Illinois

Illinois is a state in the United States. Its capital is Springfield and its largest city is Chicago. It is bordered to the north by Wisconsin, to the west by Iowa and below that, by Missouri (both borders are along the Mississippi River). To the south-east, Illinois is bordered along the Ohio River by Kentucky and to the east by Indiana. Illinois' northeasternmost boundary is to Lake Michigan.

History
Illinois became a state on December 3, 1818. Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which helped abolish slavery in the United States.

Three U.S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama. Additionally, Ronald Reagan, whose political career was based in California, was the only US President born and raised in Illinois.

Economy
Illinois has a diverse economy. Chicago is a major center for transportation and business. Central and northern Illinois is mostly used for agriculture. The south produces many natural resources such as coal, timber and petroleum.

Government
Illinois was once known to be a swing state (voted for either Democratic Party or the Republican Party). Today, Illinois is known to be a blue state in which it votes for the Democratic Party. The last time Illinois voted for a Republican president was in 1988 for George H.W. Bush.

J. B. Pritzker (D) is the current Governor of Illinois. It has two senators; Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D).

Population
Illinois has the average population of 12,419,293 people since 2010. Most of the people living in Illinois live near the city of Chicago.

People from Illinois
Famous Illinoisans include:
 * 16th President Abraham Lincoln
 * 40th President Ronald Reagan
 * 44th President Barack Obama
 * Former First Lady Michelle Obama
 * Former First Lady, Senator of New York, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
 * Architect Frank Lloyd Wright
 * Mayor of Chicago Richard M. Daley
 * Former First Lady Betty Ford
 * Actor Harrison Ford
 * Movie critic Roger Ebert
 * Animator Walt Disney
 * Actress Betty White
 * Social Worker Jane Addams
 * Scout Wild Bill Hickok
 * Comedian Jack Benny
 * NBA player Dwyane Wade

State symbols
In Illinois, school children voted to select the state bird, state flower, and state tree. The state bird is the cardinal. The state flower of Illinois is the violet. The state tree is the white oak.

Illinois's seal has an eagle in a prairie. Across a river, behind the eagle is a rising sun. The eagle stands for the United States. The prairie reminds Illinoisans of their land. The two dates on the seal, 1818 and 1868, are the year that Illinois became a state and the year that the state seal was designed. The state flag includes the state seal.

Related pages

 * List of cities in Illinois
 * List of counties in Illinois
 * List of rivers of Illinois
 * List of settlements in Illinois