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Chicago, located in Cook County, is the largest city in IL and third largest in the country with a population of 2.8 million. The metro area, coined Chicagoland by the Chicago Tribune, has 9.5 million people and includes the counties of Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee, and three counties in Indiana; Lake, Porter, and LaPorte.
Chicago is divided into four main sections: Downtown, which contains the Loop, the North Side, the South Side, and the West Side. It has 220 neighborhoods and 77 designated community areas, including historic districts Wicker Park, Old Town, Beverly and the Pullman District. The Gold Coast is considered Chicago most expensive neighborhood, with mostly high-rise apartment buildings on Lake Shore Drive, facing Lake Michigan. Forbes magazine named Chicago's 60602 zip code the hottest in the country with buildings such as The Heritage at Millennium, Waterview Tower, The Legacy and Momo.
Neighborhoods near Downtown include Ukranian Village, East Village, Noble Square, River West and Smith Park. The Magnificent Mile, the portion of Michigan Avenue running from the Chicago River to Oak Street, has many upscale stores, hotels and restaurants and is known for its nightlife.
The North Side is the most densely populated residential area of the city, running along Lake Michigan and containing miles of beaches. Some popular neighborhoods are Wrigleyville, Lakeview, Old Town and Lincoln Park.
The South Side is the largest section of the city (60% land) and is home to two of Chicago's largest public parks, Jackson Park and Washington Park. Neighborhoods include Ashburn, Morgan Park, Mt. Greenwood and the historic district of Beverly.
The West Side neighborhoods include Austin, Lawndale, Garfield Park, West Town, and Humboldt Park.
Major Chicago area universities include the University of Chicago, Loyola, DePaul, Northwestern, DeVry and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
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