Please don't use an ornamental pear. I can't even believe someone from a botanical garden suggested that.

Oak is certainly one of the most long lived trees in the US. And by using a native oak (which is mostly all that is sold), they would be contributing back to the local ecosystem (e.g., birds and other critters).

Yes, Oak would be my favorite, too, but they take a while to grow. They want something fast growing, too.

Paul

swamp white oak....same tree they used for the 9/11 memorial....very long lived circa 500 years....tolerant of alkaline soil...Symmetrical

Whoever told you about the pear should be fired...I mean thats probably the worst suggestion I ever heard of coming from a Botanical Garden of all places.

Sugar maple is a decent moderate growth rate choice. Great fall color.

Sometimes faster growing means shorter living :(

Bald cypress / Dawn redwood are both grat choices for tall and noth that wide in my area. Limb the up in yards for a more formal look and normal trunk in the redwoods case.

Lots of tall, narrow trees well-suited to Chicago :-) Oak, columnar maples, hornbeam and beech all come to mind. You might want to visit a good local garden center/nursery and see what they recommend or have in stock.

Paper birch needs cool roots and are very susceptable to the borer. Whitespire birch is more resistant and has white bark but it doesn't peel like paper birch. Sugar maples do not always do well in urban areas - susceptable to salt and compaction and heat stress. Green Mountain Sugar maple is supposed to be better for urban conditions. I like the oak idea but Swamp White and Pin prefer ACIDIC soil.

- birch is fairly short lived, although it should make it to 50.
- oak is long lived, but without some sort of columnar variety, they do tend to spread. Burr and white (alkaline tolerant) around here get very wide in absence of competition.
- beech - I LOVE beech but they don't tolerate foot traffic i have heard (surface roots)
- sugar maple is a great choice as long as it is not along the street - issues with road salt
Alternately you could try hackberry, DED resistent elm or linden. If you are ok with mess you could do kentucky coffeetree, hickory, walnut. Some of these trees WILL spread to varying degrees, but there are cultivars, such as linden that are pyramidal or columnar

Not sure if you bought your tree or not, however I'll give my two cents on what tree to buy since I also live in the Chicagoland area. I would steer clear of an ornimatal pear tree, although I don't think they're as bad as everyone slams them on this site. Every tree has it's pluses and minuses, but every tree has it's place as well. The ornimental pear trees are probably the most over planted tree in the Chicagoland area, and are very evident since they are in bloom right now. However their wood is on the weaker side and few live to 50 years, so I would choose another type of tree.

Like most people suggested, oaks are a great choice since they are native to the area, live for hundreds of years and their acorns do feed wildlife. They do grow on the slower side, and will branch out after 30+ years. Red, Bur, Shumard and Chinquapin will grow well in out alkinine soils.

Other options that could work for you include Firefall or Autumn Blaze Maples. They are a hybrid maple that grow fast, don't branch out that much, have decently strong wood, and have a very bright red color in fall, which you don't see reds that much around Chicago.

Not sure where you live in Chicago, however Lurveys in Park Ridge and The Growing Place in Naperville have a great selection of all types of trees and they can help you out.