Chicago was nicknamed the Windy City not for the wind but for the politicians and city boosters who were full of "hot air."
The specifics of this are somewhat in contention. Here are a few versions:
Here is a more extended explanation:
Popular myth has it that this nickname for the Chicago was coined by Charles Dana, the editor of the New York Sun, in 1893. Chicago was competing with New York to host the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and Dana allegedly coined the name as a derogatory moniker. Supposedly the term is not a reference to the winds off Lake Michigan as one might suppose but rather refers to the Chicagoan habit of rabid boosterism and shameless boasting. To a New Yorker like Dana, Chicago was full of hot air.
The story simply isn't true. The name dates to at least 1885 and clearly refers to the breezes off the lake. 1885 references include "city of winds" as well as "Windy City." This isn't new information, either. Mathew's Dictionary of Americanisms, published some 50 years ago, includes an 1887 quotation about the Windy City, but the myth persists--largely due to newspaper reporters and editors who repeat the tale without checking the facts.
Chicago is called the windy city.
Chicago is called the Windy City.
Chicago is also called the windy city.
Windy city
Chicago
Chicago is called the windy city. (But, Oklahoma City is windier)
Chicago is called the windy city. (But, Oklahoma City is windier)
Chicago is called the Windy City because of its blowhard politicians.
Chicago is called the 'windy city' because of the severe winds Chicago used to get. It wasn't because of the winds blowing of the lake. It was known as the Windy City because of the many politicians who talked and talked and talked and just blew hot air so much it became known as the Windy City.
Chicago
Chicago
Wellington is famous for its windiness. It is indeed, but it is not often called "the Windy City". Every time I've been there it has been called "Windy Wellington". For most people "the Windy City" is Chicago USA.