Chicago facts

Population: Almost 3 million people live in Chicago and almost 5 millions in the city’s suburbs.

Time zone: Located in the central time zone, in Chicago there are four different seasons.

Temperatures: The lowest temperatures are in January (12F) and December (13F), while the highest temperatures are reached in July (83F) and August (82F)

Average Monthly Temperatures:

Month	High	Low
January	38F	12F
February	43F	17F
March	51F	24F
April	60F	30F
May	69F	36F
June	80F	43F
July	83F	51F
August	82F	49F
September	75F	42F
October	64F	32F
November	53F	23F
December	39F	13F

Weather: The winters are chilly and snowy, fall and spring are temperate with pleasant temperatures, while summers are hot and sometimes humid. If you wish to find out more about the Chicago weather, you may call the National Weather Service at 312/976-1212, toll call.

Holidays: If you happen to be in Chicago on the New Year's Day, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the third Monday in January, on Memorial Day, last Monday in May, on Independence Day, on Labor or Thanksgiving Day, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day or even better on New Year's Eve, then you’ll be in for a big surprise in Chicago.

Area codes: In case you need the Chicago area codes, then you should know that the 312 area code applies to the Loop, River North, the Gold Coast and North Michigan Avenue, while the area code for the other neighborhoods is 773. In what concerns suburbs, the area code for the north is 847, for west and southwest 708 and for the far west the area code is 630.

Even if you wish to call someone in the same area code, you’ll need to dial 1 and the area code.

Business hours: In Chicago, the usual business hours are from 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday. Yet malls are usually open until 7 pm and banks until 5 pm.

Emergencies: In case of an emergency, please call the police or fire department at 911. In case f a non-emergency, please dial 311.

Hospitals: If you ever need a hospital, which we hope you won’t, the Northwestern Memorial Hospital is located at 251 E. Huron St., phone number 312/926-2000 and the emergency department is located at 251 E. Erie St. Ambulance, phone number 312/926-5188.

Taxes: For those interested in the local sales tax, we inform you that it reaches 8.75%, but restaurants pay 9.75%. If you ever need transit information, the CTA Directory, 836-7000 (from any area code in the city or suburbs) may offer it to you.

Transportation: Don’t worry about transportation in Chicago. The elevated El trains come every 5 to 15 minutes during daytime. The O'Hare International Airport, phone number (773) 686-2200, offers a very large number of connections to other cities, all over the world. If you wish to get to the airport, it might take you from 30 minutes to an hour or even more, depending on the traffic. In Southwest Side there is the other major airport in Chicago, the Midway International Airport, phone number (773) 838-0600. At both airports, there are plenty of taxis ready to take wherever you wish in Chicago. You may also choose public transportation, the elevated El train system. To get to your hotel, the Continental Airport Express is also available, phone number 312/454-7800 or 888/2-THEVAN.

Free ride: If you choose to spend your summer vacation or your weekends in this wonderful city, Chicago offers you free trolleys from Michigan Avenue to the Museum Campus and also from the Navy Pier to the Grand/State El station.

Ticket to Ride: If you buy a Visitor Pass you’ll get unlimited rides on the El and CTA buses during 24 hours.

El & the Subway: Sky Train: Chicago's El: The transit system operates 5 major lines: the Red Line that runs north-south, the Blue Line that runs through Wicker Park to O'Hare Airport the Green Line that runs west-south, the Brown Line that runs in north and the Orange Line that runs southwest.

The separate Purple Line services Evanston and the local Skokie Yellow Line is linked to the Red Line.

You may also go through Chicago by car and by boat.