The Facebook page explains: "CHICAGO SKYLINE: NU is Chicago's Big Ten Team so the skyline was integrated into the uniform to represent the great city they play for."

Right, OK, so the pants are aspirational, as all pants should be. Northwestern, located in Evanston, is "Chicago's Big Ten Team" only in the sense that it is, geographically, the closest. Spiritually, it has no more of a claim on Chicago—a University of Illinois town, even in the lean years—than it does on the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Northwestern is just like that guy you meet who tells you he's from Chicago even though he's from Naperville. Own your city, man.

Northwestern is slowly transforming itself from "We don't care about sports but we'll be rich upon graduation" to "LOOK AT US NOW! LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE! PAY ATTENTION!".

Slowly?

The Facebook page explains: "CHICAGO SKYLINE: NU is Chicago's Big Ten Team so the skyline was integrated into the uniform to represent the great city they play for."

Right, OK, so the pants are aspirational, as all pants should be. Northwestern, located in Evanston, is "Chicago's Big Ten Team" only in the sense that it is, geographically, the closest. Spiritually, it has no more of a claim on Chicago—a University of Illinois town, even in the lean years—than it does on the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Northwestern is just like that guy you meet who tells you he's from Chicago even though he's from Naperville. Own your city, man.

That's just stupid. If I'm in the Chicagoland area of course I said Arlington Hts. But if I'm in Toronto, San Diego or whatever anyone would go "huh". "Own your city" assholes are the worst.

That's just stupid. If I'm in the Chicagoland area of course I said Arlington Hts. But if I'm in Toronto, San Diego or whatever anyone would go "huh". "Own your city" assholes are the worst.

Why? Because it's so hard for, say, Terry Boers to follow up "I'm from Mokena" with "It's about an hour southwest of Chicago"?

Or "Schaumburg: a boring suburb where people go to shop and wait for the sweet release of death about 45 minutes Northwest of Chicago".

Being from somewhere or not is a binary thing. Ernest Hemingway is known to be from Oak Park, John Prine's from Maywood--not some rheostatic misinterpretations of Chicago's city limits. And it avoids awkwardness later when someone visits you in Toronto or San Diego or Chicago and finds themselves stuck out in Brampton or Chula Vista or Arlington Heights.

Why? Because it's so hard for, say, Terry Boers to follow up "I'm from Mokena" with "It's about an hour southwest of Chicago"?

Or "Schaumburg: a boring suburb where people go to shop and wait for the sweet release of death about 45 minutes Northwest of Chicago".

Being from somewhere or not is a binary thing. Ernest Hemingway is known to be from Oak Park, John Prine's from Maywood--not some rheostatic misinterpretations of Chicago's city limits. And it avoids awkwardness later when someone visits you in Toronto or San Diego or Chicago and finds themselves stuck out in Brampton or Chula Vista or Arlington Heights.

Why? Because it's so hard for, say, Terry Boers to follow up "I'm from Mokena" with "It's about an hour southwest of Chicago"?

Or "Schaumburg: a boring suburb where people go to shop and wait for the sweet release of death about 45 minutes Northwest of Chicago".

Being from somewhere or not is a binary thing. Ernest Hemingway is known to be from Oak Park, John Prine's from Maywood--not some rheostatic misinterpretations of Chicago's city limits. And it avoids awkwardness later when someone visits you in Toronto or San Diego or Chicago and finds themselves stuck out in Brampton or Chula Vista or Arlington Heights.

When 90% of the time you get "What state is that in?" or "Is that near Chicago?" you end up finding it easier to just say Chicago. Those who truly care and would know it then ask "Oh, what part?".

That's why anyone from the Gary suburbs should say "Gary" because everyone knows where Gary, Indiana is too.

[I've lived in Chicago proper a decade or so and when I first moved here and would travel to other places and someone would ask "where from?" I'd initially say "Illinois" which would prompt a "which part" and then I'd say "Chicago" and they'd seem a bit peeved I didn't lead with that. Now when I lead with "Chicago" I occasionally get "which suburb" which I attribute to folks from the suburbs going around falsely claiming to be from Chicago.

[
Like BRick said, one cares where you specifically live except for the people in the area.

Not to knock you specifically, but the Schaumburg comment is another reason why people don't bother. No one really wants to deal with the city arrogance.

I never have a problem telling people what city I live in so take that suburbanites, exurbanites and you silly little dirt farmers from Dr. Kenville!

Don't you city folk name "neighborhoods" to try and be like us?