Chicago is the third largest city in the United States and is located in the state of Illinois, on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The city is the county seat of Cook County. The Chicago metropolitan area is known colloquially as Chicagoland, after a term promoted by the Chicago Tribune in the early 20th century. Chicago has many different nicknames and has been ranked as one of ten "alpha" world cities by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC). Chicago was first settled by non-indigenous people when Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, an African American from Haiti, settled on the banks of the Chicago River. In 1795, the area of Chicago was ceded by the Native Americans in the Treaty of Greenville to the United States for use as a military post. In 1803, Fort Dearborn was built. It was destroyed in the Fort Dearborn Massacre during the War of 1812, but was rebuilt in 1816 and remained in use until 1837. On August 12, 1833, the Town of Chicago was incorporated as a town with a population of 350. On March 4, 1837, Chicago was granted a city charter by Illinois. The opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848 allowed shipping from the Great Lakes through Chicago to the Mississippi River and so to the Gulf of Mexico. The first rail line to Chicago, the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, was also completed in 1848. In 1871, most of the city burned in the Great Chicago Fire. In the following years, Chicago architecture would become influential throughout the world. The first skyscraper was constructed in 1885 using novel steel skeleton construction. On December 2, 1942, the world's first controlled nuclear reaction was conducted at the University of Chicago as part of the top secret Manhattan Project. Chicago has been a center for commerce in the United States for most of its modern history. Before it was incorporated as a town in 1833 the primary industry was fur trading. Chicago's early explosive growth led many land speculators and enterprising individuals to the area. Located on the Great Lakes and with so many new people settling the area Chicago became an ideal location for shipping and receiving goods to other parts of the country and world. With that, many railroads started to be built from Chicago to other parts of the country further aiding in the growth of the city. Additionally, the building of the Illinois and Michigan Canal helped move goods south down the Mississippi River. In the 1840s Chicago became the largest grain port in the world shipping food from the Mississippi Valley region which was also growing into the largest food producing region in the world. In 1848 Chicago built its first grain elevator and 1858 there were twelve grain elevators dotting the skyline. Carl Sandburg described Chicago as a "stacker of wheat" and some would argue that the grain elevators built were Chicago's first skyscrapers. Among the various colleges and universities situated in Chicago are: DePaul University, Illinois Institute of Technology, John Marshall Law School, Loyola University, Roosevelt University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Moody Bible Institute, North Park Theological Seminary, North Park University, Chicago State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northwestern Business College, Saint Xavier University, Columbia College, International Academy of Design and Technology, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and City Colleges of Chicago. Chicago is also identified with many sports teams. It is one of the few cities in the nation with two professional baseball teams plus professional football, soccer, basketball and hockey. In the early history of the city sports is at the heart of some founding legends. The following sports teams are based in Chicago; Chicago Bears - National Football League, Chicago Bulls - National Basketball Association, Chicago Blackhawks - National Hockey League, Chicago Fire - Major League Soccer, Chicago Cubs - Major League Baseball, and Chicago White Sox - Major League Baseball.

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