 If you follow the zip code pattern from east to west, there is a reasonable pattern. But when you get to the Midwest, things get a little strange. Indiana zip codes start with a 4, but Iowa zip codes start with a 5. Illinois seems to be out of order with its 6. Further questions arise with the rumor that the mayor of Chicago during this time, Richard J. Daley, and his good friend, President John F. Kennedy, thought it would be funny to use 606 for Chicago as it was the name of their favorite steakhouse/strip club located at 606 South Wabash – the 606 Club.
This seems just too good to be true. But in true Chicago style, it goes deeper than that. A man by the name of Louis W. Nathan owned and operated Club 606 until 1956, when he was convicted of vote fixing. In fact, he was a party precinct captain in the city's first ward, seventh precinct, which was the south Loop . Nathan had held the post for 25 years in an area that consisted of not only his club, but of several men's hotels. For the Nov. 2, 1954, general election, Nathan and several other election officials persuaded no less than 71 men from those hotels to present themselves as registered voters, many voted several times, and in at least one case, several men voted as the same person. The result was an overwhelming number of Democratic votes.
The club itself was a place to be seen. It was sort of a supper club with nearly-naked women and live jazz, a precursor to Chicago 's Playboy Club of 1960, except Nathan didn't dress his waitresses in bunny costumes. He did load the club with hot jazz musicians of the day. Local multi-instrumentalist Ray Biondi was the leader of the house band for a long time. Up until Nathan's arrest, the club was mainly frequented by politically-connected types of the Bridgeport neighborhood sort.
Brother/neighborhood
Accusations of favoritism have plagued many a Chicago politician. Most instances revolve around old pals from the neighborhood getting lucrative city contracts to do, or not to do, various projects. Daley belonged to several social organizations that helped keep him in touch with people and shape his political agendas. Most of these organizations stressed the importance of looking out for fellow members and making members' interests part of public policy.
One in particular, the Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago, has a membership list that contains all the political elite from the last 100 years. Even in Richard J. Daley's first inaugural speech he declared the importance of serving one's roots: “I have lived all my life in a neighborhood of Chicago. All that I am I owe to the influence of my family, our neighborhood and our city.” And what's wrong with that? This pride is similar to most people who have lived in Chicago for any amount of time. It seems only natural to help out those who have helped you. But to manipulate a federal order to give props to a strip club? That does seem a little far for even the most powerful mayor in Chicago's history.
The order of things
Although it would make a really great marketing campaign to rival that of Las Vegas, having a city that choose its ZIP code based on the preferred burlesque house of its mayor does not bode well with the idea of a cultured city. Luckily, the alphabet saves our souls from moral depravity, at least sorta. The 60001 ZIP code is in Alden, Ill., a small town near the Wisconsin border, an hour and a half northwest of Chicago. 60002 is in Antioch, in the same general area. 60099 is Zion, near the lake at the Wisconsin border. The ZIP codes continue in this pattern of regionally close cities, alphabetized with some disruption by changes since the original ZIP code adoption.
This simple explanation doesn't directly clarify why Chicago starts at 606. So it could very well be a nod to Mr. Nathan and his nightclub. After all, O'Hare is exclusively 60666. It's much sexier to believe that a new powerful mayor, perhaps the largest product of the Democratic machine, in cohorts with any number of his friends and political allies, managed to bamboozle the third-largest city in the United States and declare its ZIP code be taken after the name of a strip club run by a convicted vote fixer – but it is a lot to swallow.
The importance of place
Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Overtime the characteristics of those neighborhoods – and the people who inhabit them – change.
But what does not change is the pride and excitement that comes with the territory of being from a particular place.
It gives a platform to declare a favorite nearby restaurant, bar or bookstore. It also provides diverse locales for destinations both local and exotic. And in a mostly friendly way, it creates healthy rivalries.
Where you come from matters to a lot of people. If it is for personal expression, social standing, or lifestyle affiliation, people like to plant their flag. But it changes the tone when that flag is flown from a stripper's pole. Either way, it's just better than saying you live five minutes from Wrigley.
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