Downtown and The Loop
Main article: Chicago Loop
 
A view of the Loop from the Aon Center.The downtown area, lying somewhat roughly between Division Street on the north, Lake Michigan on the east, Roosevelt Road on the south and DesPlaines Avenue on the west, is the main commercial and cultural section of the city and includes the city's tallest buildings. In recent years, downtown has become so popular it has taken on the additional role as a residential enclave, with a high number of residents living there. The area of the Loop, located within downtown, was named for a circuit of cable cars and later for the elevated train Loop where practically all branches of the CTA elevated and subway trains lead. Some of downtown's commercial, cultural, and financial institutions are located in the Loop.

North Side
The city's North Side (extending north of downtown along the lakefront) is the most densely populated residential section of the city. It contains public parkland and beaches stretching for miles along Lake Michigan to the city's northern border. Much of the North Side has benefited from of an economic boom which began in the 1990s. For example, the River North area, located just north of the Chicago River and the Loop, has undergone a transition from a warehouse district to an active commercial, residential, and entertainment hub, featuring the city's largest concentration of contemporary art galleries. Just west of River North's galleries and bistros, demolition of the CHA's Cabrini-Green housing project began in 2003, being replaced by upscale townhomes.

South Side
Main article: South Side (Chicago)
The South Side (extending south of downtown along Lake Michigan) is the largest section of the city, encompassing roughly 60% of the city's land area. The section along the lake is marked with public parkland and beaches. The South Side has a higher ratio of single-family homes and also contains most of the city's industry.

Along with being the largest section of the city in terms of geography, the South Side is also home to two of the city's largest parades: the annual Bud Billiken Day parade, which is held during the second weekend of August and celebrates children returning to school, and the South Side Irish Parade, which is always held the Sunday prior to Saint Patrick's Day, unless the holiday falls on a Sunday in which case the parade is held that day.

The South Side has two of Chicago's largest public parks. Jackson Park, which hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, is currently the site of the Museum of Science and Industry. The park stretches along the lakefront, linking the neighborhoods of Hyde Park and South Shore. Washington Park, which is connected to Jackson Park by the Midway Plaisance, is currently being considered as the primary site of the Olympic Stadium for the 2016 Summer Olympics if Chicago wins the bid.

West Side
The West Side (extending west of downtown) is made up of neighborhoods such as Austin, Lawndale, Garfield Park, West Town, and Humboldt Park among others. Some neighborhoods, particularly Garfield Park and Lawndale, have socio-economic problems including urban decay and crime. Other West Side neighborhoods, especially those closer to downtown, have been experiencing a rise in property value.

Major parks on the West Side include Douglas Park, Garfield Park, and Humboldt Park. Garfield Park Conservatory houses one of the largest collections of tropical plants of any U.S. city. Cultural attractions on the West Side include Humboldt Park's Puerto Rican Day festival, and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen.

Chicago, IL Schools
There are 680 public schools, 394 private schools, 83 colleges, and 88 libraries in Chicago proper [[3]]

Public schools
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the school district that controls over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago. The school district, with more than 400,000 students enrolled,[64] is led by CEO Arne Duncan. The CPS also includes several selective-admission magnet schools.

Like many urban U.S. school districts, Chicago Public Schools suffered many problems throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including overcrowding, under-funding, mismanagement and a high dropout rate. In 1987, then U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett named the Chicago Public Schools as the "worst in the nation." Several school reform initiatives have since been undertaken to improve the system's performance. Reforms have included a system of Local School Councils, Charter schools, and efforts to end social promotion. The most notable and public of these reforms has been a concerted effort at aggressively closing down underperforming schools while at the same time renovating and improving successful ones or building new ones. Some schools Like Esmond Elementary school in Beverly/ Morgan park has come off of the closing list because of continiously improving test scores along with many other schools in the city.last year the schol system had out preformed the other schools in the state even though the test scores were lower.

Private schools
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates the city's Roman Catholic schools, among which are three Jesuit schools: Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, St. Ignatius College Preparatory School and Loyola Academy. Among the more well-known private schools in Chicago are the Latin School and Francis W. Parker School in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, as well as the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in Hyde Park and the Ida Crown Jewish Academy in West Ridge.

Colleges and universities
Main article: Colleges and universities of Chicago
 
The University of Chicago's Midway Plaisance, a long stretch of parkland that bisects the campusSince the 1890s, Chicago has been a world center in higher education and research. Three universities in or immediately adjoining the city, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northwestern University, are among the top echelon ("DRU/VH") of doctorate-granting research universities according to the Carnegie Classification system.

The University of Chicago, one of the world's most distinguished universities, is located in Hyde Park on the city's South Side. The university is associated with 81 Nobel Prize Laureates. The university's School of Business maintains a campus in downtown Chicago.

Northwestern University, a private university of national prominence, is located in the adjacent northern suburb of Evanston. Northwestern also maintains a downtown campus, The Feinberg School of Medicine and School of Law, both of which are located in the city's Streeterville neighborhood.

The University of Illinois at Chicago, a nationally ranked public research institution, is the city's largest university. [4] UIC boasts the nation's largest medical school.[5]

The Illinois Institute of Technology main campus in Bronzeville has renowned engineering and architecture programs and was host to world-famous modern architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for many years, and the IIT Stuart School of Business and Chicago-Kent College of Law are located downtown in the financial district.

Prominent Catholic universities in Chicago include Loyola University and DePaul University. Loyola, which has campuses both on the North Side as well as downtown, and a Medical Center in the west suburban Maywood, is the largest Jesuit university in the country while Depaul is the largest Catholic university in the U.S.

The Chicago area has the largest concentration of seminaries and theological schools outside the Vatican. The city is home to the Catholic Theological Union, Chicago Theological Seminary, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, McCormick Theological Seminary, Meadville Lombard Theological School, North Park Theological Seminary, and the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, and the Moody Bible Institute.

DePaul University's College of Commerce at State Street and Jackson Boulevard downtown in the Chicago Loop.State funded universities in Chicago (besides UIC) include Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University. The city also has a large community college system known as the City Colleges of Chicago.

Founded on the principles of social justice, Roosevelt University was named in honor of president Franklin D. Roosevelt, two weeks after his death. It houses the Theatre and Music Conservatories under the Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Rush Medical College, now part of Rush University, was the first institution of higher learning chartered in Illinois and one of the first medical schools to open west of the Alleghenies. The school received its charter on March 2, 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was incorporated.

Fine and Performing Arts programs in Chicago may be pursued at numerous accredited institutions, which include The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The American Academy of Art and Columbia College Chicago.

The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, became affiliated with Le Cordon Bleu of Paris in June 2000.