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. Design

    How Boston Got Its ‘T’

    Designers Peter Chermayeff and Tom Geismar talk about how they gave the MBTA an enduring makeover.

    1. Mark Byrnes
  2. A large tank truck parked in front of new apartment buildings.
    Life

    The Divides Within, and Between, Urban and Rural America

    Economic growth is not only uneven between urban and rural places—it is uneven within them, too.

    1. Richard Florida
  3. A crowd of onlookers watches fire consume the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro on September 3.
    Perspective

    Rio's National Museum Fire Was Not Just an Accident

    The fire that destroyed the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro was part of a larger campaign of disinvestment aimed at the country’s history and culture.

    1. Tarcyla Fidalgo
  4. A Fifties-style diner with blue booths and chairs and pink walls.
    Design

    Why a ‘Memory Town’ Is Coming to Your Local Strip Mall

    Weeks after opening near San Diego, a model town for treating dementia is set to be replicated around the U.S.

    1. Amanda Kolson Hurley
  5. A mother and two children riding bikes in the Netherlands
    Transportation

    Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

    In their new book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality, Melissa and Chris Bruntlett use the example of the Netherlands to show how a cycling culture promotes community building and health.

    1. Richard Florida
Maps
Click Here
Newsletters
Click Here
Facebook
Click Here
Skip to content
Next Story in Design »