Chicago: Built by Immigrants

Immigrants built the Windy City

Affectionately called, “The Bean” and what has become synonymous with the Chicago experience is Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate. | Photo: Dayne Topkin

Since the 1850s Chicago has been one of the dominant cities in the Midwestern United States, and has been the largest city in the Midwest since the 1880 census. The area's recorded history begins with the arrival of French explorers, missionaries and fur traders in the late 17th century and their interaction with the local Pottawatomie Native Americans. Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was the first permanent non-indigenous settler in the area, having a house at the mouth of the Chicago River in the late 18th century.

There were small settlements and a U.S. Army fort, but the soldiers and settlers were all driven off in 1812. The modern city was incorporated in 1837 by Northern businessmen and grew rapidly from real estate investments and the realization that it had a advantageous position in the up and coming inland transportation network, based on lake traffic and railroads, controlling access from the Great Lakes into the Mississippi River basin.

The Chicago Theatre | Photo Neal Kharawala

Despite a fire in 1871 that destroyed the Central Business District, the city grew in a major way, becoming the nation's rail center and the most dominant Midwestern hub for manufacturing, commerce, finance, higher education, religion, broadcasting, sports, jazz, and culture.

The city was really enticing for European immigrants—at first Germans, Irish and Scandinavians, then from the 1890s to 1914, Jews, Czechs, Poles and Italians. They were all absorbed in the city's powerful ward-based political machines. Many joined militant labor unions, and Chicago became notorious for its violent strikes, and high wages.

Central Camera | Photo: Jonathan Castellon

Large numbers of African Americans migrated from the South starting in the World War I era as part of the Great Migration.

Mexicans started arriving after 1910, and Puerto Ricans after 1945.

The Cook County suburbs grew fast after 1945, but the Democratic party machine kept both the city and suburbs under control, especially under mayor Richard J. Daley, who was chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party.

Deindustrialization after 1970 closed the stockyards and most of the steel mills and factories, but the city retained its role as a financial and transportation hub.

Increasingly it emphasized its service roles in medicine, higher education, and tourism.

Chicago Skyline | Photo: Justin Eisner

The city formed the political base for national leaders of the Democratic Party, especially Stephen A. Douglas in the 1850s, Adlai Stevenson in the 1950s, and many others in recent years.

My great uncle came to this country in the early 1950’s. He started his ethnic restaurant chain here before my father came to Chicago on a student visa in order to help his uncle with the businesses. Thats when my father found his home here in the early 1970’s.

And this is a major reason why Chicago means so much to me. My roots are here. This is a city of hope. A land of beautiful opportunities. A city where immigrants come to make their dreams come true.

Photo: Mark Rohan

Germans, Italians, Greeks, Chinese, European Jews, Irish, Poles, people from the Balkans, and other Europeans made Chicago what it is today.

New immigrants arrived to find better their lives. These immigrants did not come from foreign lands. Southern Blacks came to Chicago in masses during the Great Migration. They had the dream of a better life and prosperity as well.

They too faced discrimination.

After World War II, due to the Displaced Persons Act, more European immigrants came.

Later it was the Hispanics then people from the Caribbean, Africa, and South Asia, South East Asia, Central and South Americas.

Chicago Taxi | Photo: Max Bender

Many came to Chicago.

All came to work, prosper, and make better lives for their families and future generations.

All wanted nothing more than to be good American citizens.

America was the hope and dream.

Chicago was built by immigrants.

It is still being built by immigrants. Immigrants from all over the world.

Clod Gate | Photo: Clay Banks

Immigration is not just some Hispanic issue in Chicago. It is an important topic for people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds who came from someplace else.

Since the 1990s, Chicago has seen a turnaround with many revitalized inner city neighborhoods. The city's diversity has grown with new immigrants, with larger percentages of ethnic groups such as Asians, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.

In the 1990s, Chicago gained 113,000 new inhabitants. Since the 1920s, the lakefront has been lined with high-rise apartment buildings for middle classes who work in the city.

Thanks to the hard work of many immigrants, Chicago earned the title of "City of the Year" in 2008 from GQ for contributions in architecture and literature.

its world of politics, and the downtown's starring role in the Batman movie The Dark Knight. The city was rated by Moody's as having the most balanced economy in the United States due to its high level of diversification.

Today we remember - Chicago was built by immigrants.