Chicago Loop

The Loop is the main section of Downtown Chicago, and constitutes one of Chicago's 77 designated community area, while serving as the central business district of the city.

Overview
Being Chicago's commercial core, the Loop contains the headquarters and regional offices of a wide variety of global and national businesses, restaurants, retail etablishments, theaters, hotels, and many Chicago's most famous landmarks, in addition to being the second largest commercial business district in the United States, and in the world. Famous companies are headquartered in Chicago. For instance Bank One Corporation and Sidley & Austin were both headquartered in Bank One Tower, at the time of Midtown Madness's release.

Skyscrapers and tall buildings have been an integral part of the architecture of the Chicago Loop since its inception. Remarkable buildings include the Home Insurance Building, the world's first skyscraper (until its demolition in 1931), and the Sears Tower, the world's tallest building for nearly two decades. Many of the district's buildings featured innovative characteristics and played a key role in the development of subsequent skyscrapers worldwide.

The Chicago skyline is an iconic sight, featuring some of the world's tallest building, aswell as the renowned Historic Michigan Boulevard District. The emblematic skyline extends over the entire city centre. In the core of the city's financial district - on the Western Side of the Loop - sits the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere (at the time of Midtown Madness's release), aswell as the nearby 311 South Wacker Drive and the AT&T Corporate Center.

The Loop is also a cultural hub, as evidenced by Calder's Flamingo - a massive outdoor sculpture on Federal Plaza - and the presence of the famous Art Institute Of Chicago in the area.

The Chicago River also has a fair share of memorable sights and recreational activities, as evidenced by the yearly dyeing of the river in green, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Touristic boat operators also navigate the river to provides architectural tours of the city.

Many governmental offices are headquartered in the area aswell. Instituted in 1909, the Chicago's street grid adresses starts at the intersection of Madison Street and State Street. The eastern section of the community area is home to most of Grant Park's 319 acres. The Loop is bordered by the Chicago River on the North and in the West, by Lake Michigan in the East, and by Roosevelt Road in the South (although the commercial core has greatly expanded into neighborings community areas).

The South Loop is generally referred as the area extending between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, South of Congress Parkway (with the exception of Chinatown). The area is notably the site of Dearborn Station, the oldest train station still standing in Chicago, which has since the mid-1980s been converted to retail and office space. While in real-life, perceptions of the southern boundary of the neighborhood have been disputed (as Chicago has been developping at a growing pace towards the South), in-game the area seems to be confined to the grounds of Dearborn Station.

History
The Loop traces its origin when Fort Dearborn was erected in the area in 1803, on the south bank of the Chicago River, close to the current Michigan Avenue Bridge. It was the first settlement in the area sponsored by the United States' federal government. When originally laid out by surveyor James Thompson in 1830, Chicago was limited to the present Loop, with the area extending to the North of Madison Street, and to the West of State Street. On what is now the northwestern corner of the Loop, near Wolf Point, stood the Sauganash Hotel (the first hotel ever built in Chicago) erected in 1831. When Cook County was incorporated in 1831, the first meeting of its government was held at Fort Dearborn with two representatives from Chicago and one from Naperville. Except for the Fort Dearborn reservation (which wouldn't become part of the city until 1839) and land reclaimed from Lake Michigan, the entirety of what is now the Loop was part of the Town of Chicago when it was initially incorporated in 1833.

While it originally relied on a mixed economy, the character of the area changed dramatically in the 1870s - particularly after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 - and it shifted to a commercial nature. Beginning at that time, some of the world's earliest skyscrapers started rising from the earth, ushering a new school of thought in the field of architecture (the Chicago School), which became renowned thoughout the world. In the 19th century, cable car turnarounds and an elevated railway loop (from which the area drews its name) were put in operation, while the 1920s saw the advent of many highways in the Loop; the most prominent one being U.S. Route 66 (built in 1926), which has its eastern terminus in the area.

Although dominated by office and public buildings, its residential population surged during the end of the 20th century; its population increasing the most of all Chicago's community areas since 1950.

Trivia

 * While several streets in the Loop are multi-tiered in real-life, they do not appear as such in Midtown Madness.
 * The Near East Side (or New Eastside) is noticeably different in-game. While the Amoco Tower is featured (albeit in a slightly different location), the layout of the area has been heavily altered, so that Grant Park actually covers the area where the neighborhood should stand.