Chicago, is the third-most populous city in the United States. With over 2.7 million residents, it is also the most populous city in both the state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States. The Chicago metropolitan area, often referred to as Chicagoland, has nearly 10 million people and is the third-largest in the United States.
Chicago has often been called a global architecture capital and is considered one of the most important business centers in the world.
In 2016, Chicago hosted record 54 million domestic and international visitors, making it one of the most visited cities in the United States.
There are many colleges and universities in the Chicago area, of which Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago are classified as "highest research" doctoral universities.
Positioned along Lake Michigan, the city is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. O'Hare International Airport is the second-busiest airport in the world when measured by aircraft traffic. The region also has the largest number of U.S. highways and railroad freight.
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