Illinois, United States — Towns & Travel Guide

What is Illinois known for?

Illinois is known for Chicago, set on Lake Michigan in the northeast. The state stretches from that lakefront across the Midwest to the Mississippi River on the west. Springfield, the state capital, sits at the centre.

To the south, the Ohio River and the Wabash River close off the state, with lake and rivers bounding Illinois on nearly every side.

Where is Illinois?

Illinois lies in the Midwestern United States, a state framed on almost every side by water. Lake Michigan touches its northeast corner, a short lakefront. Down the western edge runs the Mississippi River, one of the great rivers of the continent.

That river forms the whole western boundary. To the south, the Wabash River and the Ohio River mark the boundary, closing the state off along its lower end. The interior sits away from the water.

Within that frame, two cities set the poles of the state. Chicago stands in the northeast, on the Lake Michigan shore, at one end. Springfield, the state capital, sits near the centre.

Between them the land runs Midwestern and open, from the lake toward the rivers. The lakefront and the rivers give the state its edges. The Mississippi River on the west and the Ohio River on the south give Illinois long water boundaries rather than land ones.

None of that water is ocean.

What is Illinois like?

Illinois is a Midwestern state through and through, and its life splits between a great city and a wide interior. Chicago, on Lake Michigan in the northeast, gives the state an outward, urban face at one corner. Away from the lake, the rest runs quieter and more rural, Midwestern country reaching toward the rivers.

Two Illinois sit side by side. The rivers and the lake have shaped the state's story. Lake Michigan, the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, and the Wabash River bound the state, and Illinois grew up as a place of water routes and open land.

It joined the United States in 1818, early in the settling of the Midwest. Springfield, the state capital at the centre, balances the outward weight of Chicago in the northeast. Between city and river, the state keeps a plainly Midwestern character.

What is the history of Illinois?

Illinois joined the United States in 1818, early in the opening of the Midwest. Its boundaries were largely drawn by water: Lake Michigan in the northeast, the Mississippi River down the west, and the Ohio River and Wabash River to the south. Rivers did the surveying.

Springfield became the state capital, near the centre, while Chicago rose in the northeast.

What is the climate of Illinois?

Illinois has a temperate climate, with four clear seasons across the Midwest. Summers turn warm and humid, and winters bring cold and snow off the interior. The swings are wide.

The state runs continental, inland in the Midwestern United States, near Lake Michigan but far from any ocean, hot in summer and cold in winter.

How do you get to Illinois?

Illinois is reached most easily through Chicago, in the northeast on Lake Michigan. As the state's main city, it draws the bulk of arrivals into the state. The Mississippi River on the west and the Ohio River on the south open the state to river traffic, while Lake Michigan opens it to the north.

Springfield sits inland at the centre. Chicago leads the way in.