Illinois #1

[linicx]

I don't think we can get rid of the *layering* entirely because more than 1/3 of the state is unincorportated. The Townships are 6 miles square. The Supervisor shares some responsibilities with the County for roads, signs and bridges. Plus the Township was also responsible for feeding its poor - once upon a time. I don't know if they do that now or not. . Imagine what kind of mess Cook would have IF the Twp Supervisor did not exist? If Cook was divided in half or seperated from Chicago entirely, it might serve the residents of the county better. It might also create another layer. I don't know the answers. Oh the other hand perhaps some of the smaller poor counties could merge to a larger county with more resources to share?

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by linicx

I don't think we can get rid of the *layering* entirely because more than 1/3 of the state is unincorportated. The Townships are 6 miles square. The Supervisor shares some responsibilities with the County for roads, signs and bridges. Plus the Township was also responsible for feeding its poor - once upon a time. I don't know if they do that now or not. . Imagine what kind of mess Cook would have IF the Twp Supervisor did not exist? If Cook was divided in half or seperated from Chicago entirely, it might serve the residents of the county better. It might also create another layer. I don't know the answers. Oh the other hand perhaps some of the smaller poor counties could merge to a larger county with more resources to share?

Good point with the smaller counties merging with the other counties.

Back in the 1800's counties were continually changing until it finally reached its present day form.

[linicx]

In the 1800s Fulton County covered most of IL to outside of what would become Chicago. Present day Tazewell county was part of Peoria County and therefore denied a vote for Statehood. Chicago was a city in Peoria County. The distance was a killer as it was a 15-17 day ride by horseback betreen the two cities.

Stranger than fiction: A second civil war over a 1 day ride from Joplin - to the courthouse in Carthage, Jasper County Missouri - was averted by building a second county courthouse in Joplin. Both courthouses are still in use today.

Originally there was a dispute over our northern border. Wisconsin claimed it, but when the survey was completed Chicago and its northern border fell to Illinois.

Border disputes are rather interesting and they've been going on since the beginning of civilization. I believe it was back in the 13th century, a city in the Netherlands fell to the HRE through old titles and deeds. When the HRE was dissolved and a new Kingdom created through treaty, part of the border city was returned to the Netherlands. Neither Kingdom renamed their city. Today there is OP in Netherlands and in Belgium. Imagine how interesting it would be to have a Chicago, Wi and a Chicago in Illinois.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Yeah Chicago Wisconsin does sound odd.
Or what if people complained about all the crooked politicians in Vandallia!

If you envision an imaginary line from the northern boundry of Indiana to the Iowa border and then an area north to present day wisconsin , that area is where the dispute was between wisc and illinois

[linicx]

People love to complain and argue. If the other state had won the dispute there would not be much of IL above I-80 and WI would have all of Chicago's financial and segregation issues.

Just think how different the Midwest would look today if that had happened.

It wasn't for Linoln we would be complaining about Vandailia and the southern part of the state would not be ignored as it is today. .

Originally Posted by sunnyandcloudydays

Yeah Chicago Wisconsin does sound odd. Or what if people complained about all the crooked politicians in Vandallia!

If you envision an imaginary line from the northern boundry of Indiana to the Iowa border and then an area north to present day wisconsin , that area is where the dispute was between wisc and illinois

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by linicx

People love to complain and argue. If the other state had won the dispute there would not be much of IL above I-80 and WI would have all of Chicago's financial and segregation issues.

Just think how different the Midwest would look today if that had happened.

It wasn't for Linoln we would be complaining about Vandailia and the southern part of the state would not be ignored as it is today. .

Seems to me the Southern portion of Illinois has legitimate reasons to think that way.

In addition the portion around St. Louis is more in line with St. Louis than other parts of the state.

Same holds true for areas in Western Illinois near the Quad Cities.

Who knows maybe someday there will be more cohesion between the southern and northern and central parts of the state.

I always wondered why people vacated to the lake cabins in Wisconsin and Michigan , when we have all that right within the states borders.

[linicx]

The answer is because it IS in Illinois.

Georgraphically Southern Illinois is much different than the rest of the state with miles of large heavily forested area, 200,000 acres of IL Ozark Mountains, oil and gas wells, farms and small towns. Cairo and Marion may be the largest towns. Then you move farther north into the flat plains that is dominated by Springfield and B-N.. If you follow the course of the Illinois River you find Peoria and then hills and cliffs all the way to near Chicago. But if you go west you find the Mississippi River and Quincy or go NW to the Quad Cities. Decatur and Champaign dominate Eastern Central Illinois.

People tend to shop where it is the most convenient. The resients of Cairo or Johnson County are more likely to shop in IN, KY or St. Louis. Springfieldians are more likely to shop locally or St.Louis. B-N and Peoria shop and work in both. No need to go to Chicago or St. Louis except for a ball game.
Ditto Quad Cities. The folks in Champaign may go to Springfield but the students are more likely to go to Chicago or St.Louis. Springfield and Peoria are too far apart to visit except for a specific reason. Most people just don't drive 200 miles for dinner or to shop.