Living in Chicago for two and a half Years - Mediocrity Amidst Excellence

In this post, I would like to shed some light on the city I had relocated to more than 2.5 years ago. It is out of some fascination I am compiling this post. As someone from a developing world, I had lived for a very long period of time in a top western city which is a hotbed of human progress and development. No where else outside of my home location had I stayed for so long at a stretch. Somehow it happened during this time and I am lucky to station just outside Chicago for very long. Coming out of fascination, I would like to delve briefly on the evolution of this city and some other aspects which are unique to the most important and largest city in the mid-west, located North of U.S. My deepest fear is if I would dilute the high standards of this city with my presence. If every Tom, Dick and Harry says he belongs to some great place, wouldn’t it belittle the sanctity and standing on high pedestal of the place. Simply, I hope I am not an embarrassment to this great location which breeds best of minds and stalwarts. If someone asks me, where do you live or where are you from? Can I answer Chicago with confidence. Generally, I murmur the name in low voice so that the person doesn’t clearly hear. That is how I am getting along in this city. So, this is my attempt to uphold the sanctity of this city and clear myself of causing any embarrassment.  

One of the most difficult things to do is to disturb people and there is lot of disturbance ongoing. Most of the Chicagoans plug ear buds during day time to ward-off external disturbance and I don’t know who is the reason behind this. When people are disturbed beyond measure for lengthy period of time, say two or three years, there is danger of not producing any productive work. I don’t know on whom the fingers point at for this air and sound pollution. Can you imagine, Chicago was one of the cities with most Nobel laureates in the world. I am rubbing shoulders with them without any shame and they are bearing this little nuisance. The University of Chicago has a remarkable history of producing Nobel laureates across a variety of disciplines, earning the city a reputation as a hub of intellectual achievement. With 94 Nobel Prize recipients affiliated with the university at some point in their careers, Chicago has been home to more laureates than most other cities globally. Will the Nobels stop coming the city way after my advent and dragging down its name and shame. I hope they will come in much larger number. 

In total, 78 Nobel Prize winners have been faculty members, students, or researchers at the University of Chicago, with 26 laureates in Physics, 15 in Chemistry, and 11 in Physiology or Medicine. The legacy began in 1907, when Albert Michelson received the Nobel Prize in Physics for measuring the speed of light. His success set the foundation for a series of pioneering contributions, such as those of physicist Enrico Fermi, who helped shape nuclear physics, and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, renowned for his work on stellar structure and black holes. Indo-American Chandrasekhar is best known for the Chandrasekhar limit, which describes the maximum mass (approximately 1.4 times that of the Sun) that a white dwarf star can have before it collapses into a neutron star or black hole. Chandrasekhar spent much of his career at the University of Chicago, as much as 60 years from 1937 to 1995. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to astrophysics and mentored many students, leaving a lasting legacy in the scientific community. This is the sanctity of the place which has been upheld by stalwarts and I hope my 2.5 years will be as much productive to the place as these historical stories. I never fear that presence of people like me will turn places from excellent to mediocre. To say about the recent phenomenon, more than 20 thousand undocumented immigrants have arrived and roaming around the city making it their own. We keep our heads high to represent this city if not belittling it. In fact, there is no danger of belittling most of the American gigantic brands. 

When excellence has its way, mediocre has its sway. Both run in mutual admiration, complementing each other and doesn’t interfere with one another. That is how Chicago has evolved over the years. We can know the same by looking at the population mix of this city. Chicago was founded in 1833 with only a few hundred residents but swiftly grew into a hub due to its strategic location by the Great Lakes and its role as a transport crossroads. Chicago’s early growth was fueled by waves of European immigrants, primarily Irish and Germans, who arrived in the mid-19th century. They were soon joined by Eastern European Jews, Italians, and Poles, making the city a diverse mix of ethnic communities by the late 1800s. These immigrant groups brought with them distinct languages, traditions, and religious practices that continue to define Chicago’s neighborhoods today. Poles settled in what is now known as “Polish Downtown” around the Near Northwest Side, while Italians created communities in Little Italy and Taylor Street. The Germans, who initially dominated the city’s early demographics, established a strong cultural and educational presence that left an indelible mark on Chicago’s arts and architectural scenes. 

One of the most transformative periods for Chicago’s racial landscape occurred between 1916 and 1970, during the Great Migration. African Americans from the rural South flocked to Northern cities, with Chicago being a primary destination due to its industrial opportunities and relatively higher wages. Between 1910 and 1920, the city’s Black population increased from about 44,000 to 109,000. This demographic boom significantly altered the city’s racial composition, leading to the creation of a dense Black community in the South Side, known as the “Black Belt.” This period saw the emergence of the South Side as the epicenter of Black life, culture, and enterprise.  

The economic decline of the Great Depression hit Chicago’s immigrant and Black communities hard, but it was the post-World War II era that significantly altered the city’s racial mix. African Americans continued to move into Chicago, but so did other minority groups, particularly Mexican and Puerto Rican immigrants, attracted by new labor opportunities. While Chicago is often associated with its Black-and-white racial dynamics, the Latino community’s growth has been a defining feature of the city’s modern identity. Beginning in the mid-20th century, Mexican and Puerto Rican migrants established a foothold in neighborhoods like Pilsen, Little Village, and Humboldt Park. By the 1980s, Chicago had one of the largest Mexican-American populations in the United States. Latinos make up nearly 30% of Chicago’s population. Today, Chicago is a city of contrasts, with a complex racial and ethnic mix that continues to evolve. According to recent census data, the city is roughly 33% Black, 31% White, 29% Latino, and 6% Asian. 

As we can see, the city is predominantly Black and Latino and a mix of every other race from Europe which makes it what it is. Anyone can come and own the place and enhance the stature of humanity becoming a beacon to shed light around the world. Chicago’s journey from a frontier town to a multicultural metropolis is a story of continuous change and adaptation. Its rich ethnic diversity, shaped by waves of immigration and internal migration, has fostered a unique cosmopolitan character. There is no other place which has great history and still welcomes everyone with open arms. As home of the first skyscraper, world’s first Ferris wheel and many other iconic contributions, the city has an intermix of ‘excellence’ and ‘mediocrity’, which shaped its rich history of present and past. In the same way, one should sincerely hope my tenure should add to its vibrancy and enhance the stature of the city, complementing its innovation spirit and progress. Let us hope the next century is as fulfilling to the city as its past in its contributions to the world and relative standing among its peers.