It's Curious City, where we take your questions about Chicago and the region, and investigate, report, explore, from WBEZ.

Hi, I'm WBZ data reporter Chris Hagan. I want you to think about something. Where is the center of your city? Your hometown,

the city you live in, whatever city you identify with. Just where's the literal geographic center?

If you think that's just trivia, you're right. It's not useful for planning or development,

but maybe, just maybe, that literal center says something about your whole city.

Some people really think it does. Take Will Bowman. He's been wondering about his city.

Where's the middle or like, where's the heart of Chicago? Will hope Chicago's geographic

center point will be a place that reflects its character, not some tourist trap or a row of glitzy high rises.

To find that it's not like river north of the loop, but it's in a neighborhood that's maybe more

middle of the road for Chicago.

Well, we're going to find Chicago's literal center point in a bit, but first, how do you find it?

It happens to the click of a button. That's Todd Schubel, a geographer at the University of Chicago.

Schuble says off-the-shelf computer programs or mapping services do the job. But he says,

there's a wrinkle. Chicago's center point moved again and again. Basically each time the city

grew and redrew its borders. Someone wanted to, you know, put a monument up or something like that. This is the geographic center. It's like, okay, well, there it is. It's like, I may have calculated it differently, which is usually why you don't usually see a monument like that. Which brings us to Chicago's monument. Well, more of a street sign. Welcome to 37th and

South Honorary Streets, the geographical center of Chicago, greatest city in America. And who was the

self-appointed keeper of Chicago's center point? My name is Doug Semensky, and I'm the pastor at

St. Andrew Lutheran Church. St. Andrew Church is in McKinley Park, a neighborhood on the near southwest side.

In 1979, Chicago declared this corner of 37th an honorary

honoré as the center point, and it posted a large white and black sign outside the church.

But by the time Pastor Semensky came in 1980, the sign was gone.

A brown honorary street sign replaced it, but that second sign also disappeared.

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