How does Illinois change from North to South?

[computerguysd]

That explains his spelling, too

[linicx]

There's a very old joke that goes like this: "Anything sourth of State and Madison is Southern Illinois."

The state from border to border is probably near 300 miles long. Illinois is a park state thanks to the pre-1900 State Legislature that created the first zoological park in the nation at Chicago.

Illinois is a farming state. It's flat. But it is considered part of the Grain and Livestock Belt. Central Illinois may be the exception to flat land for it is interrupted by high bluffs that overlook the Illinois River Valley. Hills and valleys surround 6.000 acres that are presently being reclaimed. Before this project is finished anotherr 8,000 acres will be included. I've been to the southernmost tip of the state. The southern IL border is water. I've been in Rockford, Rockton, Chicago, Green Bay, Minnespaolis, St. Paul, Milwaukee, Sioux St. Marie, Sioux City. Rock Island, and so forth. Farm country all looks alike. The things that set one area apart from the other, aside from the weather, are the people, the food, the architecture and the history, but mostly it is the people. . .

Personally I think the Great Lake is awesome, but when I lived in ol' Windy and wanted to relax I liked the area around Fox River. It was a pleasant diversion from the hustle of the City.

[ShampooBanana]

Originally Posted by linicx

Personally I think the Great Lake is awesome, but when I lived in ol' Windy and wanted to relax I liked the area around Fox River. It was a pleasant diversion from the hustle of the City.

I always enjoyed the towns along the Fox River, as well. Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, Elgin, all exuded a certain charm that was different from the hustle and bustle closer to Chicago. Sadly that is changing as the suburban sprawl has finally reached the area and is now swallowing those communities whole.

[Netsirk13]

I would never, ever call Illinois a hilly state, but I would say the topography really starts to change when you hit highway 13 in southern Illinois. You get some nice, rolling hills. Driving down 127 through Alto Pass, you drive through some pretty large hills, relatively speaking. Driving south of Harrisburg, you also get some pretty big hills.

As far as accents go, by the time you get to Kentucky, there's a definite accent change, but it varies in So IL and central Illinois based on education, how much tv you watch, and how much you get out. I do hear MAYsure and warsh a lot!

[M TYPE X]

Seriously, being 'stuck' in Champaign-Urbana most of the time makes Peoria look exotic. It's not Pittsburgh, but it's a decent substitute compared to the rest of midstate. I used to live in the Akron, Ohio, area and the area around the Vermilion River outside of Danville reminds me somewhat of parts of Northeast Ohio east of the Cuyahoga River Valley: rolling hills, some trees ... you know, not pure prairie.

We had a big discussion in class today about the difference between boundaries (i.e. a physical wall) and borders (i.e. some arbitrary line between Illinois and Indiana). I dunno about you, but I can tell when I'm in Illinois and when I'm in Indiana, and when I'm in Ohio and when I'm in Pennsylvania. Nature works linearly? lol

I have not spent any time in Illinois south of I-70. The state between I-70 and I-80, except for MAJOR river valleys, is pretty tame. Things get interesting again north of I-80. I like the land west of Lake Michigan between Milwaukee/Madison and I-80 ... basically the same latitude as Detroit and the cities of midstate Michigan. Big surprise there (that's "home").