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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chicagotribune.com -

October over in Chicago
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:09:43 -0500
The White Sox's victory Sunday turned out to be nothing more than delaying the inevitable, as they fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 on Monday in a game starkly reminiscent of the first two games of the series. RosenBlog: Playoffs about more than the long ball
Teen killed on bus
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:42:34 -0500
Kiyanna Salter's cousin said that an accidental touch led to her slaying.
Cascade of selling around the world hits Wall Street
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:26:00 -0500
NEW YORK (AP) _ Wall Street joined in a worldwide cascade of despair Monday over the financial crisis, driving the Dow Jones industrials to their biggest loss ever during a trading day. Even a big afternoon rally failed to keep the Dow from its first close below 10,000 since 2004.
Chicago police to start special gang unit
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:24:58 -0500

Palin's standing unchanged by debate
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:47:28 -0500

Deal creates world's largest candy maker
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:12:00 -0500
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ Mars Inc. has closed a deal to purchase of chewing-gum company Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. to become the world's largest candy maker, Wrigley said Monday.

Chicago Sun-Times :: News ::

Teen fatally shot on CTA bus
BY ANNIE SWEENEY Crime Reporter Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 -0600
A woman who held her dying cousin's hand after she was shot on a South Side CTA bus says a gunman fired into the bus after getting into a minor argument with another passenger. Kiyanna Salter, 17, was on her way home with her 18-year-old cousin after visiting an aunt when she was gunned down at about 10 p.m. Sunday on the No. 71 bus at 7100 S. Woodlawn, relatives said.
Chicago police to replace SOS unit
BY FRANK MAIN Staff Reporter Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 -0600
A Marine Reserve intelligence officer recently returned from Iraq is helping the department create a new unit that will replace the scandal-plagued Special Operations Section. Chicago Police Lt. James Roussell and department brass are putting the final touches on the more than 100-member Mobile Strike Force, which could be activated by the end of the month.
Feds talking to Rezko, seek to delay sentencing
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 -0600
Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to indefinitely postpone Tony Rezko’s sentencing on corruption charges — admitting for the first time they are undergoing discussions with the political fund-raiser.

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