Illinois

History

The name of the State comes from the algonquin warriors, courageous men .

Illinois was the 21e State admitted in the Union, the December 3rd 1818. It belonged before to the Territoire of the North-West.

Passed précolombien

Cahokia was the urban center of the culture of the Mississippi and was on the current site of Collinsville. After the disappearance of this civilization, the Indians gathered in the confederation It which gave the name of the State. It suffered from the expansion of the Iroquois at the 17th century.

European exploration

Occupied by the Illinois Indians whom the explorers meet Jolliet (Canadian) and Marquette (French) in 1673, this “country” that the relations depict as a ground of abundance is located in the middle of the French Empire of North America, with the hinge between the Canada and the Louisiana. During several decades, the French presence is limited to it to the activity of the wood runners of Franco-Canadian origin, which settle among the Indians, and to that of the missionaries. They install forts, of which Fort Crèvecœur. The priests of the seminar of the Foreign missions thus create with Cahokia, in 1699, the mission of the Holy-Family, and the Jesuits, credits since 1689, found a mission with Kaskaskia in 1703.

Between 1717 and 1720, at the time when the Company of Occident launches its movement of colonization, the Pays of Illinois is officially attached to Louisiana. The hope to find money and gold mines contributes to the passion for this area. The Fort of Chartres is founded in 1719 and in the months which follow are born two other villages, Prairie of the Rock and Saint-Philippe. A last establishment, Holy-Genevieve, are created around 1750. The Country of Illinois, where the colonists, helped black slaves, cultivate wheat and corn, becomes the agricultural attic of Louisiana. The sendings of flour, but also of bacon, strongly contribute to the subsistence of the garrisons and the inhabitants of the low valley of the Mississippi.

Fastening in the United States

After the war of American Independence, the United States turns to the West. In the area, the government chooses Chicago, because of its position on the Lake Michigan, to establish a permanent presence there. Strong Dearborn, on the southern bank Chicago To rivet it, sees the day in 1803.

In 1848, Illinois & Michigan Canal opens with circulation. It connects the big lakes to Chicago River and, so with the the Mississippi and the New-Orleans. Chicago Board off Trade, one of the great financial institutions of the city, takes care of the trade of cereals, from now on forwarded to the markets of the east coast by the channel.

The workmen who built the channel harness with the construction of the railroad. In 1850, the first section connects Chicago and Galena, in the West of Illinois. The city becomes soon the turntable of the American rail traffic.

The civil war benefits the city, as at the other cities of North. The production of steel and machine tools develops. In 1865, the Stockyards Union, gathering the various slaughter-houses of the city, opens its doors. The railway network available to Chicago and the development of cooled coaches allowing the forwarding of the meat New York ensure the development of this sector. At the beginning of the 20th century, Chicago counts 2 million inhabitants.

Geography

Physical geography

The geology of Illinois depends mainly on the Glaciation of Wisconsin: this period which related to the North America between 85000 and 7000 BP is marked by the extension of the icecap to the south of the current Big lakes. With the end of this Glacial period, the Big lakes were formed, supplied with the cast iron of the Inlandsis. The area located at the south of the Big lakes is covered today by a very fertile layer of Lœss. These fine particles are the product of the glacial erosion and were transported by the wind towards the south.

Human geography

Illinois can be divided into three great principal areas. First is Chicagoland , which includes the town of Chicago its suburbs, as well as the zones périurbaines which surround it. Some counties of the Indiana and the Wisconsin are attached to it and extends from the north of Illinois towards the limit with the Iowa. This area cosmopolitan, densément is populated and industrialized. In the south and the west, the second area is central Illinois, composed of plains, where the Agriculture dominates the economy. Lastly, all the area located at the south of U.S. Road 50 , profits from a hotter climate and densément is densément inhabited than the center. Little Egypt is an area of the south of Illinois. Subway-Is is another area which includes/understands eleven counties of the state and which is composed by suburbs of Saint Louis, a big city of the Missouri.

Demography

According to the Office of the census of the United States, the State counted in 2000 12.419.293 inhabitants divided out of 149.998 km ², that is to say a density of 83/km ². According to the estimates, the population was of 12.763.371 inhabitants in 2005, which represents an evolution of 343.724 people, that is to say 2,8%, compared to the year 2000. In 2000, 23,3% of the total population lived to Chicago, 43,3% in the county of Cook, and 65,6% in the area of Chicagoland. The remainder of the inhabitants occupies the smaller cities of the rural regions which strew the plains with the State. The geographical center of the population of Illinois was located at 41.278216° NR 88.380238° W, in the county of Grundy.

Principal cities

Policy

Illinois is a politically moderate State which currently leans towards the democratic S. Indeed, the State is divided between the county of Cook, where the town of Chicago is, democratic stronghold where 40% of the population reside, and the remainder of the State, rural, won over to the republicans.

In 1960, the election of John F. Kennedy in this State with 49,98% of the voices compared with 49,80% with Richard Nixon initially causes many disputes in the press, then recount bulletins. However a modification of the electoral result in this only State could not have made it possible Richard Nixon to become president.

At the time of the presidential elections of 2004, the voters of the State voted to 54,82% for John Kerry against 44,48% with George W. Bush, however elected at the national level. No republican candidate gained the State with the presidential election since 1988 and 6 consecutive victories.

Since 2003, the governor of the State of Illinois east Rod Blagojevich, first democratic governor of the State since 1977. Four of the five other elected stations of the executive are held by democrats.

The assembly of the State is made up of a senate of 59 members, dominated by 37 democrats and of a room of the representatives of 118 members, dominated by 66 democrats.

At the federal level, the two senators of the State are the democrats Richard Durbin and Barack Obama.

Ten of the nineteen elected officials of the Room of the representatives are democratic against nine republicans.

Economy

The economy of Illinois is very diverse. Chicago is the seat many American firms like Boeing, McDonalds, Bank One, United Airlines and Motorola. Industries of telecommunications, of automotive engineering, and the financial institutions are numerous. The remainder of the State is especially agricultural.

Culture

Education

The Illinois State Board off Education or ISBE , organization autonomous of the Legislature and the governor of Illinois, manages public education in the State. The most famous institutions of Higher education of the state include the Université of Chicago, the Université Northwestern and the various universities of the system of the Université of Illinois.

Sport

Blackhawks of Chicago (LNH)
Chicago bulldozers (NBA)
Cubs of Chicago (MLB)
White Sox of Chicago (MLB)
Bears of Chicago (NFL)

See too

References

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