The Prairie State
Illinois is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 6th-most populous U.S. state and 25th-largest state in terms of land area, and is often noted as a microcosm of the entire United States. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in northern and central Illinois, and natural resources such as coal, timber and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base and is a major transportation hub. The Port of Chicago connects the state to other global ports around the world from the Great Lakes, via the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean; as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, via the Illinois Waterway on the Illinois River. The Mississippi River, the Ohio River and the Wabash River form part of the boundaries of Illinois. For decades, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world's busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics.
Geographical type: Territory
Latitude: 40° N — Longitude: 89° W
Area: 149,932 km²
ISO 3166-2 code: US-IL
Other Places
- Chicago - The Windy City
Birthplace of
Randy Barnett, Randy Evan Barnett, in Chicago, on 5 Feb 1952
Ray Bradbury, in Waukegan, on 22 Aug 1920
Doug Casey, Douglas Robert Casey, in Chicago, on 5 May 1946
Garet Garrett, Peter Garrett, in Pana, on 19 Feb 1878
Frank Knight, Frank Hyneman Knight, in McLean County, on 7 Nov 1885
Paul L. Poirot, on 23 Jul 1915
Ronald Reagan, Ronald Wilson Reagan, in Tampico, on 6 Feb 1911
JoAnn Rothbard, in Harvey, on 17 Sep 1928
John Stossel, John Frank Stossel, in Chicago Heights, on 6 Mar 1947
Aaron Swartz, in Highland Park, on 8 Nov 1986
Gordon Tullock, in Rockford, on Feb 1922
Leland B. Yeager, in Oak Park, on 4 Nov 1924
Deathplace of
Gary Becker, in Chicago, on 3 May 2014
Voltairine de Cleyre, in Chicago, on 20 Jun 1912
Frank Knight, in Chicago, on 15 Apr 1972
George H. Smith, in Bloomington, on 8 Apr 2022
George Stigler, in Chicago, on 1 Dec 1991
Measures of Freedom
Freedom in the 50 States 2015-2016 | Illinois | Cato Institute
2014: Overall rank: 44, fiscal policy rank: 48, regulatory policy rank: 40, personal freedom rank: 19, economic freedom rank: 44
2014: Overall rank: 44, fiscal policy rank: 48, regulatory policy rank: 40, personal freedom rank: 19, economic freedom rank: 44
LP State-by-State Membership Numbers [PDF], Libertarian Party News, Apr 2006
31 Dec 2005: Number of Members: 576
31 Dec 2005: Number of Members: 576
Articles
Can Mayors Solve School Problems?, by Matthew J. Brouillette, Joseph L. Bast, Michigan Education Report, 16 Apr 1999
Argues for tuition tax credits after examining recent and potential changes at the Chicago and Detroit public schools
Argues for tuition tax credits after examining recent and potential changes at the Chicago and Detroit public schools
In 1994, frustrated by five years of failed reforms, the Illinois Legislature granted to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sweeping authority over the Chicago Public Schools. Accountability—the new reformers hoped—would come from the publicity generated by the success or failure of the city's top official ... In three years, the Chicago Public Schools saved $20 million simply by privatizing busing ... [O]n the finance side, the mayoral takeover in Chicago was quite helpful. The educational progress, however, has been modest.
Related Topics: Compulsory Education, Michigan
Political Plundering of Property Owners, by James Bovard, Nov 2002
Details the effects of local government land and property seizures allegedly for urban renewal purposes, for improving "blighted" neighborhoods or for the benefit of sports team owners
Details the effects of local government land and property seizures allegedly for urban renewal purposes, for improving "blighted" neighborhoods or for the benefit of sports team owners
The city government of Marion, Illinois, announced that the entire city — including farmland inside the city limits — was blighted ... The city of Wheaton, Illinois, enacted an ordinance that allowed the city government to declare as blighted (and eligible for eminent domain) any parcel of land that had "vacancies in all or part of any building." Thus, almost any commercial building with vacant space became a candidate for seizure. (An Illinois court overturned the ordinance as excessively vague.)
Related Topics: George W. Bush, California, Eminent Domain Protections, Michigan, New York City, Private Property, Washington, D.C.
The introductory paragraph uses material from the Wikipedia article "Illinois" as of 31 Oct 2018, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.