Rich Conversations: 014. Chicagoans and New York

Show notes from episode 014 of Rich Conversations. Answers are cut down to fit into writing format.

I’m in New York this week so I thought I’d do something a little different than usual. I thought I’d just take a moment and reflect a bit.

I’ve had around 30 conversations so far including practice ones. New York gets mentioned more times than any other place. Chicago is known as the second city and while most think of the fire in 1871, it also gained that name because of its battle against New York for the Colombian Exposition. There’s kind of this “little brother syndrome” that Chicagoans experience. This chip on our shoulder that—just like people in the late 19th century experienced—we have the same thing. While we pride ourselves on doing our own thing and not worrying about other places, we do tend to glance at New York from the corner of our eyes.

There’s such a connection between the two cities. New York started as New Amsterdam. About a year ago, I read Colin Woodard’s American Nations. He breaks down the continental U.S. into eleven different regions with its own distinct history and culture. New Amsterdam is one of them. It was founded by the Dutch people and was basically an extension of what they were doing in Europe. It’s a massive trading post and center of commerce. Business first. The Dutch were running the world during the 17^th and 18^th centuries. They were uniquely tolerant—I use that word loosely—but of other people and religions. “Business first is what we care about.”

Chicago in the 1840’s was competing against St. Louis as a trading post. Getting goods down the Mississippi River. Chicago brought over thousands of Irish immigrants to dig canals so that goods could flow from the Atlantic, through the Great Lakes, and to the Mississippi through Chicago. However, by the time they completed the canals, railroads came onto the scene. Luckily, Chicago was smart and didn’t give it to the that sunken cost mentality of “we can’t invest into railroads because we already stuck a bunch of money into these canals.” They recognized railroads to be the future and they quickly became a powerhouse.

Moving forward, New York and the east coast were the manufacturing centers of the country. They would make stuff and send it westward. In return, Chicago fed them and the entire country. All the grain and meat would go through the Chicago railroads. So there’s this connection between the two cities to help each other thrive.