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Illinois: Luxury Living Communities

 

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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.

 

Of Interest

Greg Norman's Southern Cross Developments Selects River Rim Ranch

Greg Norman’s Southern Cross Developments, proprietor of the exclusive “Norman Estates” real estate brand, is pleased to announce that River Rim Ranch in Teton Valley, Idaho will be the location for its newest project, the “Norman Ranch Estates. [Read More]

 

News from the Chicago Sun-Times

'True Blood' actor credits Thornridge teachers

Nov 22, 2008 10:00 am

When actor Nelsan Ellis is on the set of HBO's vampire saga "True Blood," show producer Alan Ball says, "We all just stand back and point the camera in his direction.''

 

Community pays respects to Adrian

Nov 22, 2008 10:00 am

Adrian Jones had just turned 16 and decided to get rid of "Bart," his nickname, because he didn't want girls confusing him with the cartoon character of the same name. So he told his uncle h...

 

Illinois, NU retiring tomahawk trophy

Nov 22, 2008 6:01 am

To those who have contested it since 1945, the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk has been a source of pride, a symbol of their passion for college football. To the NCAA, though, the tomahawk is, like Chief lliniwe...

 
 

News from Bloomington and Southern Illinois from The Bloomington Herald-Times

IU Football: Purdue ahead 41-3 at the half

Nov 22, 2008 6:37 pm

Chat about the game with other fans RIGHT NOW! ...

 

Food Stamp Challenge: Leading into the final day

Nov 22, 2008 3:04 pm

MORE: Area food pantries in desperate need ...

 
 

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