Illinois: Land of Lincoln

Illinois is located in Midwestern United States and borders Lake Michigan on its northeast corner. It is the fifth most populous state in the United States. Most of the state’s population is located in its largest city, Chicago. Initially explored in the late 1600’s by the French, Illinois became a British territory in 1763 and was conceded to the United States in 1783. Illinois was admitted to the United States on December 3, 1818. While some slavery had been in use in Illinois prior to its statehood, it was banned by the time it was admitted to the United States. The southern part of the state was sympathetic to the Confederate south and slave labor leading up to the American Civil War, although Illinois did send more than 250,000 men to the Union army. The city of Chicago rose to prominence in the mid 1800’s as a shipping port along the Great Lakes and became a major rail port as well, a result of major expansion in mining and manufacturing in the central United States. Chicago would later become an ocean port in 1959 with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Through it and the Illinois Waterway, Chicago became connected to the Mississippi and the Atlantic Ocean. Chicago saw a major influx of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and of African Americans from Arkansas, Louisiana, and in the 1900’s.

Deep Dish Economy: Slices of Illinois

Illinois has a major economy. From its heritage as an agricultural state, the Illinois economy has diversified into energy, financial services, general services, government, manufacturing, mining, trade, transportation, and public utilities.

Education: Build It and They Will Come

Educational attainment among the Illinois populace roughly mirrors that of the U.S. as a whole. As of 2000, roughly 80% of its residents aged 25 and older had completed high school and roughly 26% had completed college. There are 4,416 institutions of higher learning in Illinois. The University of Illinois system is a well-known state public university system with over 70,000 students at three campuses: Chicago, Springfield, and Urbana-Champaign. Among the elite private institutions of higher learning in Illinois are: Loyola University, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago.

The Crime Scene in Illinois: Coming Down

Illinois has seen a decreasing trend in crime from its historically higher levels of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Virtually all major forms of crime in Illinois, including violent crime, forcible rape, aggravated assault, and robbery have seen steady declines over the past decade. In 2006, Illinois ranked 13th among U.S. states for violent crimes with 542 per 100,000 population.

The Illinois Population and Politics – Chicago Leans Democratic, State is More Balanced

Illinois has a population of roughly 12.9 million people. Its population has been growing slowly, at a rate of just 0.4% per year in the past decade. Illinois has been historically balanced in its political preferences. However, after the New Deal of the 1930’s, Democrats took prominence in the Chicago area. Among more than 5.4 million votes cast in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Illinois voters chose Democratic candidate Barack Obama over Republican candidate John McCain by a ratio of over three to two.