Hispanics may be white, black or of other races. It's how people identify themselves and what race means. Another highlight of the 2000 census was Chicago's population increase, the first in about 50 years. Illinois' biggest city was home to almost 2.9 million people last year, up 112,000 from the 1990 census. John McCarron, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Planning Council, a Chicago civic group, said he was delighted with the news.
Restaurants are full, stores are full.
I think that's one of the huge stories in this. Here's a half-century trend that's been reversed. Affluent, professional people now view Chicago as an attractive place to live, McCarron said.