Why is Chicago, IL called "The Windy City"?

Answer 1

Chicago is the 14th windiest city, meteorologically speaking, in North America.

Its nickname, "The Windy City," is derived from its local politicians, who, today as ever, are quite windy, i.e., verbose. They're full of hot air!

At least, this is what I was always told when I lived there for 10 years, and my wife and her family grew up there. But, opinions vary. Check this out:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-win1.htm

Answer 2

There are two answers to that question:
1) Because of the predominantly high winds off of Lake Michigan
2) Some say that it is a name that was coined by New Yorkers in the 1930's as a reference to all of the "hot air" coming from Chicagoans about which city was the best city. This would make sense, as Chicago is also known as the "Second City", which is also a term that was coined around the same time as the windy city, likely by New Yorkers.

Answer 3

The City of Chicago has been known by many nicknames, but it is most widely recognized as The Windy City. Potential explanations for this particular nickname include Chicago's:

- Weather
- Politics
- World's Fair
- Cincinnati rivalry

The earliest known "Windy City" citations are from 1876, and involve Chicago's rivalry with Cincinnati. A popular myth states that "Windy City" was first used by New York Sun editor Charles Dana in the bidding of the Columbian Exposition of 1893. All four of the explanations below help with understanding the enduring popularity of the "Windy City" term, even after the Cincinnati rivalry and the Columbian Exposition had both ended.

Geographic conditions in the area (e.g., proximity to Lake Michigan, local prevailing winds, etc.) make Chicago a naturally windy area. Another contributing factor is how the city was rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire. With a clean slate, planners modeled new streets on the grid system. In high density areas, such as the Loop, man-made wind tunnels are created on high windy days as there are even "columns and rows" for wind to travel down and pick up speed.

This "windy" explanation is from the Freeborn County Standard of Albert Lea, Minnesota, November 20, 1892 (digitized citation available on Newspaperarchive.com}:

"Chicago has been called the “windy” city, the term being used metaphorically to make out that Chicagoans were braggarts. The city is losing this reputation, for the reason that as people got acquainted with it they found most of her claims to be backed up by facts. As usual, people go to extremes in this thing also, and one can tell a stranger almost anything about Chicago to-day and feel that he believes it implicitly.

But in another sense Chicago is actually earning the title of the “windy” city. It is one of the effects of the tall buildings which engineers and architects apparently did not foresee that the wind is sucked down into the streets. Walk past the Masonic Temple or the Auditorium any day even though it may be perfectly calm elsewhere, and you will meet with a lively breeze at the base of the building that will compel you to put your hand to your hat."

Chicago had long billed itself as an ideal summer resort because of its cool lake breeze. The Boston Globe of July 8, 1873 pointed this out: "A few years ago, Chicago advertised itself as a summer resort, on the strength of the lake breezes which so nicely tempered the mid-summer heats." The Chicago Tribune of June 14, 1876 discussed "Chicago as a Summer Resort" at length, proudly declaring that "the people of this city are enjoying cool breezes, refreshing rains, green fields, a grateful sun, and balmy air—winds from the north and east tempered by the coolness of the Lake, and from the south and west, bearing to us frequent hints of the grass, flowers, wheat and corn of the prairies."

The February 4, 1873 The Philadelphia Inquirer called Chicago "the great city of winds and fires."[1]

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 4

It has nothing to do with the wind. It has to do with wind bag politicians. It was the long winded speeches by politicians that gave the city the nickname. This is still debated though.

Other nicknames "Chi Town", "City of Big Shoulders" and "Second City"

Interesting note ,not related, is that on October 7, 1997, the Chicago City Council approved a resolution which absolved Mrs. O'Leary's cow of all blame for the Great Chicago Fire.

Answer 5

If you have ever been there on the lake front during the winter you would know. the wind seems to blow all the time.
There is a saying in Chicago that it is a calm day when the wind is only blowing 60 miles a hour or less.

Answer 6

I think Oklahoma City is the windiest city. Anyway, it has nothing to do with weather - it has to do with the 'hot air' spewed by Chicago politicians. They have quite a reputation.

Answer 7

It's always windy over there.

Answer 8

Lake effects cause wind. Just like the ocean at the beach.

Answer 9

Because there is a lot of wind in that city, particularly nearer to the lake.

Answer 10

Becasue it's windy, honestly that's the real reason :)