City: Chicago, IL

Category: Parks & Recreation

Description: Chicago parents sometimes think that they should move to the suburbs so they can have a yard. And then they remember: There are yards around every corner in Chicago—public parks with playgrounds, baseball fields, indoor and outdoor pools, beaches, lagoons, or gardens. There are, in fact, more than 7,600 acres of parkland and 570 parks operated by the Chicago Park District. As Chicago started taking root as a city in the 1830s, the young government bestowed upon itself a motto that had meaning and staying power: “Urbs in horto,” Latin for “City in a Garden.” Through the combined work of dedicated residents and forward-thinking officials, the Lincoln, South, and West park commissions were formed in 1869. Together, they helped to set aside great swaths of land for development as public parks and instigated the construction of the country’s first field houses (some of them now considered historic, architecturally significant structures). By 1934, 22 park districts were operating in Chicago—and all suffered from the Depression. To consolidate costs, the umbrella Chicago Park District that we know now was created. Currently under its stewardship are famous attractions such as Garfield Park Conservatory, Grant Park, Oak Street Beach, and Lincoln Park, but also so many small neighborhood parks, it’s too much to list. The Park District is responsible not only for the upkeep of the parks themselves, but the hundreds of activities and programs that take place there every day, from drop-in toddler play times to soccer lessons to day camps to a bonanza of low-cost or free festivals throughout the year. In 2011, the Chicago Park District added a big task to its job description when it took over as organizer of the immensely popular Taste of Chicago in Grant Park.