Where is illinois des planes. Traveling in Illinois

In the early 19th century, the lands of the Midwest of the United States, after their settlement, began to be called Illinois after the Illinois Indian tribe. And a few decades later, the state overtook other regions of North America in economic performance, becoming the mainstay of the country's business. - where is?

The local places for a long time belonged to the Indians, who professed the culture of Woodland. The French, who first mastered these lands, found the natives - the tribes of the Illinois Indians. Then England won the rights to the land and, in turn, America. The pearl of the state is the city of Chicago, famous throughout the world for its skyscrapers and picturesque views. This is a country of wide lawns and narrow minds in the view of Hemingway, the land of drive-in cinemas, numerous cafes and restaurants. What state is the city in?

Prices in hotels and shops

Tourists who are well aware of all the charms of the Midwest and are traveling here purposefully, probably want to know about the prices in hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues in order to make the trip budget as accurately as possible. We will give average rates for hotels, shops, restaurants and other important places of pilgrimage for tourists.

So, in a standard 3-star hotel in Chicago, you can stay from $70 per day. At the same time, the range of prices in Chicago is amazing. On the coast of the City Harbor of Lake Michigan, prices are much higher than outside of Downtown. However, most hotel complexes are located in this area.

As for the prices in hostels, you can spend the night from 30 to 60 dollars in a double and quadruple room with air conditioning, appliances and free coffee. Remarkably, hotels can provide a significant discount if you book a room and pay for it in advance. With this development of the situation, savings can be up to 50% of the nominal rate per room.

In Springfield, the state capital, the situation is no different. A room in a standard 3-star hotel will cost from 80 to 120 dollars.

It should be noted that this rule also applies to transport services: when ordering a ticket for several months, a tourist can get a huge discount - these are the realities of the United States.

If we talk about prices in stores, you can find out about them yourself by visiting the official websites of Wal Mart, T-Mart and other chains. In Chicago, every tourist considers it his duty to visit the Luxury Mile - the local street retail paradise. There are a huge number of boutiques of fashionable clothes, shoes, accessories. Boring Magazine has amazing stuff for kids and adults. Moreover, prices are set by manufacturers, which is very important.

Restaurants and cafes

In Chicago, as in one of the largest cities in the United States, you can find many first-class restaurants, cafes of national cuisines, cafeterias, pizzerias. We will tell you about the most popular places for a snack and a romantic dinner.

So, the first price category includes restaurants: Japonais, Alinea Restaurant (the wine list starts from $40, and the menu called a culinary journey from $195).

You can drink a cocktail or whiskey with soda and watch the sleepless city from the windows of skyscrapers from numerous bars (North, West Town, The Loop, Gold Coast, West).

You can have a cheap snack in any street cafe or pizzeria. A cup of coffee and a hearty lunch of steak with a vegetable side dish will cost from $15. Remember, when ordering a steak, specify what kind of meat is used in cooking. So, a marbled meat rib-eye steak can cost from $40.

Cities in Illinois

The capitals of the states in America are often small cities, in which only the administrative headquarters is concentrated. This can be seen in the example of Nevada, where the city of Carson City with 55,000 people is considered the administrative center. Illinois is no exception in this regard. The largest city in the Chicago region is the center of cultural, business, and industrial life in the Midwest. The capital is considered to be Springfield with a population of 116 thousand people.

The history of Springfield is the ABC of the formation of the United States and the War with the South. It was here that Abraham Lincoln lived, who, in addition to national interests, paid great attention to the fight against racial discrimination. As a result, Springfield became the place with the highest black-to-white ratio in Illinois. However, after the death of Lincoln, the attitude towards the humiliated and offended worsened, which resulted in racial clashes.

In this city, be sure to visit the Opera House, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, as well as the monument to those who died during the Vietnam campaign.

In close proximity to Chicago is the historic district of Oak Park. In a wealthy suburb, the outstanding writer Ernest Hemingway was born and took his first steps. Ten years earlier (in 1889) Frank Lloyd Wright, the father of the American urban style, was working on new projects here. The main monuments of Oak Park are 25 buildings by Wright, and, in fact, the Hemingway Museum. There are hundreds of park areas along the coast, as well as zoos and nature reserves.

Chicago is the largest city located in the Great Lakes region. As the locals say, this is the most cosmopolitan metropolis in the United States, which outperforms even the Big Apple. The city has a great variety of unique buildings, first-class restaurants, jazz clubs. More than 50 nationalities are registered here, regularly residing in the Windy City.

Landmarks in Illinois

Chicago is the progenitor of modern American urban architecture. City skyscrapers began to appear here in 1885, forming the business center of the metropolis. At the same time, skyscrapers are harmoniously combined with historical buildings like the Commodity Exchange in the famous Loop (Loop) area. Trump Tower, Chicago Spire, Merchandise Mart, John Hancock Center, Sears Tower, Waterview Tower - all these high-rise buildings form the core of Chicago.

Parks camouflage industrial zones, which Michigan has enough. These are Millennium Park, Grant Park, Barnam and Jackson, 1868 Lincoln Park, Hyde Park. Within these green areas are about four dozen beaches, nature reserves, as well as Soldier Field and the McCormick Place business complex.

To the east of the city you can find a lake pier, which functioned as early as 1918. Today it is an amusement park of amazing beauty with a museum for children, a theater, a Ferris wheel, a botanical garden, and a whole catering town.

Experts unanimously consider the Water Tower to be the main historical landmark of Chicago, miraculously surviving after the devastating fire of 1871. Also noteworthy are the Museums of Science and Industry, Painting with the finest collection of American paintings, Natural History, Mexican Art, African American Culture, Peggy Notebert Nature, Contemporary Art, the Spertus Jewish Museum, as well as a huge aquarium, oceanarium, Adler Planetarium, Chicago Cultural Center .

You can not ignore the Six Flags entertainment center, Mag Mile, the Tribune Tower, reminiscent of the skyscrapers of the Stalin era, the Wrigley Field stadium, the Chess Records blues museum, the Chicago Temple skyscraper, St. Nicholas Cathedral, numerous basilicas and churches.

What interesting places to see in Illinois

Illinois is an amazingly beautiful state adjacent to the states of Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, which are famous for their wonderful landscapes and cultural traditions. In the south of the state is the Shawnee National Forest, which is protected by the state. The green zone covers an area of 1100 km2, on which trees grow, planted under President Franklin Roosevelt. The forest was planted in 1939 with deciduous trees, as well as rare plants listed in the American equivalent of the Red Book.

Guidebooks will surely tell you that during the melting of the ice sheet, a gorge appeared on the site of the current reserve, in which relict Arctic plants grew, and which did not die out thanks to the shadow emanating from the Little Grand Canyon. Here, in Shawnee, you can ride a catamaran on Cedar Lake, which was formed as a result of the construction of the Cedar Click Dam.

In the middle of the dense prairies, the town of Champaign is home to the largest campus of the State University of Illinois. The agglomeration attracts tourists with numerous museums, among which are the William and Clarice Spurlock Museum, the Krannert Art Museum, and the Historical Museum of the Champaign City District.

History of Illinois

The history of the state can be safely divided into four eras: the pre-Columbian era, colonization by the French, the expansion of American statehood, the development of the state as the economic capital of the Midwest.

Before the discovery of the continent of America by Columbus, local lands were the focus of Indian cultures, as evidenced by the Cahokia monument of 109 burial mounds. In the 16th century, there was a developed city of the Mississippi civilization, which sunk into oblivion at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. The lands were also inhabited by the Illinois tribes, against whom the Iroquois acted on the orders of the Europeans. They were later replaced by the Miami tribes, the Sauks.

In the 17th century, the explorers Marquette, Jolie and de La Salle opened these lands to the Old World, declaring them New France. After 100 years, the territory passed into the power of the British, but the war for independence gave Illinois a new owner of the Americans. In 1783, the state was officially incorporated into the United States.

The Americans, sensing the economic potential of Illinois, formed a structure for the redemption of native Indian lands from their rightful owners. By the way, the rights to this area belonged to the British, who a little earlier bought the rich meadows near Lake Michigan for a penny. The British refused to recognize these deals, but the force of truth was not on their side. February 3, 1809 can be called the date of birth of the territory of Illinois under American rule. Since that time, the mass settlement of Indian lands by American farmers and settlers from the Old World begins.

In 1812, when England fought on two fronts - against Napoleon and the Independent Forces of America, the first military fortifications began to be erected in Illinois. Unfortunately, the bastions have not survived to our times due to a fire in 1871.

How to Get to Illinois

A couple of Illinois international airports are located in Chicago - these are the O'Hara and Midway airports. There are local airports in the region that receive flights from other US cities. They are, in particular, located in Springfield, Peoria, St. Louis, Rockford, Bloomington-Normal The cost of tickets from Moscow reaches 16 thousand rubles one way, 24 thousand - there and back.

By train, Illinois can be reached from any major city in the United States and Southern Canada. The Armtak rail network serves passenger trains from all Illinois communities.

Trains reach Chicago from Boston, New York, Washington, Seattle, Milwaukee and other destinations. Trains from St. Louis cross the following settlements: Joliet, Pontiac, Lincoln, Carlinville, Springfield. These trains run four times a day. One of the trains connects Chicago with San Antonio.

The Chicago - Galesburg-Quincy route connects Illinois with California (Los Angeles, San Francisco), Colorado (Denver), Utah (Salt Lake City).

The Chicago-Carbondale route connects Illinois with Louisiana (New Orleans), crossing Memphis (Tennessee), Jackson (Mississippi). In addition, a train from Indianapolis (Indiana) arrives in Chicago daily.

By rental car, you can get to Illinois by highways through Wisconsin (I-39, 90, 94), through Iowa (I-74, 80), through Indiana (I-64, 70, 80, 90, 94), through Kentucky ( I-24), through Missouri (I-55, 57, 64, 70, 72). The infrastructure is well developed: motels, gas stations, grocery stores, and catering facilities are located along the roads.

In contact with

Illinois is a state in the Midwest. The population of "Land of Lincoln" (this is the official nickname of the state) is just under 13 million people, the fifth largest in the United States. The capital of Illinois is Springfield (116 thousand inhabitants), the largest city is Chicago (2.7 million). Other cities with populations over 100,000 are Aurora, Rockford, Joliet, Naperville, Peoria, and Elgin.

In the pre-colonial period, Indian tribes lived on the territory of the modern state. The first European colonists were the French, who gave the land its modern name, partly borrowing it from the local language - Illinois. The letter "S" at the end, according to the French rule, remained in writing, but is not readable. The correct pronunciation of the name of the state is Illinois, which is rather unusual, given that most French place names in the United States have lost their original transcription (Detroit became Detroit, Montpellier became Montpelier, etc.).

In 1763, the lands passed into the possession of the British, but not for long. As a result of the Revolutionary War, the lands became part of Virginia and then the so-called Northwest Territories. In 1809, Illinois became a separate territory, and in 1818 it was proclaimed an independent state, becoming the 21st state in the United States in turn. Part of the territory at the same time went to the neighboring state of Michigan. Since then, European settlers began to immigrate to Illinois en masse. Many indigenous people of the state were expelled from their territories because of this.

Initially, Illinois developed as an agricultural state, but soon began to focus on industry. Agriculture was most developed in the southern expanses of the state, while industry was concentrated in the densely populated north in the Great Lakes region. By the middle of the century, Chicago became the largest city, and thanks to its favorable location, it turned into the most important trading hub.

During the Civil War, Illinois not only fought on the side of the Union, but also provided food supplies to the army of the northerners.

In 1871, a devastating fire broke out in Chicago, almost completely destroying the city. The city had to be literally rebuilt.

The need to rebuild the city led to the search for new methods of construction. In 1885, the first skyscraper in the modern sense of the word was built in Chicago - the Home Insurance Building. The architect William Le Baron Jenney was the first to use a load-bearing metal frame during the construction, which simultaneously supported the internal and external walls, thereby significantly reducing the weight of the building. The innovative building was ruthlessly demolished in 1931, but numerous photographs and images have come down to us.

Chicago and the Chicago School of Architecture have become one of the trendsetters in American high-rise urban planning. Skyscrapers in a similar style began to appear throughout America. Almost all of them were originally reserved for offices and / or trade.

In the twentieth century, skyscrapers began to appear from Chicago in a more pompous, neoclassical style, reminiscent of Stalinist architecture:

In the second half of the twentieth century, glass began to be actively used. The tallest building in the city, built in 1973, the Willis Tower, better known as the Sears Tower, not only has an unusual shape, but is also the second tallest building in the United States and 13th in the world. Today Chicago has one of the most recognizable downtowns in America.

Today Chicago is the third largest city in the United States and one of the world's largest economic centers. It is not surprising that most of the state's settlements are located around it. The population of Chicago itself is 2.7 million people, with the suburbs (Chicago metro area, Chicagoland) - about 10 million. At the same time, the city, like the entire state, is very mobile: a well-developed network of highways (here it is much more convenient to own a car than in New York) and railways. Many commute daily to Chicago for work, permanently residing in another (sometimes very remote) location.

In the second half of the 20th century, Chicago, like other industrial cities in the Midwest, experienced massive factory closures. The consequences of this was the outflow of the population to the suburbs and other states, an increase in unemployment and a high crime rate. Another major issue in Chicago is informal racial segregation. Despite ethnic diversity, the city is rather rigidly divided into "white" and "black" areas - a situation more reminiscent of the southern states. Many African Americans who moved to Chicago during the industrial boom years were left without work and livelihoods after the decline of the industry. Without the support of the administration, some areas in the south of the city turned into a ghetto and are still in a catastrophic situation.

In general, today's Chicago can hardly be called a prosperous city, but against the background of neighboring cities (Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis), its position looks optimistic. Many social problems remain unresolved, but in general the city gradually adapted to post-industrial realities and relatively successfully integrated into the modern economy. Today's Chicago is the second economic center of the United States after New York, an important trade and transport hub in North America. Chicago's GDP is comparable to that of the Netherlands. O'Hare International Airport holds the title of the busiest airport in the world. Also in Chicago are the headquarters of world aviation giants: Boeing and United Airlines.

The south of the state is still sparsely populated and agricultural. Soybeans and corn are mainly extracted, livestock breeding is developed. Agricultural land looks something like this:

Chicago is an important cultural and educational center in the United States. It is difficult to find a genre of music where local artists would not play an important role: it is jazz, soul, and various variations of rock music, and hip-hop, and electronic genres. Theater is developed in Chicago, the city is considered the birthplace of modern comedy improvisation. Sports teams from Chicago are present in the top divisions in all the most popular sports in the United States (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer).

The University of Chicago is one of the best in the world; 89 Nobel laureates have studied, worked or taught there at different times. Especially important role of scientists from this university in the development of economic (Milton Friedman) and sociological (George Mead, Herbert Becker, Irving Hoffman) science. Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, well-known for its achievements in technical sciences, also occupy high places in American and international rankings.

The political preferences of Illinois residents vary. Chicagoans are traditionally left-leaning, suburban and rural residents are more conservative. Chicago is the birthplace of the American labor and trade union movement, the city also played an important role in the movement for the rights of women and blacks. In the city, the Democratic Party confidently wins, outside it, the Republicans are more often ahead.

Illinois is an ambiguous state, everyone will find something of their own in it. Perhaps, immigration there is best for those who want to live in a metropolis, but do not like New York, appreciate their native continental climate and seek to realize themselves in business or the academic field.

3 votes

Official name: State of Illinois(IL)

Capital of Illinois: springfield

Largest city: Chicago

Other major cities: Aurora, Highland Park, Rockford, Joliet, Danville, Belleville, Freeport.

State nicknames: Lincoln Land, Prairie State

State motto: State independence, national union

State Formation Date: 1818 (21st in order)

The name of the state of Illinois comes from the language of the native inhabitants of North America - the Indians. According to different versions, the word « Illinois « either from Illiniwek meaning "tribe of higher men" or from irenwewa meaning "he speaks as always".
The state is located on the Central Plains, and 60% of its territory is occupied by prairies, the rest is occupied by hills. It borders Wisconsin to the north, Lake Michigan to the northeast, Indiana to the east and southeast, Kentucky to the south, and Iowa to the west. The southern border runs along the Ohio River, the western and southwestern - along the Mississippi River. There are more than 500 rivers in the state (the largest is Illinois) and 950 lakes. The highest point - Charles Mound is located at an altitude of 376 m above sea level.
The distance between the extreme points in the south and north of the state is almost 650 km, due to this, the climate of Illinois at different latitudes can differ markedly. Most of the state lies in a humid continental climate with hot, humid summers and cold winters. On average, Illinois has about 50 thunderstorm days per year, slightly above the national average.
The state is also vulnerable to tornadoes, which hit about 35 annually. Despite the fact that the strength of tornadoes in Illinois does not exceed tornadoes in other states, the death rate from them has always been significantly higher here, due to its high population density. So, during one of the strongest tornadoes in US history, The Tri-State Tornado, which happened in 1925, 613 people died in Illinois.

Population of Illinois

About 12,900,000 people live in the state (the fifth most populous among US states and the first in the Midwest). The average population density in Illinois is about 90 people per km2 (twelfth place in the USA).

The racial makeup of the state of Illinois

Whites - 71.5%
Blacks (African Americans) - 14.5%
Asians - 4.6%
Native Americans (Indians or Eskimos of Alaska) - 0.3%
Native Hawaiian or Oceanian - less than 0.1%
Other races - 9%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) - about 15.8%

The largest ethnic (national) groups in the population of the state of Illinois

Germans - 21.1%
Irish - 13.3%
Poles - 7.9%
English - 6.7%
Italians - 6.4%
"Americans" - 4.6%
Swedes - 2.4%
French - 2.2%
Dutch - 1.6

History of Illinois

On the territory of the modern state of Illinois, at least seven thousand years ago, tribes of North American Indians of Illinois lived. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Illinois tribes suffered greatly from wars with the Iroquois and other northern tribes provoked by European expansion. As a result, they were driven out of these lands and replaced by the Potawatomi, Miami, Sauk and others tribes. A characteristic feature of the Indian settlements was the construction of earth mounds (mounds), on the flat tops of which residential and religious buildings were built, about eighty of them have survived to this day.

The first Europeans to explore the lands of the "Prairie State" were the French Jacques Marquette and Louis Jollier. In 1673 they went up the Illinois River and scouted a route to Lake Michigan. In 1682, the French built Fort St. Louis on the banks of the Illinois River. Perched on a high hill, this log-palisade settlement served as a base for French soldiers, hunters and merchants for several decades.

The French practically did not master the “Country of Illinois” (as the territory of the modern states of Illinois, Indiana and Missouri were called at that time), limiting themselves only to hunting and trading with the Indians. In 1763, after the end of the French and Indian War, the rights to the lands of Illinois (as well as all the North American colonies of France located east of the Mississippi) passed to Great Britain.
The British, like the French, did not leave a noticeable mark in the history of the state. In 1778, during the Revolutionary War, the British were expelled from these places by the Kentucky militia under the command of J. R. Clark, and the territory became part of Virginia. In 1809, the US government created the Illinois Territory, which included, in addition to Illinois proper, Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota, and western Upper Michigan.
In 1803, Fort Dearborn was built on the shores of Lake Michigan near the mouth of the Chicago River, named after the US Secretary of War. The fort was destroyed in 1812 during the war with Great Britain and rebuilt again in 1816. Around the fort, the city of Chicago gradually grew, which today has become the largest city in the state and the third largest in population. During Prohibition, Chicago became infamous for its organized crime, the most famous of which was Al Capone.
On December 3, 1818, Illinois became the twenty-first state of the United States. The first capital of the new state was the city of Kaskaskia, located on the Mississippi, in 1820 it was moved to Vandalia, and in 1839 to Springfield.
Since its founding, Illinois has remained a "free" state, in which slavery was legally prohibited, although in fact a number of black slaves lived on the estates of wealthy landowners (mainly in the south of the state, in the region known as "Little Egypt"). In Illinois, the political career of one of the most famous anti-slavery fighters and the sixteenth US President, Abraham Lincoln, began.

Attractions in Illinois

There are more forests in the south of the state, it is here that one of the largest (more than 1000 km 2) protected forests in the United States is located - the Shawnee National Forest.

"Garden of the Gods" in the Shawnee National Forest

Waterfall at Starved Illinois State Rock Park

Mississippi River in Alton, Illinois.

Historical Monument Mounds of Cahokia. Indian burials east of St. Louis

Lake Michigan

Chicago is located on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, at the head of the canalized waterway from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River.

Chicago is the birthplace of Hemingway and skyscrapers

In Chicago, on the main street of the city of Michigan Avenue, an eight-meter sculpture “Marilyn Forever” was installed

Sears Tower (1970-1973, height - 442 m, with antenna - 527 m, the tallest building in the United States and the third on the planet

Cloud Gate is an American government sculpture located in the central Millennium Park on the square.
Plaza in Chicago

In the southern part of Chicago, the New Pier Park was opened, the hallmark of which is the 45-meter Ferris Wheel, skillfully illuminated at night.

Giant 30-foot eyeball, sculpted by Tony Tasset. The sculpture was exhibited at Pritzker Park in Chicago, Illinois.
Old Water Tower, Chicago. The main historical landmark of Chicago is the Water Tower - one of the few buildings that survived the "Great Fire" of 1871 (now it houses a tourist information center).

Illinois State Capitol in Springfield

The capital of the state - the city of Springfield is the very place that gave the entire state one of its nicknames - "Lincoln Land". The young Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) practiced here as a lawyer from 1837.

Three US presidents have chosen the state of Illinois as their political base: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant and Barack Obama.
In the US state of Illinois, a bill has been passed that obliges dating sites to check the past of users for relations with the law. This measure is introduced to protect consumers. Criminal records will be checked through government databases.
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the finest collections of fine arts in the United States. It has unique paintings by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists. The museum's collection also includes paintings by Rembrandt and Hals.
The smoke-free workplace law was one of the first in the US to be passed in Illinois, supported by nearly three-quarters of the state's citizens.
In the city of Moreton, there is the "pumpkin capital" of the world. In 2010, in preparation for Halloween, festival participants in Illinois simultaneously lit 32,000 pumpkins.
The longest bar in the world is 208.5 meters long and is located in a bar in Rock Island, Illinois.
The tallest man in the world ever recorded in the history of mankind is Robert Wadlow, born in Alton, Illinois, in 1918. He reached a final height of 8 feet 11 inches at the age of twenty-one, and died of inflammation of the legs.

Ridiculous and Ridiculous Illinois Laws

You can be arrested for vagrancy if you don't have at least $1 on you.
You can be sentenced to 3 years for "eavesdropping" on your own conversation
You must contact the police before entering the city by car
Forbidden to speak English
It is forbidden to eat in places where there is a fire
Trying to get your dog drunk on alcohol is an offense
You can't fly a kite in the city
Spitting is forbidden
You can't fish while sitting on a giraffe
It is perfectly legal to protest naked in front of the City Hall if you are under 17 and have a special permit.
It's illegal to urinate in your neighbor's mouth
Can't sing in the city streets
It's an offense to try to have sex with a dog
You can't drive around the city
Mustachioed men are forbidden to kiss women
It is illegal to play bowling alley
You can not cough and spit out the window
$1,000 fine for beating rats with a baseball bat
It is illegal to use a slingshot if you are not a law enforcement officer
If a rooster wants to crow, he must move 300 feet away from human habitation. A chicken must move 200 feet if it wants to cackle.
Bees are legally prohibited from flying around the city
No ice skating at Riverside Pond in July and August
It is forbidden to make faces at dogs
It's a felony to spit on the pavement
You can not install basketball hoops on the road
The monster has no right to enter the city
It is forbidden to give lit cigars or cigarettes to dogs, cats and other pets

Area 140.9 thousand km 2. Population 12.9 million (2009). The capital is Springfield. The largest city is Chicago (the third largest in the US). Other major cities: Rockford, Peoria, Aurora, Naperville, Decatur.

It borders Wisconsin to the north, Indiana to the east and southeast, Kentucky to the south, and Lake Michigan to the northeast. To the west and southwest, the border runs along the Mississippi River.

Located on the Central Plains, 60% of the territory is occupied by prairies, the rest is hills. 950 lakes. More than 500 rivers (the largest is Illinois). The climate is temperate continental.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Illinois has been one of the first places in industrial development in the country (the center of industry in the Chicago area). Chemical industry, oil refining, mechanical engineering, electrical equipment production. Food industry, manufacturing industry - meat processing, woodworking. Rich mineral resources: coal, oil, natural gas, zinc, sandstone. Large farms are developed (cattle breeding, pig breeding; growing corn, soybeans, wheat). Since the late 19th century, the state has been the site of many agricultural innovations. Fishing is developed (carp, catfish, etc.). Tourism and service industry. Leading diversified transport center of the country.

Cultural and scientific center of the USA. Universities: Normal (1857); Urban, Chicago (1867, one of the finest laboratories in the world for the study of speech and hearing); Bloomington (1850) is a private senior college. Chicago is home to the Institute of Technology (known for its department of architecture and design), Springfield Sangammon University; symphony orchestras, ballet, country music center.

Indian tribes inhabited the territory of the state already in the 9th millennium BC. e. The lands of the state were first surveyed by Europeans (French Jesuits) at the end of the 17th century. In 1673, a trading post was founded in the area of modern Chicago. The territory of Illinois began to develop the British. During the War of Independence, they were expelled from these places. In 1799, Illinois was conquered from the Indians by military formations under the command of J. R. Clark, its territory became part of Virginia. But conflicts with Indian tribes continued later. In 1803, the military fort Dearborn was built, in 1809 Illinois was founded with the status of a territory. Its mass settlement began. In 1818, Illinois became the 21st state of the United States, at the same time the first state constitution was adopted (subsequently, the constitution was also adopted in 1848, 1870 and 1970).

In the 1830s, the construction of canals and railways intensified. A canal was built connecting Lake Michigan and the Mississippi across the Illinois River (1836), abandoned in 1930; canal in the northwest of the state between Rock Island on the Mississippi and Hennepin on the Illinois River (1907-1951) (state protected). From the middle of the 19th century, Illinois began to occupy one of the first places in the country's economy. Historically, the manufacturing industry has played an important role in the state's economy - meat processing, woodworking, food industries.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the trade union and labor movements developed intensively in the state. By the end of the 19th century, workers achieved the reform of industrial inspection and the recognition of trade unions, in 1903 - the introduction of an eight-hour working day, limiting the working week of adolescents to 48 hours, in 1909 - a ten-hour working day for women.

During both world wars, the economic and social growth of the state continued. After the Second World War, the modernization of industry and agriculture began, the rapid growth of the population. The process of formation of large farms continued. Since the end of the 20th century, the ethnic composition of large cities began to change, mainly due to external and internal emigration.

Illinois is one of the most important trade and financial centers of the country, it has a great influence on the political life of the United States as a whole. In the 19th century, Republican influence prevailed; in the 20th century, both parties, the Republican and the Democratic, rely on an approximately equal electorate.

Among the attractions: the reconstructed house of A. Lincoln and his family, their graves, the building of the State Capitol, the historical library, the house-museum of the poet W. Lindsay, the Museum of the Springfield Art Association. The Art Institute of Chicago has a large collection of paintings. Skyscrapers in Chicago (above 160 m). An architectural monument - a water tower (Water Tower, 1871), many parks, the famous Chicago Zoo.

In the list of the most interesting districts of the United States for studying American culture is definitely Illinois, a vibrant gem of the Midwest.

Story

"Lincoln Land", as this state is also called, is the 21st county and the fifth one in the northwest, which in 1818 acquired its administrative-territorial independence. Before the mass European colonization of Illinois, these lands were inhabited by Indian tribes.

But at the stage of formation of the district, as a "free state", there were constantly bloody clashes with local natives for a "place in the sun." This made it very difficult to settle in this area.

The last episode in the confrontation between the Western colonialists and the Indians was the "Black Hawk War", which ended in the complete defeat of the Indian people and their displacement to the west of the country.

The state of Illinois is also known as the place of the first foundation of the Christian community of followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, hereinafter referred to as Mormons.

Due to the intensification and growth of mass dissatisfaction among the population of the state with the activities of this religious association and numerous conflicts, in 1846 the Mormons were forced to leave the lands of Illinois in the United States, moving to the then Mexican territory of the present district of Utah.

Abraham Lincoln - American statesman, 16th President of the United States

Illinois at one time became a reliable springboard for such prominent political and public figures as Abraham Lincoln (16th US President and a zealous fighter against slavery), Ullis Grant, Ronald Reagan (40th US President) and Barack Obama (44th President of the United States and Nobel Peace Laureate).

In addition, it was in the state of Illinois that the world-famous prose writer and winner of the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes in literature, Ernest Hemingway, was born and raised.

Geography and climate

The state of Illinois is located mainly on the flat plane of the Central part of the American mainland, where about 60% of the territory is occupied by prairies, and the remaining 40% is hills. The total area of the district is 149,998 km².

State of Illinois on the US map

The water surface is represented by numerous lakes, which is why the state is also called the “Great Lakes region” (up to 950, the largest of which is Michigan) and rivers (more than 500, where the most famous rivers are Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio).

The climate of the state is mostly humid continental, varying with latitude. Summers are mostly hot and damp, and winters are cool with an average minus of 6 ° C. Illinois is also characterized by multiple tornadoes (up to 50 per year).

Population

The total population of the state is 12,870,000 people. Of these, about 3 million live in Chicago, Illinois, the third largest metropolitan area in the United States. The capital of the district - the city of Springfield - has only 116,250 people.

sights

Unique and must-see places in Illinois:

Town- cultural and entertainment center of the entire district;
Indiana Dunes National Park– a natural reserve with unique species of animals, birds and plants;
Shawnee National Forest an area of 1100 km? – stunning in beauty with the rarest flora and fauna;
University of Illinois- one of the oldest universities in the district (founded in 1857) and the largest university in Illinois, created at the junction of the two merged cities of Bloomington and Normal.
mormon temple in the city of Nauvoo;
Capitol, Presidential Library and Lincoln House Museum in Springfield.

City of Chicago, Illinois Shawnee National Forest Nauvoo Mormon Temple
Illinois State Capitol
Indiana Dunes National Park