Illinois: State Profile

Overview of the geography of Illinois. Topics discussed include cities, physical geography, economy, agriculture, companies, taxes, state parks, rivers, natural disasters, food, music, and more.

[GeographyKing]

I apologize for missing Great Lakes Naval Training Center when mentioning the military facilities in the state. My dad did his Naval boot camp in San Diego and gave me the "I can't believe you missed that! It's now in Chicago!" He may have unsubscribed.

[Madaboutmada]

I moved to Chicago to escape Los Angeles, CA in 2008. As a 50-year-old, it's where I feel I grew as a person. Community engagement is HUGE and it's where so much history of the Labor Movement happened. Due to work I have had to live in Nashville, TN and now Toledo, OH. I miss Illinois and Chicago terribly and cannot wait to get back to where my heart is.

[claytonhauck]

I'm from Illinois and I love it, tho I do wish we had some mountains or would even settle for more of the rolling hills found in the northwest corner. One takeaway I had from this video is how well positioning this state is should manufacturing return to the US in large numbers. Lots of old towns with plenty of capacity to grow and great existing infrastructure. Thanks for the video!

[allison]

When I was a bit younger, I was also a self loathing illinoisan. But I've traveled to most of the other states, a handful of other countries, and I still call Northern Illinois home. I get my forests, lakes, music, and Northern and Southern cultures all playing together to create a place where I personally call home. I can't help it - the music and food and nature all make it a perfect place of refuge. Though I cannot deny that a certain...adaptability...is needed for the weather...

[TimEricddd]

Born, raised & still living in IL. I've been in just about every part of the state (except the Quad Cities & StL Metro) I really enjoy living here. There's a lot to do in the state, especially if you enjoy hiking & biking. It's a nice mix of one big city, many small cities and lots of rural land. You touched on so many nice aspects of our state, thank you.

[PeakBagger]

I was in Illinois in early August, 2021. At the time, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum was running a temporary exhibit called the State of Sound, which featured Illinois musicians and state musical history. I found it quite interesting.

[arey]

Great video, Kyle! I was hoping to see a mention of the importance of the railroads in Illinois. All of the Class I railroads in North America have major presences in Chicagoland. BNSF, UP, NS, CSX, CP, and CN all have yards in which intermodal and other commodities are exchanged to ship freight and goods from the west coast ports to east coast destinations, and vice versa. I hope to see that mentioned in your Chicago video. Thanks for all you do for our entertainment!

[aaronw]

Been waiting for this video lol. I’m from southern Illinois (30 minutes from Cairo to be more specific) and it’s cool to at least hear about us. I’m glad you briefly mentioned Cairo’s past too. Too many people just talk about how run down it is but never really talk about the history and how it turned out that way. There’s a good documentary about it called “Between Two Rivers” that you can find here on YouTube too. There’s not a whole lot down here and I understand that Chicago deserves the spotlight, but it’s cool to be talked about every now and then.

[joebarrera]

Was born in IL but raised in IN. Thanks for the honest, no-nonsense overview of my birth state. One last thing, you're right the deep dish is the more well known Chicago pizza, but you have to try Chicago thin crust pizza---it's what the locals generally eat.

[daniel]

I love my state! We may not be the flashiest, most eye-catching place in the country, but it’s a great place to live. Chicago is a fantastic city, the cost of living isn’t too bad, you get all four seasons, and the rivers and lakes are great. And I totally agree with you that its geography and topography are really really underrated!

[thatmichiganguy]

I just came from Chicago. As a Michigander who travels a lot to Chicago, I say I can't get enough of the city

[jaretlansford]

Originally from the northwest corner of the state and it was neat seeing someone talk about some of the areas of Illinois that are often overshadowed by Chicago. Selfishly, I enjoyed seeing shout-outs to Mississippi Palisades and the Driftless Zone. Also, nice subtle allusions to Chicago and REO Speedwagon, two bands from the Land of Lincoln!

[tomh]

Thanks for the Illinois video. Well done. As a 60 years plus native resident I learned somethings. I would also point out the importance of O’Hare airport and the railways to the nation.

[RyanKochman]

I, alongside many other Illinoisans have overlooked the southern third of our state nearly all my life. Just got around to visiting “Little Egypt” (as it is affectionately known) and I highly recommend those curious take a trip to see Garden of The Gods as well as the many ghost towns on the Mississippi!

[thomasoconnor]

I've been waiting for an Illinois video for a long time! Lots of people look down on Illinois but I'm happy you like our great state!

[ken]

I think you did a really good job giving an overview of my state

[yj]

I'm glad you enjoy my home state and hometown of Champaign! Great overview of the state, and thank you for showcasing the overlooked areas that aren't Chicago!

[joelwilliford]

Great video. I think Illinois is an underrated state and I love Chicago. Can’t wait for the Chicago video.

[dsimon]

Illinois also has the most primary (non-auxiliary) interstates with 13: I-24, I-39, I-41, I-55, I-57, I-64, I-70, I-72, I-74, I-80, I-88 (W), I-90, & I-94. Texas is 2nd with 12 and Pennsylvania has 11.

[Ozmodiar]

Lifelong Illinoisan! Chicago hot dogs are great. And I love deep dish pizza, but tavern-style pizza (thin crust, cut into squares) is much more common. If people from the Chicago area say they're gonna order a pizza, they're most likely getting the tavern style.