How are Chicagoland and downstate IL connected? (Rockford, Champaign: 2013, chapel)

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by linicx

I don't know how the state was exactly settled. Peoria is oldest on the river. The first fort was downstream half dozen miles or so. The villagers in Peoria ware French settlers that came in the 17th century. If I understand how it was settled, it was explored by the same man who discovered Louisiana who then came up the Mississippi and explored the Illinois River Valley, discovered the bluffs and the area that would become Peoria. I don't recall if he built Fort St. Louis, and then Fort and Peoria. Fort St. Louis II was several ,miles north of Peoria and built after the first was destroyed. I had family from NY and VA that settled in IL after the RW and before the CW, and a families that settled after the CW. These emigrant settlers, and their descendants, fought in both wars, and they all settled in Fulton and Tazewell Counties where their descendants live today.

It was to my understanding a part of Chicagoland Settlement arrived from points south in Illinois.

There we obviously several trends, French explorers, East Coast Setlement, Immigration from outher countries, and the great migration come to mind.
Current trends point toward Mexico, Poland, Eastern Europe.

I was under the impression Kentuckians had settled the fertile farm field and then when industry ignited some moved North.
IDK maybe that is inaccurate.

Another interesting fact is how the counties were formed into their present day boundaries which in turn could provide a common denominator.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by Chicago76

I can find a city that is over twice the size on a large body of water that has a bigger university, better beer, and more natural scenery than Peoria that also happens to be closer to IL's largest urban area. That city is called Madison. .

I drool over what would have happened if we had taken the state government from Springfield, the state university from Champaign/Urbana, combined the two in one city, liberally sprinkle four lakes around the mass, throw in all the those quality of life amenities and what we have:

a city to be mad about; or simply Mad City

went to party yesterday, smack in the heart of Chicagoland, and found two people having a discussion about how fantastic Madison is. Obviously I jumped right into the conversation.

Interesting to note: when it comes to cities that Chicago seeks to link up with in transportation and communication and any of those other issues that are geared to the future, Madison and Milwaukee are up there on the top of the list, ahead of any place in Illinois, even Champaign/Urbana.

[linicx]

About the only thing I remember reading about Illinois was their was a fight over our Northern border. There was a question as to whether Chicago would go to WI or not. I believe it was a survey that settled it. There were certainly folks who came from the east coast Into Illinois and stopped at Chicago and stayed. My Bostonians went to Hadley and thence to NY where a brother and sister struck out to IL. She settled in Stark County and he in Tazewell County. They are both in the Peoria MSA.

[linicx]

Originally Posted by edsg25

I drool over what would have happened if we had taken the state government from Springfield, the state university from Champaign/Urbana, combined the two in one city, liberally sprinkle four lakes around the mass, throw in all the those quality of life amenities and what we have:

a city to be mad about; or simply Mad City.

If you did that today you would have is a larger city in the Illinois Plains and a bigger target for tornadoes. The curse of central Illinois is the rich soil. You sstill would not have water transportation, but you'd have a bigger sports base and it still wouldn't be big enough to attract stores like Trader Joe's. Springfield was turned down by a large national retail store because the area is not large enough to support it.

I looked at the data one day. Even if you considered Sangamon, McLean, Peoria and Champaign MSA, there still isn't a million residents. Yes Ann Arbor has a Trader Joe's, but it is also part of the Greater Detroit area. The Cities downstate are not part of a Greater _______ Area; they are the Greater Area.

Peoria business is expanding into B-N, and national restaurants are expanding in both. A Peoria tv station sister-city is Bloomington. Peoria was one of the first places where Normal's Steak N' Shake expanded in the ice age. Every now and then the newspaper prints and article about ISU students that come to Peoria.

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by edsg25

went to party yesterday, smack in the heart of Chicagoland, and found two people having a discussion about how fantastic Madison is. Obviously I jumped right into the conversation.

Interesting to note: when it comes to cities that Chicago seeks to link up with in transportation and communication and any of those other issues that are geared to the future, Madison and Milwaukee are up there on the top of the list, ahead of any place in Illinois, even Champaign/Urbana.

Well of course Chicago wants to be well connected with Milwaukee...it's the closest big city nearby Chicago. But the situation would be the same even if Mke were in Illinois and not Wisconsin, as it's just a logical choice.

Arguably, Chicago wants to be better connected with Madison transportation-wise, because it is kind of poorly connected. At least C-U has easy train and bus service to and from Chicago. Chicago to Madison is only bus service, and a number of those passengers are going to and from Rockford. In the end, it's logical to have Chicago well connected to all nearby big universities (be it Madison, Ann Arbor, C/U, Iowa City...), since those universities supply Chicago with intelligent and well-skilled individuals to work at Chicago firms and companies.

I think the Madison patronage has more to do with alumni base than anything. Don't get me wrong: Madison is a great city, but I know a lot of Illinois alum that really like and have great memories of C-U. I personally think Chicagoans would be better off if they spent more time exploring downstate and supporting the Illinois base in C-U because *that* school is actually one their tax money is going to support, and UIUC and UW-Madison are schools of quite comparable quality.

[linicx]

Let me see if I have this correct, Maintains chaos.

UI is THEE only school downstate that can produce a student who is intelligent AND well-slilled enough to work in Chicago. Chicagoans should support *THAT* school (UI) as it receives Chicago tax dollars (state funds).

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by linicx

Let me see if I have this correct, Maintains chaos.

UI is THEE only school downstate that can produce a student who is intelligent AND well-slilled enough to work in Chicago. Chicagoans should support *THAT* school (UI) as it receives Chicago tax dollars (state funds).

Of course not, and I never implied such. However, if we are talking a school in downstate IL that is a counterpoint per se to UW-Madison, it is UIUC without a doubt. ISU, UIS, Bradley, SIUE, SIUC, WIU, EIU are all not on the scale and caliber as UIUC. Besides, the point was only brought up because the question that was vaguely floating around is "Why do Chicagoans think so highly of Madison as opposed to Champaign-Urbana...?" Thus, the logical comparison for the schools in the respective metro areas was that of UW-Madison to UIUC.

[linicx]

Originally Posted by edsg25

Interesting to note: when it comes to cities that Chicago seeks to link up with in transportation and communication and any of those other issues that are geared to the future, Madison and Milwaukee are up there on the top of the list, ahead of any place in Illinois, even Champaign/Urbana.

Edge, maybe you can explain this. If Chicago wanted to climb in bed with Milwaukee that badly, why didn't it build a Chi-Mil passenger line a 100-years ago? Why didn't Chicago twist arms to expand passenger rail to Rockford and QC? It didn't and depots depots sit empty for lack of ridership. Passenger service that is not convenient to riders loose money.

Normal, on the other hand, has a new depot and a new hotel. And central Illinois is gaining a new port that is designed specifically to handle over-size and heavy loads. Soon shippers located between the two rivers will have another choice.

[linicx]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

Of course not, and I never implied such. However, if we are talking a school in downstate IL that is a counterpoint per se to UW-Madison, it is UIUC without a doubt.

ISU, UIS, Bradley, SIUE, SIUC, WIU, EIU are all not on the scale and caliber as UIUC.

Besides, the point was only brought up because the question that was vaguely floating around is "Why do Chicagoans think so highly of Madison as opposed to Champaign-Urbana...?" Thus, the logical comparison for the schools in the respective metro areas was that of UW-Madison to UIUC.

What do you mean scale and caliber?

A farm town is a farm town is a farm town is a farm town in Central Illinois. Location, size and amenities mean little to most residents. Do you know what most tax-paying residents say about Champaign? Traffic is a mess around campus; when school is closed it's a ghost town.

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by linicx

What do you mean scale and caliber?

A farm town is a farm town is a farm town is a farm town in Central Illinois. Location, size and amenities mean little to most residents. Do you know what most tax-paying residents say about Champaign? Traffic is a mess around campus; when school is closed it's a ghost town.

scale (skeɪl)

— noun: relative degree or extent.

caliber (ˈkaləbər)

— noun: quality, level, or standard of something.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is of the relative degree and extent greater than those aforementioned universities, and the quality, level, and the standard of most programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign exceed those of the aforementioned universities.