April 1, 2008

The "Windy" City

windy city

Today is April Fool's Day, an unofficial holiday celebrated in many countries by committing hoaxes or practical jokes. Today is a good day to debunk a popular Chicago myth. In fact, some might say that this is a myth about a myth.

windyVisitors to Chicago who spend any amount of time near Lake Michigan or downtown will notice the city's high winds. Chicago's street grid pattern contributes to the gusts, as the wind travels down the straight paths formed by the buildings and picks up speed. Tourists find themselves saying, 'I see now why it's called The Windy City!' Of course, their native-Chicagoan friends (myself included) are quick to correct them, saying, 'No! The nickname has nothing to do with the weather! It's called The Windy City because of all the politicians' hot air.' Other Chicagoans will say the moniker came from a jealous New Yorker.

Well, sorry Chicagoans, but we're wrong. Maybe.

The most popular explanation (in print) is that Chicago was coined 'The Windy City' by Charles Dana, the editor of the New York Sun, in 1893. A few years earlier, the United States began planning to hold a world's fair to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. New York City and Chicago (recently rebuilt from the Great Chicago Fire) were the frontrunners to host the fair. Supposedly, Dana (a New Yorker) called Chicago 'The Windy City' because all of its residents were bragging and full of hot air.

windyThe fact is, references to Chicago as the 'Windy City' can be found long before 1893. For years, Chicago sold itself as an ideal summer resort because of its lake breeze. In the 1870s, several newspapers (Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer) made references to Chicago's winds from Lake Michigan.[1]

The references don't end there. In the 1860s and 1870s, Cincinnati and Chicago were rival cities, especially after Chicago surpassed Cincinnati in the latter's well-known meatpacking trade. This rivalry was so intense that the Chicago White Stockings baseball team[2] was created to defeat the Cincinnati Red Stockings. So it comes as no surprise that Cincinnati referred to Chicago as the 'Windy City' in its newspaper (Cincinnati Enquirer) as early as 1876. To them, Chicago was pretentious and 'full of wind.'

windy citySo, why exactly is Chicago called 'The Windy City- Well, we can't be completely sure. Tourists may be right in thinking it's because of the weather. Or perhaps we have some angry Ohio residents to blame' or thank? But whatever the reason, 'The Windy City' has become the most widely recognized nickname for the city of Chicago.

For more information on the debate, check out the following websites:
The Straight Dope
USA Today
World Wide Words
The Big Apple

Photo credit (via Flickr): adam79, katiew, traffic sounds, Chicago Eye


[1] The Big Apple: Windy City (summary)
[2] The White Stockings later changed their name and became the Chicago Cubs. Another Chicago team adopted the White Stockings name and would eventually be known as'you guessed it'the White Sox.

One comment

1 comment to The "Windy" City

  1. The Second City
    April 25th, 2008 at 6:00 am

    [...] way to New York City looking for fame on Broadway. And what do budding performers find here in the Windy City? Chicago’s main reason for its improv-comedic fame: The Second [...]

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