located_in_the_administrative_territorial_entity west ridge
___MASK47___ is a state in the midwestern region ___MASK45___ the United States , achieving statehood in 1818 . It is the 5th most populous state and 25th largest state in terms ___MASK45___ land area , and is often noted as a microcosm ___MASK45___ the entire country . The word " ___MASK47___ " comes from the Algonquin word for " tribe ___MASK45___ superior men ". With Chicago in the northeast , small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and ___MASK86___ ___MASK47___ , and natural resources like coal , timber , and petroleum in the south , ___MASK47___ has a diverse economic base and is a major transportation hub . The Port ___MASK45___ Chicago connects the state to other global ports from the Great Lakes , via the Saint Lawrence Seaway , to the ___MASK69___ , as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River , via the ___MASK47___ River . For decades , O ' Hare International Airport has been ranked as one ___MASK45___ the world ' s busiest airports . ___MASK47___ has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics . Bernard " Berny " L . Stone ( November 24 , 1927  December 22 , 2014 ) was alderman ___MASK45___ the 50th Ward ___MASK45___ the City ___MASK45___ Chicago , Illinois from 1973 to 2011 . The 50th Ward encompasses part ___MASK45___ Chicago ' s ___MASK80___ Side and includes the West Ridge , West Rogers Park and Peterson Park neighborhoods . First elected to the Council in 1973 , Stone was the second longest - serving alderman ( after Edward M . Burke ). His tenure spanned the terms ___MASK45___ seven Mayors , from Richard J . Daley to Richard M . Daley . Stone was also Vice Mayor ___MASK45___ the City ___MASK45___ Chicago from 1998 to 2011 . ___MASK18___ ( or ), officially the City ___MASK45___ ___MASK18___ , is the third - most populous city in the United States , and the fifth - most populous city in North America . With over 2 . 7 million residents , it is the most populous city in the state ___MASK45___ Illinois and the Midwestern United States , and the county seat ___MASK45___ ___MASK28___ . The ___MASK18___ metropolitan area , often referred to as Chicagoland , has nearly 10 million people and is the third - largest in the U . S . The Loop is the ___MASK1___ business ___MASK38___ ___MASK45___ Chicago , Illinois . It is one ___MASK45___ the city ' s 77 designated community areas . The Loop is home to Chicago ' s commercial core , City Hall , and the seat ___MASK45___ ___MASK28___ . In the late nineteenth century , cable car turnarounds and prominent elevated railway encircled the area , giving the Loop its name . ___MASK56___ America is a continent entirely within the ___MASK86___ Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere . It can also be considered a ___MASK86___ subcontinent of the Americas . It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean , to the east by the ___MASK69___ , to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean , and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea . The ___MASK40___ is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent . It is bounded on the northeast , north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States , on the southwest and south by Mexico , and on the southeast by Cuba . The U . S . states of Alabama , Florida , Louisiana , Mississippi and Texas border the Gulf on the north , which are often referred to as the " Third Coast " in comparison with the U . S . Atlantic and Pacific coasts , or sometimes the " south coast ", in juxtaposition to the Great Lakes region being the " north coast ." One of the gulf ' s seven main areas is the ___MASK40___ basin . The ___MASK18___ metropolitan area , or Chicagoland , is the metropolitan area associated with the city ___MASK45___ ___MASK18___ , Illinois , and its suburbs . With an estimated population ___MASK45___ 9 . 4 million people , it is the third largest metropolitan area in the United States . Chicagoland is the area that is closely linked to the city through geographic , social , economic , and cultural ties . The Midwestern United States , also referred to as the American Midwest or simply the Midwest , is one ___MASK45___ the four geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau , occupying the ___MASK86___ central part ___MASK45___ the United States ___MASK45___ America . It was officially named the North Central region by the Census Bureau until 1984 . Richard Michael Daley ( born April 24 , 1942 ) is an American politician , who served as the 43rd Mayor ___MASK45___ Chicago , Illinois from 1989 to 2011 . Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was re - elected five times until declining to run for a seventh term . At 22 years , he was the longest - serving Chicago mayor , surpassing the tenure ___MASK45___ his father , Richard J . Daley . The ___MASK18___ Portage is a water ___MASK39___ connecting the watersheds "( BrE : drainage basins )" and the navigable waterways ___MASK45___ the ___MASK73___ River and the Great ___MASK26___ . It cuts through the Valparaiso Moraine , crossing the Saint Lawrence River Divide that separates the Great ___MASK26___ and Gulf ___MASK45___ St . Lawrence watersheds from the ___MASK40___ watershed , making it one ___MASK45___ the most strategic points in the interior ___MASK45___ the North American continent . The saddle point ___MASK45___ the ___MASK39___ is within the City ___MASK45___ ___MASK18___ , and the ___MASK18___ Portage is a reason ___MASK18___ exists and has developed to become the immensely important city that it is , ranking 7th in the world in the 2014 Global Cities Index . The official flag ___MASK45___ the City ___MASK45___ ___MASK18___ includes four red stars symbolizing city history , separating two blue stripes symbolizing the waters that meet at the city . ___MASK90___ Ridge is one ___MASK45___ 77 Chicago community areas . It is a middle - class neighborhood located on the ___MASK80___ Side ___MASK45___ the City ___MASK45___ Chicago . It is located in the 50th Ward . Also historically called North Town , and frequently referred to as ___MASK90___ Rogers Park , it is bordered on the north by Howard Street , on the east by Ridge Boulevard , Western Avenue , and Ravenswood Avenue , the south by Bryn Mawr Avenue and Peterson Avenue , and on the west by Kedzie Avenue and the North Shore channel ___MASK45___ the Chicago River . At one time joined with neighboring Rogers Park , it separated in the 1890s over a conflict concerning park districts ( known as the Cabbage War . ) Today ___MASK90___ Ridge is one ___MASK45___ Chicago ' s better off communities , filled with thriving multi - ethnic culture lining Devon Avenue , historic mansions lining Ridge and Lunt Avenues , cultural institutions such as St . Scholastica Academy and one ___MASK45___ the highest per capita incomes on the North Side ___MASK45___ Chicago . It had been represented in the Chicago City Council by Alderman Bernard Stone from 1973 until May 2011 . On April 5 , 2011 , Alderman Debra Silverstein defeated Stone in a runoff election and now represents the 50th Ward , which encompasses ___MASK90___ Ridge . It is home to the Midwest ' s largest Hasidic community , as well as other Jewish , Irish American , German - American , Indian , Pakistani , Bangladeshi , Assyrian , Russian , and Korean immigrant communities . A county is a geographical region ___MASK45___ a country used for administrative or other purposes , in certain modern nations . The term is derived from the Old French " conté " or " cunté " denoting a jurisdiction under the sovereignty ___MASK45___ a count ( earl ) or a viscount . The modern French is " comté ", and its equivalents in other languages are " contea ", " contado ", " comtat ", " condado ", " Grafschaft ", " graafschap ", " Gau ", etc . ( cf . " conte ", " comte ", " conde ", " Graf "). Edward M . " Ed " Burke ( born December 29 , 1943 ) is alderman ___MASK45___ the 14th Ward ___MASK45___ the City ___MASK45___ Chicago . A member ___MASK45___ the Democratic Party , he was first elected to the Chicago City Council in 1969 , and represents part ___MASK45___ the city ' s Southwest Side . Chair ___MASK45___ Council ' s Committee on Finance , Burke has been called Chicago ' s " most powerful alderman " by the " Chicago Sun - Times ". Burke was named one ___MASK45___ the " 100 Most Powerful Chicagoans " by " Chicago Magazine ", describing him as "[ o ] ne ___MASK45___ the last ___MASK45___ the old - school Chicago Machine pols ." The ___MASK18___ River is a system ___MASK45___ rivers and canals with a combined length ___MASK45___ that runs through the city ___MASK45___ ___MASK18___ , including its ___MASK33___ ( the ___MASK18___ Loop ). Though not especially long , the river is notable for being a reason why ___MASK18___ became an important location , with the related ___MASK18___ Portage being a link between the Great ___MASK26___ and the Mississippi Valley waterways and eventually the ___MASK40___ . The Great ___MASK26___ ( also called the Laurentian Great ___MASK26___ , or the Great ___MASK26___ of North America ) are a series of interconnected freshwater ___MASK26___ located primarily in the upper mid - east region of North America , on the Canada  United States border , which connect to the ___MASK69___ through the Saint Lawrence River . Consisting of ___MASK26___ Superior , Michigan , Huron ( or Michigan  Huron ), Erie , and Ontario , they form the largest group of freshwater ___MASK26___ on Earth , containing 21 % of the world ' s surface fresh water by volume . The total surface is , and the total volume ( measured at the low water datum ) is . Due to their sea - like characteristics ( rolling waves , sustained winds , strong currents , great depths , and distant horizons ) the five Great ___MASK26___ have also long been referred to as " inland seas ". Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world by area , and Lake Michigan is the largest lake that is entirely within one country . The southern half of the Great ___MASK26___ is bordered by the Great ___MASK26___ Megalopolis . Richard Joseph Daley ( May 15 , 1902  December 20 , 1976 ) was an American politician who served as the 38th Mayor ___MASK45___ Chicago for a total ___MASK45___ twenty one years beginning on April 20 , 1955 until his death on December 20 , 1976 . Daley was the chairman ___MASK45___ the ___MASK28___ Democratic Central Committee for 23 years , holding both positions until his death in office in 1976 . Daley was Chicago ' s third consecutive mayor from the working - class , heavily Irish American Bridgeport neighborhood on Chicago ' s South Side , where he lived his entire life . Daley is remembered for doing much to avoid the declines that some other " rust belt " cities like Cleveland , Buffalo and Detroit experienced during the same period . He had a strong base ___MASK45___ support in Chicago ' s Irish Catholic community , and he was treated by national politicians such as Lyndon B . Johnson as a pre - eminent Irish American , with special connections to the Kennedy family .