Illinois

Area Information

The state of Illinois is located in the Midwest region of the United States. It is the most populated and economically productive state in this region. The capital of Illinois is Springfield, and other important cities in the state include Chicago, Rockford, Peoria, and Champaign. The state stretches from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. Illinois is home to vast, rich farmlands, large urban areas, rolling glacial plains, and the Illinois section of the Ozarks Mountains. Illinois offers 4,300 miles of shoreline, over 1,100 historic sites, and more than half a million acres of state parks.

Business Information

Manufacturing sectors in Illinois include food, machinery, plastics, rubbers, fabricated metal, electronics, transportation equipment, and chemicals. The state has a large agricultural base, with produce such as wheat, corn, dairy products, cattle, and hogs. Illinois grows the most soybeans of any state in the U.S. and the second most corn. Top employers with office space or other facilities in Illinois include Boeing, McDonalds, Motorola, and United Airlines. The Chicago area is headquarters to a wide variety of financial institutions, and is home to the largest futures exchange in the world, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Entertainment And Dining Out

There are many things to see and do in Illinois, including the popular tourist destinations and landmarks such as the Ronald Regan Trail, Gateway Geyser, Illinois State Fair, Lake Michigan, and sites along the Mississippi River. Chicago is home to more than 7,000 restaurants of with cuisines from around the world represented. Illinois own specialties include Deep Pan Chicago-style Pizza and the Chicago-style hotdog, which is a steamed all-beef sausage in a poppy seed bun, with sweet pickle relish, dill pickle spear, tomatoes, yellow mustard, onions, peppers, and celery salt. The state is also home to the Tootsie Roll – a sweet cocoa-flavored chew.

Transport Information

There are many airports in the state, including two major airports near Chicago, O’Hare and Midway. Other airports with regional service in the state include those found in Springfield, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal. Amtrak trains serve many different destinations in Illinois. Car travel is best for the majority of the state, however in Chicago the city’s public transportation is one of the best in the nation.