Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States. With almost three million people living and working in this 22-mile long city, it makes sense that the skyscraper was born here. Chicago skyscrapers often house executive offices, restaurants, lofts and condominiums. These tall high rises grace the city’s skyline and overshadow all other Downtown edifices. Some buildings, particularly the Sears Towers and the John Hancock Center, are world famous tourist attractions.

The rest of the city consists of smaller office buildings, single-family homes and rental apartments. The North Side consists of affluent neighborhoods, like the Gold Coast portion of Lake Shore Drive, which is lined with attractive condominiums, upscale apartments and lakefront properties. Located near the financial district and many of the city’s finest tourist attractions, this Chicago neighborhood is among the priciest places to live in the United States. Bucktown and Wicker Park are up and coming neighborhoods, boasting several new residential condominiums. The rents in these areas are high, and the value of housing is rapidly rising. Yet, the majority of the population still consists of young professionals, artists and students.

Chicago also has numerous industrial parks scattered throughout the city’s vicinities, as well as in the western neighborhoods of Garfield Park and Lawndale. The remainder of the West Side has transformed into a pleasant area, with on-going renovations helping increase the area’s property value. The same make-over ventures have been applied to the diverse Chicago South Side. Some new and revamped housing developments have emerged in the attempt to improve this area’s appearance and value.

Chicago is truly a crowded metropolitan. Many neighborhoods are densely populated and aging. And, for that reason, many Chicagoans and Chicago businesses have relocated to the city’s suburbs, where the cost of rental apartments, townhouses, condominiums, houses, office parks and land are less.