HuffPost Goes Local: Introducing HuffPost Chicago

We are rolling out our first local version of The Huffington Post. We've decided to start with Chicago because it's always been a great news town -- offering a vibrant mix of politics, sports, business, music, food, and urban life.

Transferring The Huffington Post's blend of news, opinion, and community -- delivered with our familiar look and attitude -- to a local level, HuffPost Chicago is part local news source, part resource guide, and part virtual soap box -- featuring a collection of bloggers who know and love Chicago, and are looking to share their takes on everything from the Cubs to City Hall to the hot new local band to the best place for Greek food (and I can testify that there is a lot of that in Chicago!).

HuffPost Chicago also features a rotating at-a-glance roundup of local services -- with info and takes on the city's restaurants, clubs, real estate, sporting events, movies, plays, and other local happenings. Use it to read the latest crime stats, a nightclub's hours, or the places to find the lowest priced gas.

HuffPost Chicago is being edited by Ben Goldberger, a former staff reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times. He's put together a fun and useful collection of Chicago news, local gossip, buzzworthy stories, and Windy City-centric opinion. And, of course, a comments section that will allow Chicagoans a chance to sound off on anything and everything.

We plan to roll out local versions of HuffPost in dozens of cities. So check out HuffPost Chicago and use the comment section to let us know what you think, what you want more of, what you want less of, and what cities you think should be next.

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[HollywoodChicago]

I raise a Goose Island to you, Arianna. Woop woop for Chicago (the future home of the 2016 Olympics). :-)

[inluvwkeitholbermann]

Greetings from Chicago's West Loop!!

I live one block away from HARPO studios and I love the city, the people, the food, and that HuffPo chose us first!!

This is the hometown of the 2008 POTUS and the 2016 Olympics!

Looking forward to the great articles and the great coverage.

[VOTER]

What a treat!

Thanks Arianna, I am enjoying every article.

THIS IS A KEEPER!

[SaveFerris]

This is absolutely fantastic! I have lived in Chicago my entire life and can't fathom living anywhere else. It is a dynamic, well rounded city. And let's face it, with the politics in this city there is a wealth of material to fill the pages. Cheers for Arianna for adding this!

[jttalker]

Brilliant! Nobody else is doing this local thing, except www.redcounty.com on the right, and they're not even doing it that well yet.

Go for it, Arianna!

[clintschaff]

Houston needs to be next. Underserved city. Tons of people. Make it happen, HuffPost!

[MBryant]

2nd vote for Houston - Texas' most cosmopolitan city

[jojameson]

Do Las Vegas next!

[Greekman777]

Arianna:

I am so glad Chicago has been picked as a great news place..It is a wonderful town, and I have lived here all of my life..

However let us not forget the economic distress that the people suffer even here, with all the high gas prices, edcucational system always in distress..Health costs going throught the roof..

There are poor people suffering here in Illinois ...such as Pembroke Illinois...the average income there is 9600.00 a year. The conditions there are as bad as they were in Katrina.....

However if our political leaders do not do someting quickly more people will feel the sting of our economic despair..

Love your work Arianna......You think in the right direction...

I have agreed with all your comments during the last few years....

[Lafemme1]

I live out west now but recall the deplorable conditions in Pembroke and rural Kankakee County, Illinois...it is amazing to read a post where this situation is mentioned so I must thank you Greekman for shining a light on this....

[daddysboy]

I love your new localized version. Interestingly and probably not accidentally this is the home area of one of our presidential candidates which is WONDERFUL because it allows for a more personal and direct form of reporting and commenting on the election (among other things). Although it doesn't compare to Chicago in cultural offerings, history, and diversity, Phoenix, AZ is an interesting city in terms of politics and is the home area of mccain. Arizona is a very politically active and politically interesting state that has been considered a 'swing' state in recent years. Arizona has the largest amount of land set aside for Native Americans which incidentally are voters. Arizona is also the home of Barry Goldwater whose writing on what it means to be a conservative could be defended by liberals these days. Arizona is at the epicenter of the war against immigration, is a major point in the war against drugs, has some of the countries most important military installations, has one of the worst records in social support services and education, and owns all the water that Californians and Nevadans want (among other things).

[TommyObama]

Great call with Chicago, Ariana! You want to check America's vital signs, start there. I can't imagine anyone calling PHX interesting on a national level, though. I live there, and while all daddysboy says is true about Arizona, I still find the lifestyle here kinda dull; alot of Phoenicians watch alot of TV. They might as well live in some quiet suburb. Thank God for the sunsets.

[SarasotaHuskie]

Thanks for starting the local coverage with the greatest of cities. This expat looks forward to checking this out daily.

[nellie]

This is unexpected and a wonderful surprise. I really love the idea of a local version of the Huffington Post. I've almost given up on the Los Angeles Times. Can't wait to see the Los Angeles pages.

[ChiTownGirl]

Thanks for thinking of ChiTown! I admit I was pleasantly surprised when I read about this new local site.

Anything to do with the future POTUS making his name here?

Whatever the reason: THANKS!

BTW, I had my screen name before the Chicago HuffPost site. And while I now live in a SW 'burb just outside ChiTown, I spent almost 40 years in 'da city. As they say: You can take the girl out of ChiTown, but you can't take the ChiTown out of the girl!

[Mock38]

Barack Obama is a big White Sox fan, as is Mayor Daley.

You promise to cover sports. There are other teams in Chicago besides the Cubs.

Both MLB teams in Chicago have a shot at the World Series.
The Cubs, a really very good team this year, will almost certainly be in the playoffs.
The Sox, usually under-rated, have a real chance this year as well.
This year the Cubs are the better team, but if they face off in the World Series, anything could happen.

[helpusa]

CHICAGO, GREAT CITY, HISTORICALLY GREAT ARCHITECTURE, NICE, NICE PEOPLE, (my family is there) THE HEART OF AMERICA. The Greek, and Italian food restaurants are also great there.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

I used to live in Chicago, and I live in New York City now.

I can safely say without any hesitation that New York City is awesome compared to Chicago. Chicago has its bright spots (some good arthouse theaters, nice architecture, some good museums), but it pales to New York City.

I've been in New York City for 2 1/2 years, and I haven't been back to Chicago, and have no plans to visit or return.

[NTO08]

Chicago is an American city...New York is a world one, like London or Paris...Chicago is fine, but not on same level as NY...never has been.

[Mikey5099]

I would strongly disagree. How much do you even really know about Chicago, its past and present? Just because we're not splashed across MTV, Access Hollywood, etc. on a daily basis doesn't mean we're not a world city. We've never tried to be New York, we don't cater to celebrity and we don't strive to be flashy--that's just not the Chicago way...

I would argue that Chicago established itself as a world city ever since the Columbian Exposition World's Fair of 1893. Historically, we were hog butcher to the world, and today, we are the financial futures and options capital of the world. Until not too long ago, Chicago was home to the tallest building in the world, and continues to produce some of the world's most iconice and cutting edge architecture...

For years around the world, Chicago was defined by the infamy of Al Capone and the Chicago Outfit and the tommy gun (rat-a-tat-tat!), until Michael Jordan and the Bulls came along and dominated the NBA for a decade, and the world watched. We sit on the shores of one of the world's largest bodies of fresh water with 29 beaches, so it matters to us not that we are not a coastal city...

Chicago may not be the biggest or most famous city in America, but is still every bit the global city as Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Moscow, Rome, Sydney, Toronoto, Milan, etc.

[helpusa]

I live in Los Angeles and I used to live in Chicago and for many years I felt the same way you do, I would visit because I had family. AND THEN I REALIZED THAT CHICAGO IS A TEXT BOOK
PHENOMENA IN ARCHITECTURE AND ART. Architectural students from all over the world must visit Chicago to complete their education. I now go, pre cold season and can't get enough of sight seeing and going in an out of its beautiful historical buildings. The Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Oak Park are well worth singing Chicago's praises, not to mention the restaurants, the clean streets and very nice people.
GREAT START ARIANNA!!

[Oz2cash]

I bet you're fun at parties.

[Czoe]

I went to visit my daughter has been working in New York for the last two years. The first thing I noticed was the smell. No offense, but is it because of the lack of alleys? I don't think that Chicago pales to New York at all. Chicago and New York are different, that's all. Oh, and how many beaches do you have in Manhattan - that you can swim in?

Plus, I bet you didn't live in Chicago at all - you lived in the 'burbs, right.?

P.S. My daughter can't wait to get home.

[SelfishHedonist]

Chicago is better than NY. Foreign friends that make it here realize that to see a REAL American city, you've got to go to the heart of the continent!

Also- in order to feel like you've "made it," in NY, that means settling, more often than not, on a shoebox in Manhattan. The best part about Chicago is that there are ANY number of affluent safe neighborhoods to choose from.

NYC is people on top of people on top of people. There is no way you'll ever convince me that NYC is better. Chicago's star is truly ascendant!