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 -

'Change is coming'
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:40:07 -0500
John McCain told the nation that he's the best choice for president because he knows how to "secure the peace" and will get the country moving again while fighting for the future of Americans in these tough economic times. Video: Chicago Republicans tune in to McCain Democrats pan speech in Wrigleyville Editorial: Scoring McCain's speech Kass: GOP has 2 pillars of reform: But 1 is rotten Ill. delegates chided for poor organization Photos: Palin | Her hometown | Convention
Man found shot to death in Hoffman Estates home
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:08:00 -0500
A 19-year-old man was found fatally shot Thursday in his northwest suburban home.
Ex-Chicago area man charged in 2 Calif. murders
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:41:00 -0500
Same person was questioned in 1993 stabbing death of Glenview-area teen A man questioned in the 1993 stabbing death of a Glenview-area teenager has been charged in the stabbing murders of two California women, including a 22-year-old who was actor Ashton Kutcher's former girlfriend.
U.S. unemployment rate hits 5-year high
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:42:00 -0500
Rate a 5-year high The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike.
Feds: Aspiring designer may have hit 21 banks
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Aspiring clothes designer may have hit 21 banks over career, officials contend Federal authorities believe an aspiring clothing designer is the "Second Hand Bandit," a serial bank robber who earned his FBI moniker by wearing what appeared to be used suits and coats.
Charges in Ravinia brawl
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:33:00 -0500
Fight leaves man with a busted lip; Highland Park police say arrests are rare at 'docile' shows A dispute over lawn space erupted into a turf war that sent one man to the hospital before a sold-out Donna Summer concert Saturday at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park.

Chicago Sun-Times :: News ::

Fire burning through roof of business
FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:00:00 -0600
About 100 firefighters are battling an extra-alarm blaze at a medical business on the Northwest Side Friday morning in the Portage Park neighborhood.
Doctor delivers baby in front seat of Camry
BY MONIFA THOMAS Staff Reporter/mjthomas@suntimes.com Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:00:00 -0600
Leslie Russell almost made it to the hospital in time. She was just outside the University of Chicago's Bernard Mitchell Hospital when she gave birth to her second child -- in the front passenger seat of her Toyota Camry. A University of Chicago pediatrician who happened by delivered the baby right there on Maryland Avenue.
Doctor is heart of Korean community
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:00:00 -0600
At 2740 W. Foster, Kap Joon No's medical practice is right in the heart of Chicago's Korean-American community. Some grateful patients might say he is the heart of the community. He has helped organize the annual Korean-American Health Fair for years, and is gearing up again for the event Oct. 4. It's a public way for Koreans who might not have insurance -- or who have prohibitively high deductibles -- to find the care they need.

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