How does Illinois change from North to South? (Chicago, Rockford: living in, vs.)

[Chelito23]

I am familiar with northern Illinois...especially Rockford and Chicagoland. Unfortunately, I have never been able to travel the length of the state from north to south or vice versa.

From what I saw, the north was very flat, and tended to be corn fields and praiies (outside of Chicagoland, of course). When I look at a map, I see southern Illionos has many state parks...so I wonder...is southern Illinois covered by forests? Is it flat?

How does the terrain and climate change from north to south? The population and diversity? I would appreciate any opions or even if you just want to share what your area of Illinois is like.

Thanks.

[Scribbler]

The Shawnee National Forest is in the southern half of the state. Southern Illinois also has farming, but it's more geographically diverse than northern IL, which is really only fairly flat to gently rolling cropland and tallgrass prairie, everywhere but in river valleys, which are wooded.

Southern Illinois doesn't have much along the way of enormously significant populations centers, but then, once you count out Chicagoland, neither does northern IL. But in Northern IL, you're seldom more than an hour or so away from something along the lines of a Rockford, Peoria, or Bloomington, even in small towns.

I don't know if I'd classify southern IL as "southern" in character, over midwestern, but native southern Illinoisans absolutely speak with a noticeable twang that northern Illinoisans do not.

[Katarina Witt]

You have to go pretty far south to find the Shawnee Nat. Forest, about 50 miles from the Ky border. Illinois is about 400 miles from north to south, so we are talking about 350 miles from the Wisconsin border. Only this way southern part of the state is what you'd call hilly and wooded. There has been a great debate over on "General US" about whether So. Illinois is southern or northern (fortunately this has quieted down a bit). I vote for northern, but yes, the accent is different. You could look up diversity stats for the cities down there on City-Data.

[Drover]

The most dramatic changes from north to south are climate and culture. The further south you go, the more the culture has in common with the rural south than the rural north, including Southern-ish accents, Confederate flags on pickup trucks and the like once you get south of about Effingham. I don't think southern Illinoisians would identify themselves as from The South™ but I think if you gave them a choice between living in Memphis or Cleveland, approximately 100% of them would choose Memphis. Since "Illinois" seems to be so heavily tied to "Chicago" it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Illinois borders Kentucky and that the southern tip is only 35 miles from Tennessee and 50 miles from Arkansas. Culturally, the southern portion of Illinois is more like those areas than it is like northern Illinois.

Climate is also quite different. Summers are notably longer, hotter, and more humid (or at least it feels more humid). Winters are shorter and more temperate, with snow being a much less frequent event than in the Chicago area.

Topographically, most of southern Illinois is identical to northern Illinois: flat flat flat. You have to get way down to the southern tip to find a substantially hilly region. But for the most part, Illinois is flat corn fields from one end to the other.

[KerrTown]

It's similar to the NorCal and SoCal debate. NorCal is cooler, cloudier, and moister (see redwood trees) and SoCal is hotter, sunnier, and dryer (think desert scrub on the mountains). That's the thing with vertical states vs. horizontal states. (Texas just defies this because it is so big vertically and horizontally.)

[Katarina Witt]

It's similar to the NorCal and SoCal debate.

Except there are way fewer people in S. Ill than N. Ill, unlike Cali, where the population is more evenly distributed, but leans towards the south.

[GoHogsGo]

If you were familiar with Northern Illinois like you say, you'd know that Northwestern Illinois is part of the Driftless zone, where it didn't get hit with glaciers in the last ice age, it is VERY hilly and VERY STEEP in places, not flat.

Central illinois has some rolling hills in it, and the closer you get toward Carbondale, Cairo and Paducah KY, the more trees and flat land become standard. While you're driving, take note of the OIL WELLS in southern Illinois, as well as some Coal Mines in Central and southern Illinois.

[Drover]

The driftless zone in Illinois is limited to a very tiny portion of the upper northwest corner, covering less than three counties. The vast, vast majority of northern Illinois was glaciated, including a vast majority of the Northwest quadrant of it.

[GoHogsGo]

Mount Carroll has 2 hills in it that are fairly steep, and East Dubuque and Galena are definitely in the zone. When I say "Hopeless Rural", that is the area I speak of. Where your destiny is stuck either in Farming or Factory Work that may be on the next boat to China.

[Steve-o]

I believe the hill range in southern IL is called the Pine Hills, and theyre definitely beautiful. NW IL is also very hilly (particularly JoDaviess County). All along the Mississippi is beautiful and hilly as is along the Illinois River. The areas near Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks is a little hilly as well. But overall, most of the state is quite flat. Oh, around Oregon, IL is quite hilly too.