A Starbucks On Every Street Corner? In Downtown Chicago, It's Pretty Close
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you sometimes think there is a Starbucks on every corner in Chicago, that thought wouldn't be far-fetched.
Chicago is home to 164 Starbucks, ranking the city second in the United State behind New York City--and fifth in the world, according to Starbucks store data compiled by Chris Meller.
Downtown, a coffee lover wouldn't have to walk much more than a city block or two for their grande Pike or skinny vanilla latte--especially in the Loop (traditionally defined by the L tracks.)
There are 64 locations in an area bounded by DesPlaines, Oak Street, Congress Parkway and Navy Pier. That's 40 percent of the city's total.
At O'Hare International Airport alone, there are 17 Starbucks locations, including spots in baggage claims, terminal concourses, food courts and near gates.
The South Side has only nine stores south of 33rd Street. There are no Starbucks on the West Side--at least none west of Ashland.
Chicago can also boast one of the first Starbucks stores opened outside Seattle in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, there were maybe a dozen or so locations before the company launched an aggressive expansion.
Using the data compiled by Meller, The Atlantic took a more global view of Starbucks' dominance.
Seoul, South Korea, has the most locations in the world with 284 stores, just ahead of New York City.
Along the East Coast, a driver would never be more than 10 miles away from a Starbucks on a trip between Boston and Philadelphia, the Atlantic found.
By contrast, there are places in Montana that are nearly 200 miles from a Frappuccino.