Monday 13 March 2017

State of the Month – Illinois



Here is the next instalment of my monthly feature going through the States of the United States in alphabetical order to check out how they got named, what their flag is like and other things of interest. 


Location – Illinois is a state without sea borders.  It is called Mid-Western which I find a little odd since it is more towards the East and the North – I must be missing something.

Origin of name – The state was named after the local Native Americans. (We used to call them Red Indians when I was a kid playing Indians & Cowboys– no doubt not acceptable now)


Pronunciation – il-uh-noi

Nicknames – Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State


Flag


Capital – Springfield



Flower – Violet


Bird – Northern Cardinal

State Tree – White Oak


Signature foods – Deep Dish Pizza

Burden Falls

Famous places to visit – Burden Falls, Chicago Harbour Lighthouse, Holy Name Cathedral (Chicago), Lincoln Home National Historic Site (Springfield)


Famous people from Illinois – 3 Presidents (Lincoln, Grant, Obama)  have had Illinois as their political base but only one, Reagan, was born there.  Other notables include: Miles Davis, Ann-Margret, Jack Benny, Hilary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Walt Disney, Robin Williams, Betty White, Harrison Ford and Jennifer Hudson.

Go to this Pinboard to see the States of the Month so far.

3 comments:

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  2. I never considered how odd our "Midwest" sounds to those not from here!
    Here is a little explanation that may help : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States

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