Chicago Metro Area is metropolitan area that includes the city of Chicago, Illinois, and its suburb
Ahh, one of my favourite cities on earth! I love Chicago. Great restaurants! 
It would shock you to know that it is the third largest metropolitan area in the United States.
Yes, it's a big, spread out city. Love that deep dish pizza.
It  generates  an annual gross regional product (GRP) of over $561 billion.
Interesting. The architecture is stunning. Some real beauties there. 
It's such an amazing business place that it is  home to more than 400 major corporate headquarters, including 31 in the Fortune 500
Have you ever been there? It has beautiful and innovative public spaces and parks.
(CMAP) (a metropolitan planning organization).
Definitions.
Definitions Metropolitan statistical area.
The Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950. It comprised the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County in Indiana. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Chicago MSA, now defined as the Chicago
Lakes.
According to the Brookings Institution, if it stood alone as a country, the Great Lakes economy would be one of the largest economic units on Earth (with a $4.5-trillion gross regional product). This region also contains what area urban planners call the Great Lakes Megalopolis, which has an estimated 59 million people. Chicago is emerging as the third megacity in the United States, after the New York City and Los Angeles metropolitan areas, with a metro population approaching ten million. Cities along the Great Lakes have