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Old 08-17-2007, 09:15 AM
 
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what towns/citys/areas are infleunced economically and culturally by chicago. i know obviously, southeast wisconsin and northwest indiana are, but what about western michigan, madison wisconsin and the state of iowa? do iowans think of chicago as the closest big city? what about south haven michigan and galena illinois which are getaways for chicagolanders? we've all heard of chicagoland is, but how far does "chicagoworld" extend?
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Old 08-17-2007, 09:19 AM
 
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I would say once you get to around central IL, more people tend to affiliate with St. Louis. towns like Galena and South Haven I think are outside of Chicago's influence..they are more touristy B&B type towns that are weekened getaways for Chicagoans. Same for places like Lake Geneva. I think Iowa is so rural that it dosent identify with any sort of big city. What happens in Chicago has little effect on them. But Chicago would probably be the closest, yes.

Last edited by via chicago; 08-17-2007 at 09:32 AM..
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Old 08-17-2007, 09:20 AM
 
Location: Phoenix metro
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Quote:
Originally Posted by via chicago View Post
I would say once you get to around central IL, more people tend to affiliate with St. Louis. towns like Galena and South Haven I think are outside of Chicago's influence..they are more touristy B&B type towns that are weekened getaways for Chicagoans. Same for places like Lake Geneva. I think Iowa is so rural that it dosent identify with any sort of big city. What happens in Chicago has little effect on them. But Chicago would probably be the closest, yes.
Agreed.
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Old 08-17-2007, 09:33 AM
 
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i found this map of baseball allegiences a while back, which is probably close to the actual influence cities have

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Old 08-17-2007, 09:41 AM
 
Location: Hollywood/Brookfield, IL
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Iowans think of the nearest big city as either Des Moines or the Quad Cities (Davenport, IA/Moline, IL). What I think is odd is when people from Rockford say they are from Chicago. They wish, I guess. But Chicago's sphere of influence extends that far at least.
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Old 08-17-2007, 09:46 AM
 
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Originally Posted by ahava View Post
Iowans think of the nearest big city as either Des Moines or the Quad Cities (Davenport, IA/Moline, IL). What I think is odd is when people from Rockford say they are from Chicago. They wish, I guess. But Chicago's sphere of influence extends that far at least.
I agree. The same goes for Joliet, DeKalb...i mean come on, if you're from fricking 60 miles away, dont try to tell me you're from Chicago. Hell, when I went to parties in the city and told kids I was from Chicago they would say, "oh what neighborhood." and i would reply "oh, berwyn". their response would be, 'you're not from chicago, you're from mother **** berwyn." and they were right. and i so desperately wanted to be "from" chicago.
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Old 08-17-2007, 11:12 AM
 
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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Default Sphere of Influence

I am originally from the "Chicagoland" area (Waukegan) and now live in Cedar Rapids, IA. The great part about living in Eastern Iowa is that we are in the middle of several major cities. 4 hours from Chicago,4-5 hours to Milwaukee 4.5 hours to the Twin Cities, 5 hours to St. Louis, and about 4-5 hours to Omaha. I wrote my Senior thesis in college on the political and economic impact that Chicago has on the Midwest. The influence that Chicago has on this region is huge, especially when talking about commodities trading (Chicago Board of Trade and Mercantile Exchange). Just recentley Cedar Rapids has experinced a small but significant influx of Chicagoians moving to the area. With that they have brought some of the Chicago culture with them. I think the reason that Cedar Rapids seems so appealing to is that we have great schools, a safe city, and we are only 4 hours from Chicago.
Iowa boasts some of the best public/ private colleges and univeristies in the country. 28% of the student population at the University of Iowa are students that are from the Chicagoland area. I went to a small private college and was amazed when I first came out here, how many kids were from the Chicago Area. It felt like I never left home, and we were all proud to say we were from the Chicago Area.

So to answer your question, yes Chicago has a significant influence on the Midwest. I am proud to be an Iowan and enjoy where I live but I am also proud to be from the Chicagoland area. "Chicago's greatest export is it's people".
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Old 08-17-2007, 02:44 PM
 
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Originally Posted by via chicago View Post
I agree. The same goes for Joliet, DeKalb...i mean come on, if you're from fricking 60 miles away, dont try to tell me you're from Chicago. Hell, when I went to parties in the city and told kids I was from Chicago they would say, "oh what neighborhood." and i would reply "oh, berwyn". their response would be, 'you're not from chicago, you're from mother **** berwyn." and they were right. and i so desperately wanted to be "from" chicago.
Yes, but we're talking about Chicagos sphere of influence. Obviously we know Berwyn is not in the city limits (although a lot of those near suburbs are a lot like Chicago neighborhoods, same with Oak Park, Cicero, etc.) Either you're from Chicago (proper) or you are not. If you are from a near close-in suburb and say you are frmo Chicago then you open the door for people all the way in Kenosha, Dekalb or Kankakee. BTW, Joliets only 40 miles away, still kind of far).

Interestingly enough though, many Chicagoans who like to distance themselves from the "rustbelt" and like to associate where they're from with glitz and glamour WILL acknowledge North Shore suburbs such as Glencoe, Highland Park, and Lake Forest as being part of Chicagoland, but if asked if Gary and Hammond, IN and nearby industrial towns are part of Chicagoland they will be quick to say "Oh no, Gary is just Gary." Even though some of those aforementioned north shore suburbs are actually further from the loop, than those NW IN industrial towns.

Oh well, Chicago typifies midwestern cities. Focus on and advertise your dazzling downtown area with its skyline and wide range of cultural activities, and pretend the "icky" high crime, low income, heavily industrialized areas don't exist, and pretty soon people will believe you, and gentrification comes soon after.

Now, I'm not picking on Chicago, but you have to admit that though.
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Old 08-17-2007, 04:18 PM
 
Location: Phoenix metro
20,004 posts, read 77,359,841 times
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Originally Posted by via chicago View Post
I agree. The same goes for Joliet, DeKalb...i mean come on, if you're from fricking 60 miles away, dont try to tell me you're from Chicago. Hell, when I went to parties in the city and told kids I was from Chicago they would say, "oh what neighborhood." and i would reply "oh, berwyn". their response would be, 'you're not from chicago, you're from mother **** berwyn." and they were right. and i so desperately wanted to be "from" chicago.
Just say youre from the 'burbs. When I lived in Sycamore, Id tell people I was from Chicagoland. Why? Because if they include Gurnee and SE WI as Chicagoland, why not Sycamore? Just cuz its not connected? Pfft. Its only 15 minutes outside of St. Charles which is also considered Chicagoland.
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Old 08-17-2007, 07:43 PM
 
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I live about 100 miles from Chicago. Depending on what is meant by "influence," I'd say the influence of Chicago on rural IL where I am is minimal. Unless you have ties to the city and go more often than most (I do as a onetime resident...NOT of the suburbs, but Chicago proper), you may go occasionally for entertainment, be it sports, festivals, museums, or whatever. But it's more a sometime tourist destination than anything else. Doesn't really affect us much, just a cultural asset if we want it, when we want it.
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