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The mobility of Chicagoans increased significantly between the late nineteenth and the early twentieth century. The development of electric streetcars, the construction of elevated railroads, and the expansion of train stations and other public thoroughfares transformed Chicago. Residents, once limited in their excursions to the distance one could walk in a short period of time, journeyed from one corner of the city to the other in search of jobs, homes, and exciting night life. Although some found the increased mobility of the city's residents unsettling, especially as people of all economic levels and ethnic groups intermingled more freely, younger Chicagoans welcomed and made frequent use of the improved transport services. For a relatively small amount of money, pleasure-seekers could board a streetcar, 'L' train, or motor coach close to home, school, or work and gain quick and easy access to the city's fanciest movie theaters, trendiest dance halls, biggest amusement parks, and largest shopping districts. Downtown train stations, meanwhile, linked wealthier Chicagoans to the pleasures of other cities and distant leisure resorts, while at the same time enabling visitors from other parts of the nation to visit Chicago and partake in its growing variety of commercial amusements.
Elevated Rapid Transit
South Side Elevated Railroad... Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
Train Stations
Union Station... Illinois Central Station... Dearborn Station
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Page authored: 1 July 2005
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