Chicago Metropolitan statistical area The Chicago
metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950. It comprised the
Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County in
Indiana. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Chicago MSA, now defined by the U.S.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the
Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the third-largest MSA by population in the United States. The 2022 census estimate for the population of the MSA was 9,441,957. The Chicago MSA is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. A breakdown of the county constituents and 2021 estimated populations of the four metropolitan divisions of the MSA are as follows: The term "urban agglomeration" refers to the population contained within the contours of a contiguous territory inhabited at
urban density levels. It usually incorporates the population in a city, plus that in the contiguous urban, or built-up area.
Chicagoland ,
Michigan, and
Iowa). He stated that Chicagoland comprised everything in a radius in every direction and reported on many different places in the area. The
Tribune was the dominant newspaper in a vast area stretching to the west of the city, and that
hinterland was closely tied to the metropolis by rail lines and commercial links. Today, the
Chicago Tribune's usage includes the city of Chicago, the rest of
Cook County, eight nearby Illinois counties (Lake,
McHenry,
DuPage,
Kane,
Kendall,
Grundy,
Will, and
Kankakee), and the two Indiana counties of Lake and
Porter. Illinois Department of Tourism literature uses
Chicagoland for suburbs in Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, and Will counties, treating the city separately. The
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce defines it as all of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. In addition, company marketing programs such as Construction Data Company's "Chicago and Vicinity" region and the
Chicago Automobile Trade Association's
"Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana" advertising campaign are directed at the MSA itself, as well as LaSalle,
Winnebago (
Rockford),
Boone, and
Ogle counties in Illinois, in addition to
Jasper,
Newton, and
La Porte counties in Indiana and
Kenosha,
Racine, and
Walworth counties in Wisconsin, and even as far northeast as
Berrien County, Michigan. The region is part of the
Great Lakes Megalopolis, containing an estimated 55 million people.
Collar counties The term "
collar counties" is a
colloquialism for the five counties (DuPage, Kane, Lake,
McHenry, and Will) of Illinois that border Chicago's Cook County. After Cook County, they are also the next five most populous counties in the state. According to the
Encyclopedia of Chicago, there is no specifically known origin of the phrase, but it has been commonly used among policy makers, urban planners, and in the media. However, it also notes that as growth has spread beyond these counties, it may have lost some of its usefulness.
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is an Illinois state agency responsible for transportation infrastructure, land use, and long-term economic development planning for the areas under its jurisdiction within Illinois. The planning area has a population of over 8 million, which includes the following locations in Illinois: •
Cook County •
DuPage County •
Kane County •
Kendall County •
Lake County •
McHenry County •
Will County ==Geography and environment==