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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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News from The Chigago Tribune

Advantage, meter firm

May 24, 2013 5:41 am

Revised city deal still a gain for vendor, analysis findsChicago taxpayers still could end up pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the coffers of the company leasing the city's parking meters ...

Highland Park parents protest involuntary teacher transfers

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

A dozen parents of Highland Park grade school students voiced anger and disappointment at a board meeting Thursday night as they demanded answers and protested the involuntary transfer of three teache...

Gerard Pawlicki, 1921-2013

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

Scientist served on Manhattan Project, also was present for first hydrogen bomb detonation in PacificGerard Pawlicki was just out of DePaul University when he joined Enrico Fermi, Walter Zinn, George ...

Naperville police to hire 2 new officers

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

The Naperville Police Department plans to hire two new officers to join the downtown beat next spring.    

Corrupt cop gets 12 years

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

Officer robbed gang leader's rivals, then informed for FBIFor five years, federal authorities had been chasing leads on two Chicago police officers believed to be conspiring with leaders of the Latin ...

Jury finds in favor of Trump in Chicago luxury hotel lawsuit

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

Clause allowing for changes in contract proves pivotal in defense against Evanston woman's claimsDonald Trump boldly proclaimed last week to a federal jury that he had the right to do whatever he want...

Flushing with delight at Naperville ceremony

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

City and Park District officials held 'potty party' for new facilities In Naperville, ribbon-cuttings aren't only for new stores and offices. They're also ripe for facilities where people do business ...

With last-minute reprieve, school gets chance to mend divided neighborhood

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

Manierre Elementary School lives squeezed between worlds.    

CPS suspends employee seen pushing student in video

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

Man appears to be shoving 16-year-old down flight of stairsChicago Public Schools has removed a Dunbar Vocational Career Academy employee from his job after a video was posted online that appears to s...

Providence Catholic school bus involved in minor crash, no injuries

May 24, 2013 5:00 am

A three-vehicle crash involving a school bus slowed traffic at a Homer Glen intersection Thursday afternoon, but no injuries were reported, authorities said.     ...

Illinois News from BigNewsNetwork.com

Smartphone turned into handheld biosensor to detect toxins pollutants and pathogens

May 24, 2013 6:50 am

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone's built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor to detect toxins, protei...

Detroit Red Wings Top Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 Take 3-1 Series Lead

May 24, 2013 6:15 am

DETROIT - Jakub Kindl scored on a power play in the second period, Daniel Cleary had an empty-net goal and Jimmy Howard made 27 saves to help the Detroit Red Wings hold on for a 2-0 victory over the C...

Evanston Township High School investigates sexting accusation

May 24, 2013 6:13 am

Evanston Township High School officials investigated a report of "sexting" among female students and varsity baseball players, according to a letter sent to parents and guardians in ...

CPS suspends employee seen pushing student in video

May 24, 2013 6:13 am

Chicago Public Schools has removed a Dunbar Vocational Career Academy employee from his job after a video was posted online that appears to show him pushing a female student down a flight of stairs.Th...

Flushing with delight at Naperville ceremony

May 24, 2013 6:13 am

In Naperville, ribbon-cuttings aren't only for new stores and offices. They're also ripe for facilities where people do business of a more personal nature.City and Park District offi...

With last-minute reprieve school gets chance to mend divided neighborhood

May 24, 2013 6:13 am

Manierre Elementary School lives squeezed between worlds. Black and white. Rich and poor. Chicago's past and its ambition. Walter Burnett, the neighborhood's alderman, lives squeez...

Jury finds in favor of Trump in Chicago luxury hotel lawsuit

May 24, 2013 6:13 am

Donald Trump boldly proclaimed last week to a federal jury that he had the right to do whatever he wanted at his luxury Chicago high-rise hotel - in spite of a federal lawsuit he faced from an 87-year...

Naperville police to hire 2 new officers

May 24, 2013 6:13 am

The Naperville Police Department plans to hire two new officers to join the downtown beat next spring.The City Council unanimously approved adding the officers to help patrol the area, which has seen ...

Corrupt cop gets 12 years

May 24, 2013 6:13 am

For five years, federal authorities had been chasing leads on two Chicago police officers believed to be conspiring with leaders of the Latin Kings to rob the gang's rivals of cash, drugs and...

Metra reassigns official who oversaw agencys NATO security police force

May 24, 2013 6:13 am

The Metra administrator who oversaw the commuter rail agency's police for the past several years, along with security during the NATO summit, has been removed from that post, the Tribune has ...

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