Chicago is regularly referred to as the "Windy City," but any resident here worth their salt knows that moniker isn't a reference to the weather. The term became popularized during the bidding for the 1893 Columbian Exposition when Chicago politicians drastically embellished the city's features—a campaign that allowed the "Frontier Town" to win the bid over New York City. That said, the cold winter gusts that come off Lake Michigan make the misconception understandable.
In the grand scheme of meteorological patterns, Chicago isn't even close to being the windiest city in the country. Our annual average wind speed is 10.3 mph, according to data recorded from 1971 to 2000 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Compared to other American metropolises, Chicago is more like the "Sorta Breezy City." Boston, for example, has an annual average wind speed of 12.3 mph. New York's is 12.2 mph. Heck, even our neighbors to the north in Milwaukee out-wind us with an annual average speed of 11.5 mph. But if you were to tell all of that to a Chicagoan who just walked a mile on a January day with a wind chill of 20-below, you'd probably get smacked in the mouth.
Regardless of how blustery Chicago truly is, the original meaning of the term "Windy City" still rings true today. From City Hall to Springfield, our politicians remain among the best in the nation at churning out half-baked promises and corrupt decisions. Our sports fans won't shut the hell up about our teams' recent successes. And even more than a century later, we can't stop comparing our town to New York.
Even so, it's hard to get a Chicagoan to stop talking about all of the great things our city has to offer. When all is said and done, Chicago's flamboyant civic pride is unmatched, so we'll take the title "Windy City" any day.