View Community Listings

The State of Illinois is a state of the United States of America and the 21st state admitted to the Union. Illinois is the most populous state in the Midwest and the fifth most populous in the nation, and has a large and cosmopolitan population. Its balance of vast suburbs and the great metropolis of Chicago in the northeast, rural areas, small industrial cities, and renowned agricultural productivity in central and western Illinois, and the coal mines of the south give it a highly diverse economic base. Its central location, connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River via the Illinois River, 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 United States.
About 2,000 Native American hunters and a small number of French villagers inhabited the area at the time of the American Revolution. American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s; they achieved statehood in 1818. Yankees arrived a little later and dominated the north, founding the future 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 provided major support for Illinoisans Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War. By 1900, factories were being rapidly built in the northern cities, along with coal mines in central and southern areas. This industrialization attracted large numbers of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, and also led to the state's material contribution as a major arsenal in both world wars. In addition to immigrants from Europe, large numbers of blacks left the cotton fields of the South to come to Chicago, where they developed a famous jazz culture.

Of Interest

News from The Chigago Tribune

Stuart Levine's business partner gets 18 months

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

Dr. Robert Weinstein admitted role in $6 million fraud scheme involving a charity connected to Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science ...

Mutual Ground's domestic violence shelter closes amid budget fight

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

Budget limbo hurts agency, which will still offer services but not housing Propped along the wrought-iron fen...

Man pays parking-spot taxes twice, gets stalled over refund

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

Mix-up over tax ID number means Old Town condo owner is out more than $300 A simple mix-up caused Brian Hetti...

Chicagoans took big pay cuts to work in White House

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

For many of the Chicagoans serving in the White House, their new high-powered jobs have also come with a sizable pay cut.

Investigators raid home, office of Cook County regional schools superintendent

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

State audit had found fiscal problems in office run by Supt. Charles Flowers Investigators raided the home an...

Mentally disabled in housing fight

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

Lawsuit seeks choice for adults; some fear any change would hurt larger facilities Samuel Golden admits he wa...

Illinois ranks 10th in new study of overweight kids 10-17

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

One in three is overweight or obese One in three Illinois children is overweight or obese, according to a ne...

Governor starts state's fiscal year with veto

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

Quinn says spending plan is inadequate, renews call for an income tax hike SPRINGFIELD -- The state's new b...

With doctor's help, homeless man learns to heal his life

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

Doctor gains new insight: 'I found out what poverty really meant' Three years ago, Everett Atkinson was a med...

Sears Tower: New glass 'ledges' lead to high anxiety

Jul 2, 2009 5:00 am

A few layers of glass separate your feet from the pavement -- 1,350 feet below A few layers of glass separate...

News from the Chicago Sun-Times

Sentencing scheduled for Mo. mom in MySpace hoax

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

LOS ANGELES---- A Missouri mother could be sentenced Thursday for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbor girl who later killed herself.

Obama: More work needed to create new jobs

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

WASHINGTON---- President Barack Obama says he's still "deeply concerned" about the continuing loss of jobs across the country.

DEA now involved in Michael Jackson probe

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

LOS ANGELES With the federal Drug Enforcement Administration now joining the investigation into Michael Jacksons death, Jermaine Jackson says he would be hurt if toxicology reports show that his youn...

467K jobs cut in June; jobless rate at 9.5 percent

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

WASHINGTON---- Employers cut a larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June, driving the unemployment rate up to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent, suggesting that the economy's road to recovery will be bump...

Close troubled education office, Cook County Board urges

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

County commissioners urged state authorities today to shut down the Cook County Regional Education Office, in the wake of a critical audit that revealed that Supt. Charles A. Flowers used a government...

Sears Tower's new 'Ledge' offers visitors far-out views

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

David Roeder: That's one small step for man, one giant leap of faith in mankind. I survived the Ledge on Wednesday. Gingerly at first, fearlessly after a time, I stood on the glass floor of the new at...

Average gas price inches down to $2.84

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

Just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, gasoline prices in the Chicago area dipped Wednesday. The average price of unleaded regular gasoline was $2.84 on Wednesday, down from $2.85 on Tuesday and...

Close troubled education office, Cook County Board urges

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

County commissioners urged state authorities today to shut down the Cook County Regional Education Office, in the wake of a critical audit that revealed that Supt. Charles A. Flowers used a government...

Low loan rates give college students a break

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

The cost of borrowing from the federal government using Stafford loans just dropped for thousands of college students.

CPS axes 557, with more layoffs ahead

Jul 2, 2009 10:00 am

More than 500 Chicago Public School employees were given pink slips Wednesday in what officials said was the largest round of layoffs to ever hit the nation's third-largest school system.

Illinois News from BigNewsNetwork.com

Danville youth football organization tackling diabetes

Jul 2, 2009 4:14 pm

Printer-friendly DANVILLE – Members of the Danville Giants Youth Football Organization are learning life lessons while learning a sport."We want the kids to look beyond themselves,&...

Marines launch major offensive in Afghanistan

Jul 2, 2009 4:14 pm

Printer-friendly NAWA, Afghanistan (AP) – Thousands of U.S. Marines poured from helicopters and armored vehicles into Taliban-controlled villages in southern Afghanistan on Thursday in t...

Former Iran president joins in criticism of regime

Jul 2, 2009 4:14 pm

EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the acc...

EU considers pulling ambassadors from Iran

Jul 2, 2009 4:14 pm

Printer-friendly STOCKHOLM (AP) – The European Union on Thursday was considering Britain's request to pull the bloc's ambassadors from Iran, an extraordinary move that would send a power...

Computer problems delay United flights at O'Hare

Jul 2, 2009 4:14 pm

Printer-friendly CHICAGO (AP) – A computer problem grounded all United Airlines flights at O'Hare International Airport Thursday, causing long delays and lines for travelers headed out f...

Safety commission recalls 4 million baby floats

Jul 2, 2009 4:03 pm

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that Aqua-Leisure Industries would recall about four million floating baby pool toys that pose a drowning risk.

Tuition hike cap recommended for Ind. colleges

Jul 2, 2009 4:03 pm

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has recommended tuition and fee rate increases of no higher than 5 percent for the state's seven public college and university systems.

Wisc. disabled hunting event Oct. 3-11

Jul 2, 2009 4:03 pm

The 20th annual hunt will run from Oct. 3-11 this fall. Disabled hunters can get special permits by completing an application with their doctor and submitting it to the state Department of Natural Res...

Some fireworks retailers feeling pinch of economy

Jul 2, 2009 4:03 pm

WAUSAU, Wis. -- Some fireworks retailers in central Wisconsin say the sour economy is affecting their sales heading into the Fourth of July weekend.

Ill. high court adopts new rules for lawyers

Jul 2, 2009 4:03 pm

And court officials say the new rules bring the regulation of lawyers into the 21st century, specifically issuing guidelines for new technology including e-mail, Web sites and cell phones.

See more articles

New search

To view related LOCATIONS, choose from the list below:

• Southern Illinois
• Central Illinois
• Northern Illinois and Rockford
• Chicago Metro

To change LIFESTYLE, choose from the list below:

• General Care
• Continuing-Care (CCRCs)
• Assisted Living
• Skilled Nursing

Top 3 most popular retirement CITIES in Illinois:

• CHICAGO
• ELK GROVE VILLAGE
• EVANSTON

View entire city directory for Illinois