The state of Illinois is ranked 5th of the 50 states population wise with roughly 12,419,293 people. The state’s most famous city is Chicago, with a population of about 2,873,790. Roughly 23% of the state’s population lives in Chicago.
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The state of Illinois is ranked 5th of the 50 states population wise with roughly 12,419,293 people. The state’s most famous city is Chicago, with a population of about 2,873,790. Roughly 23% of the state’s population lives in Chicago.
The state is known for being the center of railroad trade in the mid 1800’s again with Chicago being the most important center for this industry.
Much of the state is farmland and therefore the state generates much of its revenue via this industry. The state produces soybeans, hogs, and cattle among other products. Illinois is typically the country’s leader in soybean production and ranked second in corn production.
Climate in the state varies from region to region but can be summarized as having hot and humid summers with relatively cold winters. Most of the state sees snow regularly during the winter and rain/thunderstorms during the summer. In addition, Illinois is subject to tornadoes as well.
The state also boasts what is often considered the world’s busiest airport, O’Hare International Airport (roughly 84 million passenger per year). Midway Airport is another well known airport in the state with 19 million served in 2006. The state also has extensive passenger rail networks, with Chicago serving as a hub for Amtrak.
Illinois’s sales tax is currently 6.25% and 1% for certain products.
Illinois has some very well known and respected universities. The most prominent are the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Chicago and the private university Northwestern University. The University of Illinois in particular is a front runner in several academic fields including engineering and computer science.
There are a total of 15 professional sports teams in the state including some of the most famous teams in the country’s history. The teams include the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox (baseball), the Chicago Bulls (basketball), the Chicago Bears (football), and the Chicago Blackhawks (hockey).
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