Story perspectives

Today in History: Chicago annexes townships, becomes largest-area city

6/29/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On June 29, 1889, voters in Hyde Park and nearby Cook County townships approved annexation into Chicago, expanding the city’s limits to become the United States’ largest municipality by land area and its second-largest by population. The decision folded the South Side into Chicago’s urban core.

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Story summary

On June 29, 1889, voters in Hyde Park and nearby Cook County townships approved annexation into Chicago, expanding the city’s limits to become the United States’ largest municipality by land area and its second-largest by population. The decision folded the South Side into Chicago’s urban core.