The Famous Chicago Rat Hole

A unique and disturbing rat-sized hole in one Chicago, Illinois sidewalk has become an internet sensation with countless people traveling to the city to see it.

The 'Rattiest' City in America

In case you didn't know this already, in 2023 Chicago was named the rattiest city in America for the NINTH year in a row. (YUCK!)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Is it because everyone in Chicago is dirty? No. It's more about the size of the city's population. A lot of people make a lot of trash, and rat's LOVE trash. If you've never seen a rat scurry through an alleyway or street in Chicago, consider yourself lucky.

Before I make myself get the puke spits, let's switch the conversation to why one rat has hundreds of people flocking to a Chicago neighborhood right now.

Chicago's 'Rat Hole'

According to blockclubchicago.org Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood is hoppin' right now all thanks to one very weird hole in the sidewalk;

Local artist and comedian Winslow Dumaine was walking to Transistor, a shop in Roscoe Village that sells some of his work, when he stumbled upon what appeared to be an imprint of a rodent on the sidewalk.

Seriously. Check this thing out...

How long has that hole been there? Is it new?
How does a rat become embedded in concrete and no one notices?!?
What happened to the actual rat?

How Was Chicago's Rat Hole Formed?

Before we get to some theories about how one rat made such long-lasting impact, I must point out that this "rat hole" is not new at all. Block Club Chicago's article says someone mentioned they saw it back in 2016 and that there was a Reddit thread about it. Was it new then, or has the rat hole actually been there for decades? We may never know the truth.

Now for the biggest question; what happened to the rat that made the hole?!?

This is another question that has no concrete answer, but Winslow Dumaine shared this theory with Block Club Chicago;

The cement was obviously very wet for a rat to be able to land that deeply in it,” he said. “It probably just landed and then was covered in cement and then crawled out. Because there are little scratch marks near the hole.

Where Is the Chicago Rat Hole?

If you're heading to Chicago soon and are would like to see the Chicago Rat Hole for yourself, it's located near 1918 W. Roscoe St. in Chicago, Illinois. I tried to see if it was visible on Google Street View, and I couldn't find it, so good luck. LOL!