In almost any way you look at them; Chicago Illinois and Cape Coral are polar opposite US cities. One is situated on the Coast, the other in the Midwest on the shores of one of the Great Lakes. Their geography is vastly different. Their populations are different sizes. Their local governments operate in a vastly different way. But in so far as Chicago, Illinois and Cape Coral, Florida are US cities, they do have chronologies. The purpose of comparing and contrasting them gives insight into the similarities that cities have in so far as they are both cities in the United States. Even cities that by city standards are vastly different, they also have an enormous in common. Having visited both places, a first-hand experience has been bolstered with academic research on both places to provide a comparison of historical facts and figures.
Chicago is one of the United State's most well-known cities. Along with Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, it is one of the most known cities to people of other countries. It has one of the largest populations of any city in the US with close to 2.7 million. This makes it the third largest city in the country. It is considered a Midwestern city and it's culture most closely reflects the US Midwest culture (Andreas, 45).
In contrast, Cape Coral, is an ocean city and geographically is located on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Locals call Cape Coral “The Cape.” One geographical similarity between Chicago and Cape Coral is that both cities do have stretches of waterfront beach where people can engage in activities such as swimming, boating or kayaking. The contrast between their beaches is that while Chicago's waterfront is fresh water and from Lake Michigan whereas Cape Coral's water is saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico.
The difference in population between the two cities is substantial. Also in terms of their age both cities were founded during different time periods of United States history. The official founding date for Cape Coral is 1957. This was a time in the states when central planning was a key component to new townships, and this shows in the layout of the city. Cape Coral is included in other cities that are considered a pre-planned community (Wadsworth and Cull, 56). Chicago was founded where it was because it presented a key trading route where shipping could be conducted along the Chicago River. But as the settlement grew larger and larger, it grew so somewhat haphazardly (Andreas, 23). Cape Coral was founded where it was because the government decided to set-aside land and created a pre-planned community. They build infrastructure even before people arrived there. (Wadsworth and Cull, 56). The government initiative succeeded in attracting residence and in the 2010 census the city had a population of 155,000 resident.
Cape Coral in the media was named “Waterfront Wonderland,” The city consists of mile upon miles of canals and waterways. These are frequently used by residents and visitors for watersports. There is a much more vibrant waterfront culture in Cape Coral than in Chicago. This is owing to climate. Cape Coral does not have to undergo the bitterly cold Midwestern Winters that Chicago must endure. As anyone who has ever visited Chicago in the winter can attest. Only Minneapolis and Saint Paul are cities of comparable size in the United States, which produces such a bitterly cold winter for residents.
The funding cultures of both cities are different. Chicago comes from a Native American word as the French spelled it. The word, shikakwa, is an American Indian word which means wild onion. There has have been European settlers in the area that is today Chicago since the late 17th Century. The population was 200 in 1833, and the settlement was named Town of Chicago. It took seven years to grow to 4,200. (Samson, 123). 1837 was the date when Chicago was for the first time in its history the fastest growing city in America.
Fast growth early on is something that Chicago and Cape Coral both have in common. Since its founding Cape Coral has continued to be one of the fastest growing cities in the state. The reasons for this though are different in each case. Chicago grew quickly because of job opportunities. Cape Coral had been planned to grow quickly and was a situation in an attractive location and climate (Wadsworth & Cull, 122). Chicago however, since reaching it’s current size, is not growing proportionally at such a high rate as Cape Coral.
People in Cape Coral likely have much higher vitamin D count than people living in Chicago. While Chicago slips by with a measly 145 days of sun a year, Cape Coral reins the sunshine kind with an average of 355 days of sunshine every year,! But days of sunshine do not mean that there will not be rain that day. Because of where it is the situation in the Gulf Stream, Cape Coral has a rainy season. On average, it rains 145 days of every year. But these showers only last a few hours and then the sunshine returns (Wadsworth & Cull, 33). Cape Coral has only two seasons, wet and dry. Chicago is seasonal, so it goes through all four seasons. Both Chicago and Cape Corals climates are regulated by the large body of water next to the city. Chicago humid summers under temps of over 90 degrees happen that way because of the water that evaporates from Lake Michigan and remains in the air. In the winter, the average daytime temperature of Chicago is 31 degrees. (Miller, 8). The record low temperature ever recorded in Chicago happened on July 24, 1934.
Architecture is where one can find a sharp contrast between Cape Coral and Chicago. Giant skyscrapers reach the sky in Chicago. Cape Coral is filled with modern and more abstract architecture. Transportation is another area where residents have a much different experience getting around. In Cape Coral, most people own a car, and that is how they get around. They do have buses, and the public transportation consists of 18 buses operating on fixed route. The government has outsourced this responsibility to the company Lee Tran. Buses in Cape Coral only operate until 10: 00pm (Wadsworth and Culler, 66).
Chicago boasts one of the largest and most complicated public transpiration cities in the US and even the world. There are seven interstates that cut through the city. Cape Coral has no major highways passing through it. There is no sense in building a highway into the ocean. The Chicago Transit Authority consists of above ground and below ground transpiration networks. There are buses and two major airports servicing the city. There is also an abundant amount of taxis. So depending on a person's budget, Chicago offers a variety of public transportation options.
What unites people of Chicago and Cape Coral, is that as US citizens they have a shared culture. Anyone who has driven across the US can report that along the highway one finds the same chains. There are the same gas stations. There are the same fast food options. Many people across the US of the same demographic listen to the same music and wear the same kind of clothes. Politically, both communities lean left , towards the democratic party. Chicago and Cape Coral both have city councils, but for Chicago it is a person’s sole occupation while most city councilors in Cape Coral are able to have a regular job in addition to a job as an elected official. While Cape Coral is mostly white middle class citizens and Latinos, Chicago has a diverse urban population from a variety of nationalities and background.
Although Chicago and Cape Coral are polar opposite US cities, they have a shared culture which unites them more than their unique differences separate them. They both have a body of water, which affects the City Culture. There local governments operate on many different levels. Cape Coral can outsource their public transportation needs. Chicago has to build a huge network of support and engineers. Running their transportation system is like sending a mission to mars.
A glimpse at both Chicago and Cape Coral is a glimpse at just how distinct cities across the United States are. For anyone who wants a vibrant city life, Chicago offers that in spades. But for people looking to flee the winter and enjoy the sunshine all year round, Cape Coral is a much better option than Chicago. But both cities offer a variety of options for water sports. The only difference is in Chicago half of the year those water sports are ice-skating and hockey.
References:
Andreas, A. T. (18841886). History of Chicago: from the earliest period to the present time. Chicago: A.T. Andreas.
Cull, A., & Wadsworth, C. (n.d.). Cape Coral. Google Books. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://books.google.com/books?id=Yd-D28AQunEC&lpg=PP1&dq=cape%20coral&pg=PA4#v=onepage&q=cape%20coral&f=false
Miller, D. L. (1996). City of the century: the epic of Chicago and the making of America. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Sampson, R. J. (2012). Great American city: Chicago and the enduring neighborhood effect. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
" City of Cape Coral > About > History."City of Cape Coral > Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Aug. 2013. <http://www.capecoral.net/About/History/tabid/470/Default.aspx>.
"City of Chicago Fact Sheet." No Games Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 July 2013. <nogames.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/w
