Chicago

Chicago is an exciting place to live and study. One of the largest cities in the world, it offers students an exceptionally wide variety of professional and cultural resources.

Within close proximity to IIT are the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northwestern University. In total, there are more than 220 colleges in the metropolitan area. Chicago is also a national and international center of business and industry, at the crossroads of the U.S. air and rail transportation networks. Within driving distance of IIT are the Argonne National Laboratory, Amoco Research Center, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Universal Oil Products Technical Center, and many other chemical and allied industry research centers and production plants. The proximity of these centers provides an excellent opportunity for the IIT community to have close interaction with industry.

Chicago also offers an enormous variety of cultural resources, ranging from architectural landmarks to a wealth of museums. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is rated as one of the best in the world. The Lyric Opera ranks among the finest in the nation, as does the Art Institute of Chicago, which features a renowned collection of Impressionist paintings. The city also has many distinguished museums, including the Museum of Science and Industry, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, and the Oriental Institute. Popular arts abound in various areas of the city. There are numerous folk, jazz, blues, and rock music performances in the city's many clubs, cabarets, and concert halls. Chicago is also rich in live theater and has many fine performance companies. The city hosts professional teams in baseball, football, hockey, and basketball and is known for its lakefront beaches and parks which have excellent facilities for recreation. Three of the world's tallest buildings are located in Chicago: the John Hancock Center, the Amoco Building, and the Sears Tower.