- Chicago is know as the "Windy City", probably because:1. The City is on Lake Michigan with resulting wind and weather from the Lake, especially near downtown with tall buildings.and/or2. Bragging.Both one and two are correct.From Wikapedia:The earliest known reference to Chicago as the "Windy City" is from an 1858 Chicago Tribune article.[1] The first known repeated effort to label Chicago with this nickname is from 1876 and involves Chicago's rivalry with Cincinnati. The term "Windy City" was popularized and came into common usage by The Sun editor, Charles Dana, in the bidding for the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The popularity of the nickname has endured, long after the Cincinnati rivalry and the Columbian Exposition ended.
The following "windy city" explanation is from the Freeborn County Standard of Albert Lea, Minnesota, on November 20, 1892:
“ 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 used to 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 today 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, wrote that "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."A typical summer weather forecast on TV or radio will predict a day's high temperature, with the appended comment: "cooler near the lake."Origin of the name "Windy City" - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_name_%22Windy_City%22The city of Chicago has been known by many nicknames, but it is most widely recognized as the "Windy City". There are three main possibilities to explain the ... Chicago - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChicagoFurther information: History of Chicago and Origin of the name "Windy City". Thename "Chicago" is derived from a French rendering of the Native American ...You visited this page.World Wide Words: Windy City
www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-win1.htmDec 15, 2001 – Why is Chicago called the Windy City? ... Mr Popik has suggested that the name actually originated in a scheme by the Chicago Tribune about ...For our out of town guests: Why Chicago is called `the Windy City
blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists.../for_our_out_of_.htmlJul 17, 2006 – But consult most tour books or talk to city history buffs, and they'll gleefully ... "`Windy City' didn't become a household name until after the Dana ... Why Chicago Is Really Called The Windy City - Huffington Post
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../why-chicago-is-really-cal_n_145628.htmlNov 21, 2008 – "If you had always assumed that Chicago earned its nickname as the Windy City from the chilly gusts coming off Lake Michigan, you would be ...Why is Chicago referred to as "The Windy City"? - Fun Trivia
www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question75646.htmlFeb 8, 2007 - 3 posts - 3 authorsFurther explanation of the various origins can be found at Windy City, Origin ofName (Chicago). However, the breeziness of the city's weather ..."Windy City" - Encyclopedia of Chicago
www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/6.htmlThe power of the name lies in the metaphorical use “windy” for “talkative” or ... with loquacious politicians, thus underlying the nickname with double meaning.Origins of the Nickname “The Windy City” - HubPages
Feb 19, 2008 – Chicago has many nicknames, but its most famous and familiar is "The Windy City." Although, the exact origin for the name is unknown, ...Chicago History: Where the Windy City Got its Name - iExplore ...
blog.iexplore.com/.../chicago-history-where-the-windy-city-got-...Jun 24, 2011 – Chicago history offers much to Midwesterners, with theorigin of the Windy City name heavily debated.Windy City Meaning (Chicago: live in, radio, cities) - City-Data Forum
Mar 26, 2009 – User Name ... Windy City= Full of blow hard Politicians, all you have to do is blow ... I'm not ripping Chicago or the people, I'm just amazed on how many people all over the us don't know the meaning behind the windy city.
