After much deliberation, Chicago has been chosen as the site of the Barack Obama Presidential Library and Museum. The city was chosen over New York City and Hawaii.

“Mr. Obama’s library will be in his adopted home, Chicago’s South Side,” said two people who had been told of the decision but requested anonymity. They were not supposed to say anything until the official announcement is made.

The Obama family has strong personal ties to Chicago. Michelle Obama was born and raised in the South Side of the city. She frequently comments on the devotion she feels towards her hometown. For his part, Barack Obama came to Chicago after graduating college and got his start as a public figure there. It was in Chicago that Obama first won elected office.

While the choice seems clear enough, it was not without competition. Hawaii, where Obama was raised, made a bid for the library, as did New York. Obama earned his undergraduate degree at Columbia University.

In addition, during the bidding process, two sites within Chicago, one at the University of Chicago and the other at the University of Illinois at Chicago, threatened to split the vote.

The University of Chicago was ultimately given the bid. It has proposed two South Side sites near its campus for the library. The first is the 380-acre Washington Park, designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, the man who also designed Central Park in New York City. The second is Jackson Park, site of the famed ‘White City’ built for the 1890 World’s Fair.

The Obama Library is still facing some legal challenges from preservation societies saying that neither site should not be used for a new museum. Illinois state lawmakers are confident they can weather any legal challenges and build the library in Chicago in the location Obama chooses.