Cook County is #1

Cook County, IL is #1…when it comes to bars, that is.  According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns (CBP) program and the 2010 Census, Cook County, IL, where I currently reside, has the largest number of bars.  The U.S. Census Bureau defines bars as Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (their parens not mine – these are mine) and Cook County has a whopping 962 of them! A distant second is Los Angeles County, CA with 752 bars, and New York County, NY comes in third with 620 bars.   

I stumbled on this bit of fantastic trivia yesterday when I was looking around the Census Bureau website to see where my street ranked on the list of most popular street names in America.  In true government fashion, I was not able to find the street name census report, but I quickly forgot to be disappointed when I saw the interactive CBP map:

County Business and Demographics Interactive Map - US Census Bureau

We may not have the most convenience stores, electronic stores or auto repair shops, but here in Cook County we’re number one where it counts!

Nice work, Cook County!  I raise my glass to you!