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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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Illinois House introduces less restrictive gun bill

May 23, 2013 5:47 am

— An Illinois House version of legislation to allow people to carry concealed weapons that emerged Wednesday would not let Chicago have its own set of rules and could make it easier to get a...

Lawmakers override Quinn on ComEd veto

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

House joins Senate in upholding utility rate increase— Lawmakers on Wednesday rejected Gov. Pat Quinn's effort to block ComEd from raising rates in exchange for promises to digitize the elec...

Double take

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

Wilmette school poised to claim Guinness record on twinsFor those wondering which school might hold the world record for most twins in one grade, look no further than Highcrest Middle School in Wilmet...

Penny Pritzker to face key senators for Commerce bid

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

Bill Daley, a fellow Chicagoan with Washington experience, knows what she's going throughWith Chicago billionaire Penny Pritzker set to be grilled by senators Thursday at her Commerce secretary confir...

Awkward end paves way for Urlacher's great ending

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

Former linebacker can take his place with Bears' elite Why did it take so long for Brian Urlacher to leave the game?    

Illinois business urges federal court to lift contraception mandate

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

Firm owned by Catholics contends health law's requirement violates owners' religious beliefsLawyers for two Roman Catholic-owned companies in Illinois and Indiana argued before the 7th U.S. Circuit Co...

Drama ends as Trump Tower trial goes to jury

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

Dispute over condo became theatrical slugfest; lawyers get last digs in during closing argumentsOn paper it's a rather boring condo dispute, a mundane confrontation between a buyer and seller over cla...

Decision to spare 4 schools delights some parents

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

'It was just a gift,' says mother of 2 Manierre studentsFor weeks that became months, parents at Garvey Elementary School protested its possible closing at community meetings, signed petitions and hop...

CPS OKs massive closings

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

Board votes to shut 49 grade schools, 1 high schoolMonths of argument and anguish over Mayor Rahm Emanuel's push for sweeping school closings came to a climax Wednesday as his hand-picked Board of Edu...

Homeowners group picks new leaders

May 23, 2013 5:00 am

The Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation elected a new leader for the first time in four years.    

Illinois News from BigNewsNetwork.com

Out since last May Danks starts for Sox on Friday

May 23, 2013 6:39 am

The White Sox will get a major piece of their rotation back on Friday night, when John Danks takes the ball for the opener of a three-game Interleague series against the Marlins at U.S. Cellular Field...

City vehicle stickers now on sale

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

Chicago drivers can now make their annual payment for the privilege of keeping a car in the city. City stickers went on sale this week at City Clerk Susana Mendoza's office, online and at so...

Illinois House introduces less restrictive gun bill

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

SPRINGFIELD— - An Illinois House version of legislation to allow people to carry concealed weapons that emerged Wednesday would not let Chicago have its own set of rules and could make it ...

CPS OKs massive closings

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

Months of argument and anguish over Mayor Rahm Emanuel's push for sweeping school closings came to a climax Wednesday as his hand-picked Board of Education voted to shut 49 elementary schools...

Decision to spare 4 schools delights some parents

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

For weeks that became months, parents at Garvey Elementary School protested its possible closing at community meetings, signed petitions and hoped against hope that they wouldn't have to send...

Illinois business urges federal court to lift contraception mandate

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

Lawyers for two Roman Catholic-owned companies in Illinois and Indiana argued before the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Wednesday that a law forcing them to include birth control in t...

Drama ends as Trump Tower trial goes to jury

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

On paper it's a rather boring condo dispute, a mundane confrontation between a buyer and seller over clauses buried deep in documents.Throw in Donald Trump, an 87-year-old grandmother and a b...

Awkward end paves way for Urlachers great ending

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

Why did it take so long for Brian Urlacher to leave the game?It could have been the pride a world-class athlete needs to become truly great at what he does. It could have been merely mercenary, the de...

Penny Pritzker to face key senators for Commerce bid

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

Penny Pritzker, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Pritzker Realty Group LLC and U.S. President Barack Obama's nominee as secretary of commerce, listens as Obama, not pictured...

Lawmakers override Quinn on ComEd veto

May 23, 2013 6:32 am

SPRINGFIELD— - Lawmakers on Wednesday rejected Gov. Pat Quinn's effort to block ComEd from raising rates in exchange for promises to digitize the electrical grid. The House voted...

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