 Discover Illinois, USA
Garden of the Gods, Shawnee National Forest, Illinois
Author: Daniel Schwen (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Illinois is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Its name comes from the French spelling of the Illinois tribe of Native American. The word is derived from Iliniwek, which is said to mean "men" in the Miami-Illinois language, or rather, "tribe of superior men". The Illinois tribe however refered to themselves as the Inoka.
Guide to Illinois Hotels
Here's a list of hotels in Illinois that you can book online, listed by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites.
Sunset at Champaign, Illinois
Author: Shakil Mustafa (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
More on Illinois
The state of Illinois covers an area of 57,918 sq miles (140,998 sq km) and has a population of 12.9 million people. It is the most populous Midwestern state and the fifth most populous in the country. It borders on Lake Michigan to the northeast. The 42°30' north latitude forms its northern border with Wisconsin. The Mississippi River forms its western border across from Missouri and Iowa. To the east, the 87°31'30" west longtitude forms the eastern border with Indiana until Post Vincennes, thereafter the border follows the Wabash River. The northern shore of the Ohio River forms the border with Kentucky.
Illinois comprises three major geographical divisions: Northern Illinois is dominated by the Chicago metropolitan area; Central Illinois, also called the Heart of Illinois, characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities; and Southern Illinois, characterized by its warmer climate and different types of crops.
Piney Creek Ravine, Illinois
Author: Edbwiki (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Budget Travel to Illinois
The most convenient way to reach Illinois is by road. From Wisconsin, you can take Interstate-39, 90 and 94; from Iowa, take I-74 and I-80; from Missouri, take I-55, I-57, I-64, I-70 and I-72; from Kentucky, take I-24; and from Indiana, take I-64, I-70, I-74, I-80, I-90 or I-94.
You can also take the Amtrak trains terminating in Chicago from Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. By flight, the two main airports for Chicago are O'Hare and Midway. Smaller airports are located in Springfield, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal.
Budget Travel within Illinois
If you intend to explore the state extensively, the best way is to do it by car. Many of the highways around Chicago are tollways (if you are from northeastern United States, you can use your E-ZPass and pay half the cash price).
Business in Illinois
Illinois is the location of choice for a large number of industries including publishing, financial services, petroleum and coal, with Illinois office space highly desirable.
Chicago, Illinois
Author: © J. Crocker
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Principal Cities of Illinois
- Chicago (2,853,000)
Largest city and 3rd most populous in the United States.
- Aurora (172,000)
A satellite city to Chicago.
- Rockford (157,000)
City on the banks of the Rock River in northern Illinois.
- Joliet (146,000)
The fastest growing city in Illinois and one of the fastest growing in the United States.
- Naperville (143,000)
City voted by Money Magazine as the second best place to live in the United States, in 2006.
- Springfield (117,000)
Capital of Illinois
Places of Interest in Illinois
These are arranged in alphabetical order
- Cahokia Mounds
Prehistoric Native American mounds.
- Galena
Popular tourist destination known for its history and historical architecture.
- Shawnee National Forest
Federally managed forested land in the Ozark and Shawnee hills in Southern Illinois.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Illinois
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (1982)
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