The Loop | |
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Community area | |
Community area 31 – The Loop | |
Location within the city of Chicago |
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Coordinates: 41°53′N 87°38′W / 41.883°N 87.633°WCoordinates: 41°53′N 87°38′W / 41.883°N 87.633°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | Cook |
City | Chicago |
Neighborhoods | |
Area | |
• Total | 1.58 sq mi (4.09 km2) |
Population (2014) | |
• Total | 33,442 |
• Density | 21,000/sq mi (8,200/km2) |
(population up 104.1% from 2000) | |
Demographics 2014 | |
• White | 62.31% |
• Black | 12.36% |
• Hispanic | 5.95% |
• Asian | 16.74% |
• Other | 2.64% |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP codes | 60601, 60602, 60603, 60604, and parts of 60605, 60606, 60607, and 60616 |
Median household income | $78,124 |
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services |
The Loop is the central business district of Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the city's 77 designated community areas. The Loop is home to Chicago's commercial core, City Hall, and the seat of Cook County. In the late nineteenth century, cable car turnarounds and prominent elevated railway encircled the area, giving the Loop its name.
The community area is bounded on the north and west by the Chicago River, on the east by Lake Michigan, and on the south by Roosevelt Road, although the commercial core has expanded into adjacent community areas. As a business center, some of the corporations the Loop is home to include the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the world's largest options and futures contracts open interest exchange; the headquarters of United Continental Holdings, one of the world's largest airlines; AON; Blue Cross Blue Shield; Hyatt Hotels Corporation; BorgWarner, and other major corporations. The Loop is home to 500 acre Grant Park; State Street, which hosts a historic shopping district; the Art Institute of Chicago; several theaters; and numerous subway and elevated rapid transit stations. Other institutions in the Loop include the Willis Tower, once the tallest building in the world, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Goodman Theatre, the Joffrey Ballet, the central public Harold Washington Library, and the Chicago Cultural Center.