American Way". Where you help your countrymen through any disaster regardless of your rivalries. This is actually something many liked about the aftermath of 9/11, for a time national solidarity was incredibly strong. (I was too young to remember any of that though) Not to claim any sort of monopoly on being decent people, especially as sometime it feels like we are loosing our sense of compassion. (Exacerbated by social media and the news/media both highlighting loud and attention grabbing opinions and making a select few terrible people louder than they ever should be, on all sides)

[@chuks051]

Chicago is really a beautiful city.

[@DennisTheInternationalMenace]

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

[@luissantiago8446]

Live in New York, and what I miss about Chicago are indeed its people. They appreciate a keen sense of humor, are down to earth, and don't mind being someone they can call your friend. Miss Chicago dogs, Italian beef sandwiches. Concerts along the lakefront, and the fantastic neighborhood street festivals during the summer. New York can learn a thing or two on how to have street festivals. During the summer in New York, if they can afford to do so, folks leave the city for the coasts or mountains. In Chicago its the opposite. People head to the city for the many varied fun filled events and attractions that make summer so intensely experienced by the natives.

[@ozzyfromspace]

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!

[@siopao8137]

Float Circuit O’hare Air?

[@danafoley9207]

Wait is this true? I’m trying to go to Australian soon does Ohare always have late planes ::(((

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

@@danafoley9207 eh not really, the dude had bad luck

[@ginafriend1690]

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

[@tytrehalf5354]

Sox Sux. Go Cubs!

[@frond8951]

"and our other sport teams" lmao you forgot them didn't you

[@BMoney8600]

@@tytrehalf5354 not this year.

[@HelloWorld-xf2ks]

All of my favorite KZbinrs are collaborating

[@KhAnubis]

Okay, that sponsorship transition was amazingly smooth!

[@larrydrozd2740]

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.

[@oatscurry]

Ultimately, which do you prefer? Austin or Chicago?

[@AJ-lh4fp]

I feel the same way, I live in Austin Texas as well. I used to live in the Bay Area and the Golden Gate Bridge would feel like home sort of now whenever I go there I feel like a tourist it feels so weird

[@matok5711]

prove you're still chicagoan by answering this question: what toppings go on a hotdog

[@larrydrozd2740]

@@matok5711 I always drag it through the garden.

[@larrydrozd2740]

@@oatscurry I liked Austin because of the weather and music scene. Now, the music scene is long gone and the weather has become way too hot....never mind the cost to live here has just sky rocketed. I'll be retiring in 2 years....I want to live in 4 seasons again, not just hot as hell and not so hot and a week of sub zero with no electricity or water because nobody can run anything here in Texas. They brag about it.....but actually doing it? Nah.........

[@ShaudaySmith]

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

[@kiddykitsune8158]

I

[@frigginjerk]

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.

[@luissantiago8446]

I lived in Chicago for nearly 30 years, but now call NYC home. And sometimes, whenever I listen to folks who hail from Buffalo, their accents sound very mid-western.

[@tornn8847]

Chicago culturally is nothing like the rest of the Midwest

[@JustinSchroeder29]

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

[@CityBeautiful]

True! There are definitely some theories that the O'Leary's had nothing to do with it and it was just anti-Irish sentiment.

[@BradsDrones]

True, there were also many fires that happened the weeks prior, which meant that the fire fighters were exhausted. on an additional note about the origin of the fire... there is a possibility it was a meteor shower. There were 3 or 4 other fires around Lake Michigan pretty much on the same day. A more intense fire was actually in Wisconsin. All of those were allegedly from meteors. The Chicago Tribune even redacted their original article that is was Mrs. O'Leary's cow. A lot of political movements happened to pin it on her, just to get her out of the city. But, that delves deeper into conspiracy theories.

[@brianarbenz7206]

Metaphor.

[@E4439Qv5]

Put the blame on Mame, boys...

[@boogitybear2283]

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!

[@usfanlovesjiwoo1978]

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.

[@ftanklyles4]

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

[@ARTiculations]

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.

[@mikeflair6800]

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.

[@wavegod5797]

Love seeing videos about my home

[@BMoney8600]

Chris Lewis me too

[@garrettord]

Same

[@dreisaum9916]

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

[@tyqwanpettty6843]

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

[@ender3960]

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.

[@412StepUp]

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.

[@BMoney8600]

I went out to Pittsburgh once. It is a beautiful city and I love how all sport teams have the same colors. I know if I didn’t live in Chicago I’d probably move to Pittsburgh.

[@eidrag]

whoa new video, keep interesting topics to discuss!

[@thorskjelver8564]

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?

[@joaorocha1793]

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!

[@BMoney8600]

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.

[@SagaciousSilence]

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

[@citiesskyscrapers4561]

Your channel is awesome!

[@CitiesoftheFuture]

Awsomee channel !

[@narata1541]

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!

[@tomindenver1331]

Yep, all those World's Fair projects were more or less intended to be temporary. Here in Denver, we had the National Mining and Industrial Exposition (lincolnparkhistory.com/2015/03/12/the-denver-circle-railroad-1882-1898/national-mining-and-industrial-exposition-building/) between 1882 and 1884 just south of downtown. It was built of soft brick and was the largest individual brick building west of the Mississippi for many years, although it stood for only three. It was knocked down on site and buried. Then developers bought lots there and built homes out of the soft brick they dug up, including my 1890 Victorian, just off Exposition street. I tell people Buffalo Bill probably performed where my house is now.

[@76JStucki]

The Museum of Science and Industry is the only building remaining from the White City. The Art Institute is nowhere near. But the gardens behind the MSI are still there and they're quite lovely in the spring (which in Chicago only lasts for about 2 weeks in early June).

[@wyattcorbin1629]

That’s because most of the buildings were made of plaster.

[@Kevin-qn6iv]

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

[@mysteryman7877]

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

[@jordanmcdonald5978]

Mystery Man I believe to are referring to the L. It's an elevated (where the name the "L" came from) transit line that runs across large parts of the city. Only trains run on it though, no cars.

[@keyonhugginstv9544]

from what Ive learned, the river used to rise and the streets became very muddy at certain times of the year so they built different levels. Now and days the lower levels are for deliveries, big trucks etc. most people do not drive down there because you lose GPS signal. you have to know where you are going

[@ShadowLimited310]

@@jordanmcdonald5978 no I think he referring to Wacker drive

[@jewzor8137]

@@ShadowLimited310 You are correct! He is talking about Lower Wacker.

[@timothykeith1367]

In the 1850s Chicago buildings were not very tall. They just jacked them up. One of the contractors was George Pullman who later developed the railroad sleeping car. The original purpose of raising the buildings was so that sewers could be constructed that drained into the lake, initially there wasn't enough grade change to support sewers. Wind could blow waves into downtown streets.

[@thomaskey1993]

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)

[@notsure6187]

Thomas Key wow! it's hard to believe the government would let Midwestern industry grind to a halt back then.

[@EgnachHelton]

It would benefit the Midwest and its agriculture greatly if canals are built to allow container ships to get to Chicago and St. Louis.

[@JamesPhieffer]

The Erie Canal was rendered obsolete by the railways, so it wasn't a significant factor in the trade of Chicago, Toronto, or the other big Great Lakes metropolises. Bulk trade with the east coast went by train, with shipping on the lakes being confined to goods moving between their ports. But Canada proposed building the St Lawrence Seaway in the early '50s, with the US eventually joining the project. This resulted in ships being able to move between the lakes and the ocean by the late 50s. This has resulted in the growth of bulk shipping in and out of the ports along the lakes. Thunder Bay, Ontario became a major shipping port for western Canadian grain, etc. But the canals and locks that are part of the seaway are too small for big container vessels, which means non-bulk goods generally move by rail to the coastal container ports. And there is currently no push for enlarging the seaway to handle the big container ships. The cost would be too high, in funds and impact on the environment and communities along the St Lawrence, to be worthwhile.

[@CortexNewsService]

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.

[@Fedzza]

this videos are really fun, keep them coming!

[@SLACKLINEDUDE]

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

[@oldcrafttraditions668]

You only got 12 likes because of your profile picture 🚧

[@MrHawkS]

Love Chicago, and love this video

[@TheJIMIJAM27]

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

[@julioalvarez9650]

Love this channel. Keep up the great work!

[@tjerkwietse3561]

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.

[@BMoney8600]

tjerkwietse You should come visit, there's a variety of neighborhoods and the museums here are incredible! I know the media keeps making it look like a bad place but that isn't the case it is a beautiful city.

[@orlandoT98]

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

[@richardtfaring-joensen8463]

I will never tire of your geography vids. 😊

[@carolinaeric8500]

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

[@NeonPorpoiseUnicorn]

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."

[@CityBeautiful]

The source of this video was indeed Nature's Metropolis! He uses "Illinois River" colloquially to reference the connection to Lake Michigan here and there, so I followed suit.

[@lakefxdan]

Yes, that's factually wrong. The Illinois river is only artificially connected to the Great Lakes through the Sanitary and Ship Canal, and the Chicago River, while small by comparison, has a distinct identity. No Chicagoan would consider them the same river. Stuck out like a sore thumb, alas.

[@boataxe4605]

Chicago Aussie And them getting revenge by turning it into beer and shipping it back to us. By the way St Louis dumped their sewage into the Mississippi and sent it down to Memphis.

[@tytrehalf5354]

@@CityBeautiful You might want to use multiple sources for research.

[@_dvarapala]

@@CityBeautiful I was born and raised in Chicago and I never once heard it referred to as "the Illinois river" - I imagine you're going to have a lot of folks scratching their heads.

[@kairon156]

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

[@user-vx8hn6vf3f]

The best video you've made so far!

[@christopherramos5690]

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

[@BoldWittyName]

St Louis lost the pizza competition generations ago

[@gioleo4579]

Home town..💚Sweet home Chicago!!!🖤

[@carlsaganlives5112]

Right on, Leo. How come no one is mentioning the elephant in the room - CHICAGO BLUES?!?!

[@nicolasdavies4129]

amazing content, thanks!

[@daaahjames6500]

Your videos are extremely entertaining and informative. Thanks

[@CityBeautiful]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@rickygonzalez8429]

GORGEOUS CITY OF CHICAGO WOW!!! BEST SKYLINE EVER

[@peepthezoobazz]

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.

[@louisbrizzolara7209]

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.

[@blujitsu2180]

Great job, as always!

[@brianarbenz7206]

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.

[@mama-ayanna]

agreed

[@littlebylitttle5866]

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

[@AK93cx]

Great video, thanks!

[@Sarnican]

Love your videos!

[@robertpreskop4425]

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.

[@elli003]

Still important, but not as dominant as pre 1960.

[@notsure6187]

actually I think it's pretty simple. Detroit borders Canada. Toledo doesn't.

[@tonytoledo6251]

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

[@NikhilSharma-ug1rx]

Chicago Aussie hey Jack didn't expect to see you here

[@robertpreston2220]

Only thing I hate abut Chicago are the endless brutal summers!

[@PRHILL9696]

Yeah I am dying for winter to get here. These summers are way too much

[@ajsongs2098]

Chicago has a pretty nice summer compared to alot of places. My friend from nashville literally laughs whenever i think its humid here in chicago. She says all the timr that people from chicago dont know real humidity

[@chicago4life366]

@@ChicagoAussie omg same

[@chuckeggebrecht6113]

So proud of my city!

[@rayfridley6649]

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.

[@pet3590]

This is the best channel ever

[@kostaskg]

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

[@CityBeautiful]

It's Bodie, California, circa 1890.

[@jeffkranig4574]

Good series of informative video clip presentations

[@williamcosgrove3552]

Thank you for mentioning Cahokia!

[@AnceOG]

I live in Chicago :)

[@Helljumper7200]

Wanna chill?

[@neanam]

Where you orginally from tho?

[@efuentes2323]

Best city to live in, love my SW side of the city

[@Helljumper7200]

efuentes2323 east side has the better mexican community 😉

[@mroceans8336]

Helljumper Yeah. The kings and Dragons shoot each other more.

[@tristanmoller9498]

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

[@brianarbenz7206]

The first great city I experienced was Chicago. I grew up in smaller metro areas, on the edge of Appalachian rural isolation. My family could not afford to travel to the New Yorks or Londons. So, thank goodness for Chicago! It's the urbane oasis of the hinterlands.

[@estebantia2413]

Super interesting, thank you!

[@ender3960]

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

[@yerusalemabreha4578]

My favourite city ❤️

[@j.s.7335]

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

[@dontcopymystyle4469]

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.😩🤣

[@itsallgood5314]

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

[@anonymike8280]

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.

[@jasonreed7522]

Cities on the great lakes have such a special advantage over most others. The lakes are very well connected both to eachother and to the ocean (limiting factor for ship size being lock size right now) and get all the advantages of being an ocean port city. But they are also inland and nothing can reach them, not sea level rise (climate change will still cause issues but not the ocean coming for you) and not hostile foreign powers (except when Canada and America weren't friends). Plus Chicago is probably the closest to once of our most reliable exports (grain from the mid west) so they get to be just as much of a port city as NYC, Boston, or New Orleans. I was raised a little south of the St Lawrence in NY and still have pride for the lakes and river. I moved near a city for a job and seeing "street homeless" for the first time in my life is definitely an unsettling experience. (I hope this phrasing doesn't sound bad to people)

[@herrsan]

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 :)

[@asrr62]

he looks very sweltering !

[@CityBeautiful]

I think it was the hottest day of the year in Chicago. And I had to walk from the Shedd Aquarium to Buckingham Fountain first, which was a longer walk than I had remembered...

[@spif8808]

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

[@terrygelinas4593]

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)

[@jacobt1731]

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.

[@vijaydanushkodi4980]

Jacob Theesfeld St. Louis is a racist shithole with no economic or demographic growth whatsoever. Population has remained stagnant for the past decade.

[@arc46789]

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

[@maureencora1]

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

[@luissantiago8446]

The Fall can be beautiful, but the winters are a challenge. The first time I experienced how the winter can pack a punch was in the early 80s. Remember waiting on the Howard elevated stop to catch the train into Evanston where I worked. They had wind chill readings of 80 below zero that day. Dangerously cold. New York City can get cold in the winter, but its balmy compared to Chicago. Seriously.

[@Mr9Guns]

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