and the surrounding metropolitan area. I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago and have heard that term all of my life. I am curious about the etymology of the word “Chicagoland”. (I’ve been looking for a chance to use that word etymology in a sentence. LOL) I bet it was first coined in a used car ad from “Jim Moran, The Courtesy Man!”
I was actually a little surprised when I came to A2 as a freshman and found that there was no similar fanciful term for the Detroit metro area. Or any other city for that matter. It’s different from “The Bay Area”, or “The Big Apple”. Those are nicknames. “Chicagoland” has always sounded like a theme park name to me. A little goofy sounding while actually providing a reasonable description for the area being referred to. And all the while, sounding almost like it’s a state unto itself.
(I’ve got too much Covid time on my hands.)
I was actually a little surprised when I came to A2 as a freshman and found that there was no similar fanciful term for the Detroit metro area. Or any other city for that matter. It’s different from “The Bay Area”, or “The Big Apple”. Those are nicknames. “Chicagoland” has always sounded like a theme park name to me. A little goofy sounding while actually providing a reasonable description for the area being referred to. And all the while, sounding almost like it’s a state unto itself.
(I’ve got too much Covid time on my hands.)
