Regional
Scoop
Chicago
Nicknamed
the Windy City, Chicago is home to the Sears Tower, an impressive lakeshore, and
incredible shopping on Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile.
BUSINESS
Home to the busiest airport in the world, Chicago is a bustling, vibrant city
with 15 Fortune 500 companies headquartered downtown, including transportation
giant Boeing, The Tribune Company, one of the country's leading media companiesand
food industry leaders Sara Lee and Quaker Oats.
Chicago has more than 300,000 businesses in the metro area, ranking the city third
in the country behind New York and Los Angeles.
While the majority of Chicagoland workers are employed in finance, real estate
and insurance companies, the city stays true to its blue-collar roots with steel
and construction firms like Inland Steel Industries and Smurfit-Stone Container.
Other large corporations that call Chicago home include printer R.R. Donnelly
and Sons, telecommunications giant AT&T, accounting firm Price Waterhouse
Coopers, and LaSalle Bank, sponsor of the world-famous Chicago Marathon.
CULTURE
There is no shortage of activities available for any tourist or resident of the
city and its many suburbs.
The Windy City borders Lake Michigan, boasts the world's second tallest building,
and hosts a variety of sports teams, including the Cubs and White Sox, the Bears,
the Bulls, the Chicago Fire, and the Blackhawks and Wolves. Music fans flock to
the popular Chicago Blues and Jazz Fests, and shoppers check out the wide range
of opportunities from Michigan Avenue to Little Chinatown to Navy Pier. Chicago
is also home to world-renowned museums, including the Art Institute, the Shedd
Aquarium, the Field and Science Museum, and the Museum of Science and Industry.
Other entertainment options include joining the TV audience of such nationally
syndicated shows as "Oprah," "The Jenny Jones Show," and "The
Jerry Springer Show," all taped in Chicago.
CHICAGO BY THE
NUMBERS (2000
data)
| Greater
Chicago population |
8,272,768 |
| Median
rent |
$1,723
|
| Average
house price |
$155,960
|
| Average
household income |
$41,549
|
| Unemployment
rate |
7.2% |
| Number
of Drake alumni |
5,000 |
|
 |
"The
Chicagoland Drake alumni chapter has a tremendous number of participants. It's
a great way to meet and network with other alumni and stay connected to Drake."
- Christin
Lore, BN'93 new program project manager, Fleet Boston Financial - Fleet Capital
Leasing
|
 |
"Chicago
is the premier place for business in the Midwest. If you want a large city with
everything, but not the relentless pace of New York City, this is the place to
be."
- Vinaya Sharma, BN'93 actuary,senior manager, Allstate Life Insurance Company
|
 |
"Chicago
is a wonderful place to live. The city provides great shopping and entertainment,
the country's best restaurants, a beautiful lakefront, celebrated sports teams
and fantastic city living. Overall, the best reason to chose Chicago is its variety.
It is a city that has endless opportunities."
- Chris Witte, BN'89, GR'90, director of category management, Pepsico, Pepsi-Cola
North America
|
ALUMNI CHAPTER
Thinking of visiting or moving to Chicago? Connect with other Bulldogs in the
area through Drake's Chicago Alumni Chapter by contacting Carol Noyce Molino,
BN'85, at 630-260-9953. Or, contact the Chicago Office of alumni director Stacy
Rungaitis at 847-397-9400.
You can also connect in cyberspace by visiting Drake's online alumni community
at www.drakealumni.net. |
|
