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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.

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From foster parent to full-on mom

May 22, 2013 5:00 am

How Hyde Parker and her family found each other When the two young brothers came to live with Cedra Watson in 2007, all three of them had been through a lot.     ...

First lady could be Chicago kids' last hope

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

Reaching out on violence may help, but some want shift in public policyAs a young girl growing up in the South, I looked forward to the fourth Sunday of August.    ...

Tim West, reporter, 1946-2013

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

A versatile journalist, Tim West spent his entire career covering Naperville for the Naperville Sun.    

Quinn: No new casinos without pension reform

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

Governor says gambling expansion is 'shiny object' distracting lawmakersGov. Pat Quinn on Monday put a finer point on a notion he's been pushing this spring: No gambling expansion will happen without ...

Red Line rides out first weekday of construction project

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

CTA posts employees, police to help commuters adapt to reroutesCommuting on the South Side changed fundamentally Monday. Yet at the same time, nothing changed.     ...

Chamber honors small businesses

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

Six businesses took home awards at the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce's 16 t h annual Small Business of the Year Awards gala.    

Summer vacation time not equal across Chicagoland

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

While many of her friends are stuck in school into June, Wauconda eighth-grader Alexandra Hayden plans to take advantage of her district's early summer break to beat the crowds at Six Flags Great Amer...

More poor in U.S. suburbs than cities, report says

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

'The landscape of poverty in America has changed'Once considered the definition of the middle-class American dream, the suburbs are now home to a larger, faster-growing poor population than urban area...

Howl city

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

An annual roundup of coyote pups allows researchers to study the Cook County population"Pups!"    

Beleaguered NIU administrator to retire

May 21, 2013 5:00 am

Northern Illinois University officials announced Monday that a longtime campus vice president who has been part of a federal law enforcement investigation plans to retire at the end of the month.&...

Illinois News from BigNewsNetwork.com

Ill. House committee approves Medicaid expansion

May 21, 2013 6:19 pm

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- A key Illinois House committee has approved an expansion of Medicaid to cover low-income adults who don't have children at home, despite scrutiny over a last-minute ...

NIU administrator to retire after FBI probe

May 21, 2013 6:19 pm

http://bit.ly/14NTai7 ) that Eddie Williams will retire May 31. He is the DeKalb school's executive vice president for finance and chief of operations. He has been with the school for 43 year...

Face-Off Issues Hurting Blackhawks Chances

May 21, 2013 6:15 pm

DETROIT, MI - MAY 20: Pavel Datsyuk #13 of the Detroit Red Wings takes a first period face off against Marcus Kruger #16 of the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals du...

Guns Money Stolen From Ray Rices Home

May 21, 2013 6:08 pm

TOWSON, Md. (AP) -- Baltimore County police say the Reisterstown home of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was burglarized over the weekend, and $2,000 and two guns were ...

Top 10 Family Cars Of 2013

May 21, 2013 6:08 pm

IRVINE, CA (WWJ) – Kelly Blue Book’s list of the 10 Best Family Cars includes mid-size cars, minivans and small SUVs. It’s also a mix of brands, foreign and domestic. &a...

Kevin Durant Donates $1 Million To Tornado Relief

May 21, 2013 6:08 pm

(CBS/AP) The massive tornado that ripped through a handful of Oklahoma City suburbs and killed at least 50 people grabbed the attention of the sports world on Monday, especially the players and coache...

Chicago Sky lands broadcast TV deal with Weigel

May 21, 2013 6:01 pm

Chicago Sky is getting wider exposure as its games air this season on and ESPN, WCIU, The U and The U Too. WNBA franchise Chicago Sky has signed a five-year broadcast contract with Weigel Broadcasting...

Bill Clinton voices support for Illinois same-sex marriage bill

May 21, 2013 5:26 pm

President Bill Clinton laughs as he listens to philanthropist Pete Peterson speak at the Clinton Global Initiative University symposium at Washington University in St. Louis on Saturday, April 6, 2013...

Uni teachers submit petition to unionize

May 21, 2013 5:23 pm

Tweet Widget URBANA --A majority of faculty members at University Laboratory High School in Urbana have submitted a petition with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board to form a union, accord...

Central Illinois Daily Life May 20 - 26

May 21, 2013 5:23 pm

Photographer: John Dixon Kristie Stasi(cq) a volunteer for the Champaign County Humane Society GIANT Garage Sale, points out the most organized section of her office supplies area in Kessler Hall, at...

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