The Incredible, Explosive Growth of Chicago, As Seen Through Its Maps

  1. Mark Byrnes

See the first-ever map of the city, and how it evolved over a century.

In 1829, the State of Illinois appointed a commission to lay out what is current-day Chicago. The final map (for what was then a town of less than 100 people), was submitted by James Thompson on August 4, 1830.

The town grew quickly, as East Coast settlers moved for the area's rich farmlands and potential as a transportation hub. Chicago was officially incorporated in 1833 as a town, and granted a city charter four years later. By the end of its first decade, it had exploded to 4,470 inhabitants. Despite the devastating Great Chicago Fire of 1871 (which killed 300 residents, displaced 100,000 more and destroyed 18,000 buildings) the city kept growing, eclipsing the one million mark by 1890.

Below, a look back at the city's first century, from Thompson's original plat map to the post-Great Fire version of itself, through its maps:

Original plat map of Chicago by James Thompson, 1830. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons (see larger).
"Chicago," 1857. Courtesy Library of Commons (see larger).
"Map showing the burnt district in Chicago," 1871. Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

"The City of Chicago, showing the burnt district," 1874 . Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

"Rascher's birds eye view of the Chicago packing houses & union stock yards," 1890. Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

"All elevated trains in Chicago stop at the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railway Station, only one on the Loop," 1897. Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

"Bird's-eye-view of the business district of Chicago," 1898. Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

"Terminals of the Chicago and North-Western Railway at Chicago," 1902. Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

Birds-eye view of the elevated railroads and the parks and boulevards of Chicago.1908. Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

"Chicago, central business section," 1916. Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

"Chicago, central business section," 1916. Courtesy Library of Congress (see larger).

About the Author

Most Popular

  1. photo: Developer James Rouse visiting Harborplace in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
    Life

    What Happened to Baltimore’s Harborplace?

    The pioneering festival marketplace was among the most trendsetting urban attractions of the last 40 years. Now it’s looking for a new place in a changed city.

    1. Ethan McLeod
  2. Equity

    What ‘Livability’ Looks Like for Black Women

    Livability indexes can obscure the experiences of non-white people. CityLab analyzed the outcomes just for black women, for a different kind of ranking.

    1. Brentin Mock
  3. Design

    Why Amsterdam’s Canal Houses Have Endured for 300 Years

    A different kind of wealth distribution in 17th-century Amsterdam paved the way for its quintessential home design.

    1. Feargus O'Sullivan
  4. Design

    Before Paris’s Modern-Day Studios, There Were Chambres de Bonne

    Tiny upper-floor “maids’ rooms” have helped drive down local assumptions about exactly how small a livable home can be.

    1. Feargus O'Sullivan
  5. photo: Bernie Sanders
    Life

    Bernie Sanders Wins Endorsement From the Internet’s Premier Urbanist Meme-Makers

    In backing the Vermont senator, the popular Facebook group “New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens” is leveraging some offline political clout.

    1. Laura Bliss
Maps
Click Here
Newsletters
Click Here
Facebook
Click Here
×