ILLINOIS
Illinois is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 5th most populous state and 25th largest state in terms of land area, and is often noted as a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base and is a major transportation hub. The Port of Chicago connects the state to other global ports from the Great Lakes, via the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, via the Illinois River. For decades, O'Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world's busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics.
Although today the state's largest population center is around Chicago in the northern part of the state, the state's European population grew first in the west, with French Canadians who settled along the Mississippi River, and gave the area the name, Illinois. After the American Revolutionary War established the United States, American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s via the Ohio River, and the population grew from south to north. In 1818, Illinois achieved statehood. After construction of the Erie Canal increased traffic and trade through the Great Lakes, Chicago was founded in the 1830s on the banks of the Chicago River, at one of the few natural harbors on southern Lake Michigan. John Deere's invention of the self-scouring steel plow turned Illinois' rich prairie into some of the world's most productive and valuable farmlands, attracting immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden.
By 1900, the growth of industrial jobs in the northern cities and coal mining in the central and southern areas attracted immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Illinois was an important manufacturing center during both world wars. The Great Migration from the South established a large community of African Americans in Chicago, who created the city's famous jazz and blues cultures.
Three U.S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama. Additionally, Ronald Reagan, whose political career was based in California, was the only U.S. president born and raised in Illinois.
Population: 12,859,995 (2015 est.) Ranked 5th in the nation
Male: 6,292,276 (49.3%); Female: 6,538,356 (50.7%). White: 9,177,877 (71.5%); Black: 1,866,414 (14.5%); American Indian: 43,963 (0.3%); Asian: 586,934 (4.6%); Other race: 861,412 (6.8%); Two or more races: 289,982 (2.3%); Hispanic/Latino: 2,027,578 (15.8%). 2010 population 18 and over: 9,701,453; 65 and over: 1,609,213; median age: 36.6.
Median Household Income: $53,966 (2009), Ranked 17 in the nation
Land area: 55,584 sq mi. (143,963 sq km)
Capital: Springfield
10 largest cities (2014): Chicago, 2,714,856; Aurora, 199,932; Rockford, 150,843; Joliet, 148,268; Naperville, 143,684; Springfield, 117,126; Peoria, 115,687; Elgin, 109,927; Waukegan, 88,862; Cicero, 84,137
U. S. Rankings:
Grosse Domestic Product (GDP): 5 (2015) - $764,817 in millions. Source: http://www.bea.gov
Education: State Education Data Profile: Source: http://nces.ed.gov
Health: 28 (2015) – Source: http://americashealthrankings.org
Economy: Rich land, adequate rainfall (32–36 in./81–91 cm annually), and a long growing season make Illinois an important agricultural state. It consistently ranks among the top states in the production of corn and soybeans. Hogs and cattle are also principal sources of farm income. Other major crops include hay, wheat, and sorghum. Beneath the fertile topsoil lies mineral wealth, including fluorspar, bituminous coal, and oil; Illinois ranks high among the states in the production of coal, and its reserves are greater than any other state east of the Rocky Mountains. Its agricultural and mineral resources, along with its excellent lines of communication and transportation, made Illinois industrial; by 1880 income from industry was almost double that from agriculture.
Leading Illinois manufactures include electrical and nonelectrical machinery, food products, fabricated and primary metal products, and chemicals; printed and published materials are also important. Metropolitan Chicago, the country's leading rail center, is also a major industrial, as well as a commercial and financial, center. Suburbs of Chicago such as Schaumburg and Oak Brook have become important business centers. Scattered across the northern half of the state are cities with specialized industries--Elgin, Peoria,
Tourism: Affectionately called America’s ‘Second City’, more than 1.5 million tourists flock to Chicago – the largest and most important city in Illinois, every year to enjoy its unique history, glorious architecture, world famous sport teams, the lakefront attractions, magnificent world-class museums and more. It is a city which attracts both domestic and foreign tourists, history-buffs, seniors, youth, as well as the millennials. Chicago has more things to do and see than any other city in the Midwest.
The strategic location, manufacturing plants, natural resources and the agricultural industry has always attracted thousands of tourists as well as world-class meetings & conventions to help O’Hare become of the busiest airports in the World.
The biggest attraction of Illinois remains its diverse multicultural population, friendly people with their laid-back attitude, the colorful ethnic neighborhoods with delightful cuisine and ever changing skyline.
Chicago suburbs, especially Oak Park, offers the magnificent Frank Lloyd Wright home including Unity Temple and Ernest Hemingway’s childhood home and museum.
Beyond Chicago, you can enjoy many other cities offering well-preserved historical buildings, architecture, and lovely farms.
*****SEE TOURISM PAGES FOR CONTACTS, OPPORTUNITIES, VIDEOS AND ADS
Local Information / Contacts & Website
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois
Info Please: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/us/illinois-state-united-states.html
Illinois Info: http://www.illinois.gov/Pages/FOIAContacts.aspx
Government – State: http://www.illinois.gov/SitePages/Agencies.aspx
Government – City of Chicago: www.cityofchicago.org
Economic Development: http://www.illinois.gov/dceo/
Tourism: http://www.enjoyillinois.com/travelguides
Healthcare: http://www.illinois.gov/hfs/
Multicultural Chamber of Commerce: info@multiculturalchamber.org - www.multiculturalchamber.org
Illinois is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 5th most populous state and 25th largest state in terms of land area, and is often noted as a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base and is a major transportation hub. The Port of Chicago connects the state to other global ports from the Great Lakes, via the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, via the Illinois River. For decades, O'Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world's busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics.
Although today the state's largest population center is around Chicago in the northern part of the state, the state's European population grew first in the west, with French Canadians who settled along the Mississippi River, and gave the area the name, Illinois. After the American Revolutionary War established the United States, American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s via the Ohio River, and the population grew from south to north. In 1818, Illinois achieved statehood. After construction of the Erie Canal increased traffic and trade through the Great Lakes, Chicago was founded in the 1830s on the banks of the Chicago River, at one of the few natural harbors on southern Lake Michigan. John Deere's invention of the self-scouring steel plow turned Illinois' rich prairie into some of the world's most productive and valuable farmlands, attracting immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden.
By 1900, the growth of industrial jobs in the northern cities and coal mining in the central and southern areas attracted immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Illinois was an important manufacturing center during both world wars. The Great Migration from the South established a large community of African Americans in Chicago, who created the city's famous jazz and blues cultures.
Three U.S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama. Additionally, Ronald Reagan, whose political career was based in California, was the only U.S. president born and raised in Illinois.
Population: 12,859,995 (2015 est.) Ranked 5th in the nation
Male: 6,292,276 (49.3%); Female: 6,538,356 (50.7%). White: 9,177,877 (71.5%); Black: 1,866,414 (14.5%); American Indian: 43,963 (0.3%); Asian: 586,934 (4.6%); Other race: 861,412 (6.8%); Two or more races: 289,982 (2.3%); Hispanic/Latino: 2,027,578 (15.8%). 2010 population 18 and over: 9,701,453; 65 and over: 1,609,213; median age: 36.6.
Median Household Income: $53,966 (2009), Ranked 17 in the nation
Land area: 55,584 sq mi. (143,963 sq km)
Capital: Springfield
10 largest cities (2014): Chicago, 2,714,856; Aurora, 199,932; Rockford, 150,843; Joliet, 148,268; Naperville, 143,684; Springfield, 117,126; Peoria, 115,687; Elgin, 109,927; Waukegan, 88,862; Cicero, 84,137
U. S. Rankings:
Grosse Domestic Product (GDP): 5 (2015) - $764,817 in millions. Source: http://www.bea.gov
Education: State Education Data Profile: Source: http://nces.ed.gov
Health: 28 (2015) – Source: http://americashealthrankings.org
Economy: Rich land, adequate rainfall (32–36 in./81–91 cm annually), and a long growing season make Illinois an important agricultural state. It consistently ranks among the top states in the production of corn and soybeans. Hogs and cattle are also principal sources of farm income. Other major crops include hay, wheat, and sorghum. Beneath the fertile topsoil lies mineral wealth, including fluorspar, bituminous coal, and oil; Illinois ranks high among the states in the production of coal, and its reserves are greater than any other state east of the Rocky Mountains. Its agricultural and mineral resources, along with its excellent lines of communication and transportation, made Illinois industrial; by 1880 income from industry was almost double that from agriculture.
Leading Illinois manufactures include electrical and nonelectrical machinery, food products, fabricated and primary metal products, and chemicals; printed and published materials are also important. Metropolitan Chicago, the country's leading rail center, is also a major industrial, as well as a commercial and financial, center. Suburbs of Chicago such as Schaumburg and Oak Brook have become important business centers. Scattered across the northern half of the state are cities with specialized industries--Elgin, Peoria,
Tourism: Affectionately called America’s ‘Second City’, more than 1.5 million tourists flock to Chicago – the largest and most important city in Illinois, every year to enjoy its unique history, glorious architecture, world famous sport teams, the lakefront attractions, magnificent world-class museums and more. It is a city which attracts both domestic and foreign tourists, history-buffs, seniors, youth, as well as the millennials. Chicago has more things to do and see than any other city in the Midwest.
The strategic location, manufacturing plants, natural resources and the agricultural industry has always attracted thousands of tourists as well as world-class meetings & conventions to help O’Hare become of the busiest airports in the World.
The biggest attraction of Illinois remains its diverse multicultural population, friendly people with their laid-back attitude, the colorful ethnic neighborhoods with delightful cuisine and ever changing skyline.
Chicago suburbs, especially Oak Park, offers the magnificent Frank Lloyd Wright home including Unity Temple and Ernest Hemingway’s childhood home and museum.
Beyond Chicago, you can enjoy many other cities offering well-preserved historical buildings, architecture, and lovely farms.
*****SEE TOURISM PAGES FOR CONTACTS, OPPORTUNITIES, VIDEOS AND ADS
Local Information / Contacts & Website
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois
Info Please: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/us/illinois-state-united-states.html
Illinois Info: http://www.illinois.gov/Pages/FOIAContacts.aspx
Government – State: http://www.illinois.gov/SitePages/Agencies.aspx
Government – City of Chicago: www.cityofchicago.org
Economic Development: http://www.illinois.gov/dceo/
Tourism: http://www.enjoyillinois.com/travelguides
Healthcare: http://www.illinois.gov/hfs/
Multicultural Chamber of Commerce: info@multiculturalchamber.org - www.multiculturalchamber.org
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Please help us maintain up-to-date info for all events, festivals & conventions, including contacts.
To add, delete or to correct any info, please send us the info thru our ‘contact’ form. Thank You.
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