information:highlighting, structural:summarization
The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest business district in North America after Midtown Manhattan. The headquarters and regional offices of several global and national businesses, retail establishments, restaurants, hotels, and theaters–as well as many of Chicago's most famous attractions–are located in the Loop. The neighborhood also hosts Chicago's City Hall, the seat of Cook County, offices of other levels of government, and several foreign consulates. The intersection of State Street and Madison Street in the Loop is the origin point for the address system on Chicago's street grid. The Loop's definition and percieved boundaries have changed over time. Today, the area bounded by the Chicago River to the west and north, Lake Michigan to the east, and Roosevelt Road to the south is called the Loop. Originally, however, "the Loop" meant only the 35 city blocks bounded on the north by Lake Street, on the west by Wells Street, on the south by Van Buren Street, and on the east by Wabash Avenue—the Union Loop formed by the 'L'. Similarly, "South" and "West Loop" historically referred to areas within the Loop proper, but in the 21st century began to refer to the entire Near South and Near West Sides of the city, respectively. In 1803, the United States Army built Fort Dearborn in what is now the Loop, the first settlement in the area sponsored by the United States' federal government. When Chicago and Cook County were incorporated in the 1830s, the area was selected as the site of their respective seats. Originally mixed-use, the neighborhood became increasingly commercial in the 1870s. This process accelerated in the aftermath of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, which destroyed most of the neighborhood's buildings. Some of the world's earliest skyscrapers were constructed in the Loop, givinr rise to the Chicago School of architecture. By the late 19th century, cable car turnarounds and the Union Loop encircled the area, giving the neighborhood its name. Starting in the 1920s, many highways were constructed in the Loop, most prominently U.S. Route 66, which opened in 1926 with its eastern terminus in the area. While dominated by offices and public buildings, its residential population boomed during the latter 20th century and first decades of the 21st. Since 1950, the Loop's population has increased the most out of all of Chicago's community areas.