Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is located in the Midwest Region of the United States, bordered by Wisconsin to the north, Indiana to the east, Kentucky to the south, and the Mississippi River on the west. It is the most populated Midwestern state. It has become an important state because its central location south and west of Lake Michigan makes it close to both raw materials and markets. Illinois is a continental center for business and travel because of the many transportation routes that run through it including railroads, highways, waterways, and air routes. The Illinois Waterway connects Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River and the Mississippi River with the Gulf of Mexico. O'Hare International Airport is the world's busiest airport. Chicago, Illinois' largest city is an important shipping center on Lake Michigan. It is also the home of the Chicago Board of Trade, the world's largest grain market. Because of its size and output, Chicago was known as "America's Second City" until the mid-1980s when Los Angeles passed it in population. About half of the state's residents live in and around Chicago. Chicago is also known as the "Windy City”. The nickname stuck because of the gusts of wind that blow across the city from Lake Michigan. Other important cities in Illinois include Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield, the capital. The word Illinois comes from the French version of an Indian word meaning "men" or "warriors. “The Great Migration established a large community of African Americans in Chicago that created the city's famous jazz and blues cultures.

Most of Illinois is fertile farmland. About 50 different crops are grown in the state and grain and livestock are raised on its prairies. The state is the leading producer of soybeans in the United States. Illinois is the state with the fifth largest income from agriculture; only California, Texas, Iowa, and Nebraska have larger agricultural incomes. Products made in Illinois urban industrial centers are the state's greatest source of income. The northern half of the state has cities like Chicago and Rockford. The production of machinery is the state's chief manufacturing activity.

Illinois is also home to the third most populous city in the United States, Chicago. International students might want to study in Chicago because it is a city full of life and history. They can get a fabulous education right outside downtown Chicago. University of Chicago is a phenomenal school to study law, science, and the humanities. Another renowned school popular with international students in Illinois is Northwestern University. Northwestern University is another private school that offers a variety of majors from Music to Communication degrees. Illinois tries to recruit international students, because not too many foreign people know a lot about the mid-western states. Illinois housed over 25,000 foreign students at its state colleges and universities just last year alone.

List of colleges and universities in Illinois

Official Website for the State of Illinois

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