The Chicago grid is a relic of the 1785 Land Ordinance. Congress wanted to dispose, their word not mine, of the land they had purchased, again their word, from the Indians. They sent surveyors over the mountains to come out to the Northwest Territory and measure the land. It turns out that the system the surveyors used was the six mile by six mile township. When it came down to business in Chicago, that grid was divided up to give major streets every half mile.
How this pertains to a second grader
I used this as a way to explain why streets meet at the angle they do. I used the grid to explain how we get places in the city. Even how we use Elston to get places quicker. It is also good for showing the directions on a compass, because the streets line up with those. To help my daughter know which way is north, I told her that the numbers on houses get bigger as the streets go north or west. Of course that doesn't really help, unless you're on the north side and the planes are flying to O'Hare. If the plane crosses the street, bigger numbers are north. If the plane is flying with the street, bigger numbers are west.
Why bother? Part of it is that I want my daughter to learn how to get around. She's seven now, but soon enough she'll need to get around. So I can drop the knowledge of the surveyors coming to help her know how the streets are organized.
More about grids and surveying in the United States.
How this pertains to a second grader
I used this as a way to explain why streets meet at the angle they do. I used the grid to explain how we get places in the city. Even how we use Elston to get places quicker. It is also good for showing the directions on a compass, because the streets line up with those. To help my daughter know which way is north, I told her that the numbers on houses get bigger as the streets go north or west. Of course that doesn't really help, unless you're on the north side and the planes are flying to O'Hare. If the plane crosses the street, bigger numbers are north. If the plane is flying with the street, bigger numbers are west.
Why bother? Part of it is that I want my daughter to learn how to get around. She's seven now, but soon enough she'll need to get around. So I can drop the knowledge of the surveyors coming to help her know how the streets are organized.
More about grids and surveying in the United States.
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