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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#city #featured Chicago Illinois at http://bit.ly/4uGULY
WallpaperPics (WallpaperWeb Pics) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:49:16 -0000
#city #featured Chicago Illinois at http://bit.ly/4uGULY
A loving heart is the truest wisdom. We have affiliates in Dallas City Illinois. http://ihid.us?i=pf1
rraas (Ron Smith) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:36:17 -0000
A loving heart is the truest wisdom. We have affiliates in Dallas City Illinois. http://ihid.us?i=pf1
Granite City :: Illinois :: Job Job Recruiting: SUBURBAN ST. LOUIS Hospital employed group of 5 (4 Internists, .. http://bit.ly/4t9ac6
PhysEmp (Physician Employment) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:05:50 -0000
Granite City :: Illinois :: Job Job Recruiting: SUBURBAN ST. LOUIS Hospital employed group of 5 (4 Internists, .. http://bit.ly/4t9ac6
#LSX: LSX continues Flood Warning for the Illinois River at Valley City [IL] till further notice http://tinyurl.com/ylj8jo8
iembot_lsx (IEMBot LSX) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:59:22 -0000
#LSX: LSX continues Flood Warning for the Illinois River at Valley City [IL] till further notice http://tinyurl.com/ylj8jo8
New blog = Galesburg Illinois Hospital & City Hall Old Antique Vintage Postcards See: http://bit.ly/YiSsJ
AntiquePostcard (Richard Moody) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:25:47 -0000
New blog = Galesburg Illinois Hospital & City Hall Old Antique Vintage Postcards See: http://bit.ly/YiSsJ
im from peoria illinois a small city but we hipe lol
kdubbakakizzy (Kendall Scott) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:47:30 -0000
im from peoria illinois a small city but we hipe lol

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