Chicago Loop
The Loop is what locals call the downtown neighborhood of Chicago. It is the second largest downtown business district in the United States, after Midtown, Manhattan. Bounded on the west and north by the Chicago River, on the east by Lake Michigan, and on the south by Roosevelt Road, the lack of space created the necessity of height for buildings. From the Home Insurance Building, considered the first skyscraper, to the Sears Tower, the tallest in the United States, the Loop has had a long history of verticality in buildings."The Loop", while more generally meaning the entire downtown neighborhood, also more specifically describes that smaller section of the neighborhood which is surrounded by the circuit formed by Chicago's elevated "L" trains. The circuit runs along Lake St. on the north, Wabash Ave. on the east, Van Buren St. on the south, and Wells St. on the west.
16,388 people live in the Loop, according to the 2000 Census. It also contains an outdoor sculpture by Pablo Picasso, as well as the Chicago Art Institute.
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