Illinois (pronounced or "ill-i-NOY") is the 21st U.S. state and is located in the Midwest region of the United States of America. The state is known for its large and diverse population, its balance of rural areas, small industrial cities, vast suburbs and great metropolis, its highly diverse economic base, and its central location that has made it a transportation hub for 150 years. It is this mixture of factory and farm, of urban and rural that makes Illinois a microcosm of the nation.

About 2000 Native American hunters inhabited the area at the time of the American Revolution, and by a small number of French villagers. American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s; they achieved statehood in 1818. Yankees arrived a little later and dominated the north, creating the metropolis of Chicago in the 1830s. The coming of the railroads in the 1850s made highly profitable the rich prairie farmlands in central Illinois, attracting large numbers of immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden. Northern Illinois, strongly Republican, provided major support for Illinoisans Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War. By 1900, factories were being rapidly built in the northern cities, along with coal mines in central and southern areas, attracting large numbers of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Illinois was a major arsenal in both world wars; large numbers of blacks left the cotton fields of the South to come to Chicago, where they developed a famous jazz culture.

The state is named for the Illinois River which was named by French explorers after the indigenous Illiniwek people, a consortium of Algonquian tribes that thrived in the area. The word Illiniwek means "tribe of superior men."State of Illinois. Illinois Symbols. Accessed on April 20, 2006

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@Abirdasparrow ain't nothin normal about illinois. Ha (-_-)
todonobie (bj winter) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:26:53 -0000
@Abirdasparrow ain't nothin normal about illinois. Ha (-_-)
How is everyone. Still here in illinois have busy day today lots of stuff to be done. And it's cold sweetttt
Oberlender1 (David Oberlender) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:26:32 -0000
How is everyone. Still here in illinois have busy day today lots of stuff to be done. And it's cold sweetttt
Wonder how to make money on the internet? Use this. We have affiliates in Hudson Illinois. http://ihid.us?i=du9
gbarnhardt (Glen Barnhardt) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:23:23 -0000
Wonder how to make money on the internet? Use this. We have affiliates in Hudson Illinois. http://ihid.us?i=du9
Accountants / CPAs Leads & Jobs - Chicago, Illinois: http://www.MiNeeds.com/leads/GGDIEC: “I need an accountant ...”
mineeds_posts (MiNeeds Team) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:20:02 -0000
Accountants / CPAs Leads & Jobs - Chicago, Illinois: http://www.MiNeeds.com/leads/GGDIEC: “I need an accountant ...”
Article Jim Ryan To Run For Illinois Governor – CBS 2 Chicago: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ― Former Ill.. http://bit.ly/3sECgG
ILNews0verviews (Illinois) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:16:03 -0000
Article Jim Ryan To Run For Illinois Governor – CBS 2 Chicago: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ― Former Ill.. http://bit.ly/3sECgG
New Law Helps Illinois Renters in Foreclosure Limbo http://tinyurl.com/yhpzgf8
DreamStalking (Catherine) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:15:46 -0000
New Law Helps Illinois Renters in Foreclosure Limbo http://tinyurl.com/yhpzgf8

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