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International Students Learn how to apply. Learn how to make your RedbirdImpact. Martin Luther King Jr. Yusef Salaam inspires audience to embrace purpose. Keyser named founding dean for College of Engineering. On-Campus Experiences With safety measures in place, you are invited to come see campus first hand. Something for Everyone You don't have to look far for a student organization perfect for you. Welcome Home Campus is only a small part of a vibrant community.
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Celebrating Everyone Redbirds come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. This sparks much-needed change. We drive research that makes the world a better place while we develop and deploy new technology. That's fueling innovation. Explore recent stories. We have students from of Illinois' counties.
U of I System aid nearly doubled over 10 years. Explore how we make an impact. Academic Excellence. Economic Vitality. It is located in the Illinois portion of Greater St. Louis often called the Metro-East area , which has a rapidly growing population of over , Other major urban areas include the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area , which has a combined population of almost , people, the Illinois portion of the Quad Cities area with about , people, and the Bloomington-Normal area with a combined population of over , The official language of Illinois is English , [97] although between and , state law gave official status to "the American language".
Religion in Illinois [] []. In , Catholics in Illinois numbered 3,, The largest Protestant denominations were the United Methodist Church with , members and the Southern Baptist Convention with , Illinois played an important role in the early Latter Day Saint movement , with Nauvoo becoming a gathering place for Mormons in the early s.
Nauvoo was the location of the succession crisis , which led to the separation of the Mormon movement into several Latter Day Saint sects.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the largest of the sects to emerge from the Mormon schism, has more than 55, adherents in Illinois today. A significant number of adherents of other Abrahamic faiths can be found in Illinois.
Chicago is also home to a very large population of Hindus , Sikhs , Jains , and Buddhists. As of February , the unemployment rate in Illinois reached 4.
Illinois's major agricultural outputs are corn , soybeans , hogs , cattle , dairy products , and wheat. In most years, Illinois is either the first or second state for the highest production of soybeans, with a harvest of The German immigrants from agricultural backgrounds who settled in Illinois in the mid- to late 19th century are in part responsible for the profusion of fruit orchards in that area of Illinois.
As of [update] , Illinois is ranked as the 4th-most productive manufacturing state in the country, behind California, Texas, and Ohio. By the early s, Illinois's economy had moved toward a dependence on high-value-added services, such as financial trading, higher education, law, logistics, and medicine.
In some cases, these services clustered around institutions that hearkened back to Illinois's earlier economies. For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange , a trading exchange for global derivatives , had begun its life as an agricultural futures market.
Other important non-manufacturing industries include publishing, tourism, and energy production and distribution. Illinois is a net importer of fuels for energy, despite large coal resources and some minor oil production.
Illinois exports electricity, ranking fifth among states in electricity production and seventh in electricity consumption. The coal industry of Illinois has its origins in the middle 19th century, when entrepreneurs such as Jacob Loose discovered coal in locations such as Sangamon County.
According to the Illinois State Geological Survey, billion tons of bituminous coal are estimated to lie under the surface, having a total heating value greater than the estimated oil deposits in the Arabian Peninsula. In , Illinois produced Most of the coal produced in Illinois is exported to other states and countries. In , Illinois exported three million tons of coal, and was projected to export nine million in , as demand for energy grows in places such as China, India, and elsewhere in Asia and Europe.
Mattoon was chosen as the site for the Department of Energy 's FutureGen project, a megawatt experimental zero emission coal-burning power plant that the DOE just gave a second round of funding.
In , after a number of setbacks, the city of Mattoon backed out of the project. Illinois is ranked 14th in oil production among states, with a daily output of approximately 28, bbl 4, m 3 in Nuclear power arguably began in Illinois with the Chicago Pile-1 , the world's first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in the world's first nuclear reactor , built on the University of Chicago campus.
Three reactors have been permanently shut down and are in various stages of decommissioning: Dresden-1 and Zion-1 and 2. Illinois ranked first in the nation in in both nuclear capacity and nuclear generation. Generation from its nuclear power plants accounted for 12 percent of the nation's total.
Illinois has seen growing interest in the use of wind power for electrical generation. Department of Energy , with some western sections rated "good" and parts of the south rated "poor". As a result, more areas of Illinois have become prospective wind farm sites. As of September , Illinois had As of , wind energy represented only 1.
Illinois is ranked second in corn production among U. Tax is collected by the Illinois Department of Revenue. State income tax is calculated by multiplying net income by a flat rate. The property tax is a local—not state—tax, imposed by local government taxing districts, which include counties, townships , municipalities, school districts , and special taxation districts.
The property tax in Illinois is imposed only on real property. On May 1, , the Illinois Senate voted to approve a constitutional amendment that would have stricken language from the Illinois Constitution requiring a flat state income tax, in a 73—44 vote. If approved, the amendment would have allowed the state legislature to impose a graduated income tax based on annual income.
The governor, J. Pritzker , approved the bill on May 27, It was scheduled for a general election ballot vote [] [] and required 60 percent voter approval to effectively amend the state constitution. As of Chicago had the highest state and local sales tax rate for a U. Toll roads are a de facto user tax on the citizens and visitors to the state of Illinois. Illinois ranks seventh out of the 11 states with the most miles of toll roads, at Chicago ranks fourth in most expensive toll roads in America by the mile, with the Chicago Skyway charging Illinois has numerous museums; the greatest concentration of these are in Chicago.
Several museums in Chicago are ranked as some of the best in the world. These include the John G. The modern Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield is the largest and most attended presidential library in the country.
The Illinois State Museum boasts a collection of The Chicago metropolitan area also hosts two zoos: The Brookfield Zoo , located about ten miles west of the city center in suburban Brookfield , contains more than 2, animals and covers acres 87 ha. The zoo accounts for more than 35 acres 14 ha of the park. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Magnolia Manor is a Victorian period historic house museum in Cairo.
The Polish Museum of America in Chicago. Each summer since , Southern Illinois University Carbondale has played host to the Southern Illinois Music Festival, which presents dozens of performances throughout the region. Past featured artists include the Eroica Trio and violinist David Kim. Chicago , in the northeast corner of the state, is a major center for music [] in the midwestern United States where distinctive forms of blues greatly responsible for the future creation of rock and roll , and house music , a genre of electronic dance music, were developed.
The Great Migration of poor black workers from the South into the industrial cities brought traditional jazz and blues music to the city, resulting in Chicago blues and "Chicago-style" Dixieland jazz. Chicago is also well known for its soul music. In the early s, Gospel music began to gain popularity in Chicago due to Thomas A. Dorsey 's contributions at Pilgrim Baptist Church. In the s and s, heavy rock , punk , and hip hop also became popular in Chicago.
John Hughes , who moved from Grosse Pointe to Northbrook , based many films of his in Chicago , and its suburbs. As one of the United States' major metropolises, all major sports leagues have teams headquartered in Chicago. Many minor league teams also call Illinois their home. They include:. The two most prominent are the Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats , both members of the Big Ten Conference and the only ones competing in one of the so-called " Power Five conferences ".
The Fighting Illini football team has won five national championships and three Rose Bowl Games , whereas the men's basketball team has won 17 conference seasons and played five Final Fours.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats have won eight football conference championships and one Rose Bowl Game. The city of Chicago is home to four Division I programs that do not sponsor football.
The Loyola Ramblers , with their main campus straddling the Edgewater and Rogers Park community areas on the city's far north side, compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Chicago State Cougars , from the city's south side, are one of only two all-sports independents in Division I after leaving the Western Athletic Conference in Finally, two non-football Division I programs are located downstate.
Louis compete in the OVC. The city was formerly home to several other teams that either failed to survive or belonged to leagues that folded. Louis, Missouri after the season. An NBA expansion team known as the Chicago Packers in —, and as the Chicago Zephyrs the following year, moved to Baltimore after the — season. The franchise is now known as the Washington Wizards. Louis Cardinals.
Illinois also has several short tracks and dragstrips. Also, the state has hosted 13 editions of the U. The Illinois state parks system began in with what is now Fort Massac State Park, becoming the first park in a system encompassing more than 60 parks and about the same number of recreational and wildlife areas.
In a study, Illinois was ranked as the 4th easiest state for citizens to vote in. The government of Illinois , under the Constitution of Illinois , has three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is split into several statewide elected offices, with the governor as chief executive.
Legislative functions are granted to the Illinois General Assembly. The judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court and lower courts. The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature, composed of the member Illinois House of Representatives and the member Illinois Senate. The members of the General Assembly are elected at the beginning of each even-numbered year. The executive branch is composed of six elected officers and their offices as well as numerous other departments. The government of Illinois has numerous departments, agencies, boards and commissions, but the so-called code departments provide most of the state's services.
The Judiciary of Illinois is the unified court system of Illinois. The Supreme Court oversees the administration of the court system. The administrative divisions of Illinois are counties, townships, precincts, cities, towns, villages, and special-purpose districts. Illinois is a Democratic stronghold. However, in recent elections, the Democratic Party has gained ground, and Illinois has come to be seen as a solid "blue" state in presidential campaigns. However, the " collar counties " the suburbs surrounding Chicago's Cook County, Illinois , can be seen as moderate voting districts.
Republicans continue to prevail in the rural areas of northern and central Illinois, as well as southern Illinois outside of East St. From until , Illinois was carried by the victor of each of these 14 presidential elections. By contrast, Illinois has trended more toward the Democratic party, and has voted for their presidential candidates in the last six elections; in , George W.
Bush became the first Republican to win the presidency without carrying either Illinois or Vermont. Local politician and Chicago resident Barack Obama easily won the state's 21 electoral votes in , with George W.
Bush and Donald Trump are the only Republican presidential candidates to win without carrying either Illinois or Vermont. Politics in the state have been infamous for highly visible corruption cases, as well as for crusading reformers, such as governors Adlai Stevenson and James R.
In , former governor George Ryan was convicted of racketeering and bribery, leading to a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence. In , then-Governor Rod Blagojevich was served with a criminal complaint on corruption charges, stemming from allegations that he conspired to sell the vacated Senate seat left by President Barack Obama to the highest bidder.
Subsequently, on December 7, , Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison for those charges, as well as perjury while testifying during the case, totaling 18 convictions. Blagojevich was impeached and convicted by the legislature, resulting in his removal from office.
In the late 20th century, Congressman Dan Rostenkowski was imprisoned for mail fraud; former governor and federal judge Otto Kerner, Jr.
Senate for bribery and in , Governor Len Small was found to have defrauded the state of a million dollars. Illinois has shown a strong presence in presidential elections. Three presidents have claimed Illinois as their political base when running for president: Abraham Lincoln , Ulysses S. Grant , and most recently Barack Obama. Lincoln was born in Kentucky , but he moved to Illinois at age He served in the General Assembly and represented the 7th congressional district in the U. House of Representatives before his election to the presidency in Ulysses S.
Grant was born in Ohio and had a military career that precluded settling down, but on the eve of the Civil War and approaching middle age, he moved to Illinois and thus utilized the state as his home and political base when running for president.
Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and made Illinois his home after graduating from law school , and later represented Illinois in the U. He then became president in , running as a candidate from his Illinois base. Reagan later moved to California during his young adulthood. He then became an actor, and later became California's Governor before being elected president.
Hillary Clinton was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and became the first woman to represent a major political party in the general election of the U. Clinton ran from a platform based in New York State. Of which three have represented Illinois, the most of any single state: Carol Moseley-Braun , [] Barack Obama , [] and Roland Burris , who was appointed to replace Obama after his election to the presidency.
Moseley-Braun was the first African-American woman to become a U. Three families from Illinois have played particularly prominent roles in the Democratic Party , gaining both statewide and national fame. The Stevenson family , initially rooted in central Illinois and later based in the Chicago metropolitan area, has provided four generations of Illinois officeholders.
The Daley family 's powerbase was in Chicago. The Pritzker family is based in Chicago and have played important roles in both the private and the public sectors. Local municipalities and their respective school districts operate individual public schools, but the ISBE audits performance of public schools with the Illinois School Report Card.
The ISBE also makes recommendations to state leaders concerning education spending and policies. Education is compulsory for ages 7—17 in Illinois. Schools are commonly, but not exclusively, divided into three tiers of primary and secondary education: elementary school, middle school or junior high school , and high school. District territories are often complex in structure. Many areas in the state are actually located in two school districts—one for high school, the other for elementary and middle schools.
And such districts do not necessarily share boundaries. A given high school may have several elementary districts that feed into it, yet some of those feeder districts may themselves feed into multiple high school districts. Using the criterion established by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching , there are eleven "National Universities" in the state.
The University of Chicago is continuously ranked as one of the world's top ten universities on various independent university rankings, and its Booth School of Business , along with Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management consistently rank within the top five graduate business schools in the country and top ten globally.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is often ranked among the best engineering schools in the world and in United States. As of 19 August [update] , six of these rank in the "first tier" among the top National Universities in the nation, as determined by the U. Illinois also has more than twenty additional accredited four-year universities, both public and private, and dozens of small liberal arts colleges across the state.
Additionally, Illinois supports 49 public community colleges in the Illinois Community College System. Schools in Illinois are funded primarily by property taxes, based on state assessment of property values, rather than direct state contributions. The most notable attempt came in with the adoption of the Illinois Resource Equalizer Formula, a measure through which it was hoped funding could be collected and distributed to Illinois schools more equitably.
Because of its central location and its proximity to the Rust Belt and Grain Belt , Illinois is a national crossroads for air, auto, rail, and truck traffic. From until , Chicago's O'Hare International Airport ORD was the busiest airport in the world, measured both in terms of total flights and passengers. While it was surpassed by Atlanta 's Hartsfield in as Chicago splits its air traffic between O'Hare and Midway airports, while Atlanta uses only one airport , with It is a major hub for both United Airlines and American Airlines , and a major airport expansion project is currently underway.
Midway Airport MDW , which had been the busiest airport in the world at one point until it was supplanted by O'Hare as the busiest airport in , is now the secondary airport in the Chicago metropolitan area and still ranks as one of the nation's busiest airports. Midway is a major hub for Southwest Airlines and services many other carriers as well. Midway served Illinois has an extensive passenger and freight rail transportation network. Louis Lincoln Service. Currently there is trackwork on the Chicago—St.
Nearly every North American railway meets at Chicago, making it the largest and most active rail hub in the country. Extensive commuter rail is provided in the city proper and some immediate suburbs by the Chicago Transit Authority 's 'L' system.
One of the largest suburban commuter rail system in the United States, operated by Metra , uses existing rail lines to provide direct commuter rail access for hundreds of suburbs to the city and beyond.
In addition to the state's rail lines, the Mississippi River and Illinois River provide major transportation routes for the state's agricultural interests. The Interstate Highways in Illinois are all segments of the Interstate Highway System that are owned and maintained by the state. Illinois has the distinction of having the most primary two-digit interstates pass through it among all the 50 states with Illinois also ranks third among the fifty states with the most interstate mileage, coming in after California and Texas, which are much bigger states in area.
Major U. S Highways in Illinois. The system in Illinois consists of 21 primary highways. Among the U. Illinois license plate design used throughout the s and s, displaying the Land of Lincoln slogan that has been featured on the state's plates since Jump to content Navigation.
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For the river, see Illinois River. For other uses, see Illinois disambiguation. State in the United States. Charles Mound [1] [2] [3]. Confluence of Mississippi River and Ohio River [2] [3]. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. Flag of Illinois. See also: Illinois Confederation and List of counties in Illinois. Main article: History of Illinois. Main article: Illinois in the American Civil War. Main article: Geology of Illinois. Main article: Geography of Illinois.
Further information: List of ecoregions in Illinois. Main article: Climate of Illinois. See also: St. Louis tornado history. Non-Hispanic White. Racial Makeup of Illinois [80] White alone Black alone Native American alone 0. Asian Alone 5.
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