What's the Midwest? For Midwesterners, it's the Census Bureau definition (plus Oklahoma). And if you don't live here, the region stretches all the way to Idaho. Read more
Cast a ballot today for a way to make Chicago's Metra and Amtrak hub—one of the city's most attractive, most traveled places—no longer one of its most boring. Read more
Chicago isn't Detroit. But it shares a lot of ugly midcentury history. The difference is how these scars affected each city's growth after traumatic events passed. Read more
The architect's vision for the campus adds panoramic city views and "cascading house lounges" to introduce students in the cloistered neighborhood to Chicago and each other. Read more
What was once a stable, rational upper-middle-class job followed the economy up and over a cliff. It destabilized lawyers and wrecked the whole industry. Read more
A new study on income mobility shows that, in Chicago, the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. But things can change. You always have a chance to get poorer. Read more
A new data portal from the city tracks the city's spending from tax-increment finance districts, both redevelopment and basic infrastructure. Read more
Sears's recent struggles are, in part, intentional, as it pits its departments against each other, down to floor displays and who gets to be where in their advertising circulars. Read more
