Info needed - report (Chicago, Lincoln: trip , housing, universities)

[calif]

I need some information for my son who is doing a report on the state of Illinois.

If we were going to make a trip out there what are the must sees? Best tourist spots, well known or not.

Can he have 3 reasons why we should move there?

What is the driving age?

Thanks in advance! Hopefully he will come up with more questions.

[Havasu]

Originally Posted by calif

I need some information for my son who is doing a report on the state of Illinois.

If we were going to make a trip out there what are the must sees? Best tourist spots, well known or not.

Can he have 3 reasons why we should move there?

What is the driving age?

Thanks in advance! Hopefully he will come up with more questions.

I would say see the Mississipi river side of Illinois its very pretty and the bridges are fun to cross. A place called Edwards Apple Orchard is a great tourist spot in Poplar Grove ( Northern Illinois)
3 Reasons to live there?
1. You have 4 seasons
2.There are a alot of little towns that are fun to just drive thru on a Sunday drive
3.The fall is very nice time of the year and you cant beat the colors of the leaves.
The driving age is 16 there might be restrictions for a 16 year old though (drive only daytime) Something in that line. Im sure others will help out and give more answers. I did live in Illinois for 3 years so I do know a little bit about it. Fun place to visit. Hope he gets an A on the report.

[calif]

Thank you very much for your reply, I'm hoping to get many more to chime in here to give him a lot of insight into this state as we've never been there and truly know nothing about it. (Well, now we do know a bit, thanks Havasu I added to your rep!)

[Avengerfire]

Perhaps the best/most fertile soil in the U.S. and maybe in the top three in the world. For sure some of the best soil in the world.

America's Heartland - Illinois

Glaciers Have the Dirt on Illinois' Fertile Farmland (March 2, 2005) | NRCS This Week | NRCS

THE RICHEST COUNTY IN THE WORLD.; AMONG THE WHEAT-FIELDS AND COAL-MINE... - Article Preview - The New York Times

McLean County, Illinois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CTAP Summary Report Chapter Eight - Agricultural Lands

[sgresident]

Illinois has some great stuff..first, you have a world class city in chicago..great museums, the art institute, theater, sports venues and teams. a great skyline, lake michigan.

areas outside of chicago vary greatly. you have rural farm areas, small quaint cities along the fox river.

tons of summer festivals..large and small.

there is springfield with the state capital and lincoln sites.
a great state fair which highlights the farming tradition.

a great change of seasons. although this winter has been especially trying!!!

the driving age is 16. there have been numerous changes to the young driver's freedoms. lots of restrictions, but all in the idea of safety.

there is a good highway system, however, the roadways need some serious road repairs.
there are numerous colleges and universities throughout the state.

housing prices vary greatly all over the state.

there are some excellent forest preserve areas as well as state parks.

hope this helps!

[Havasu]

Another place for the tourist would be Galena. And yes Avengerfire is right the soil in Illinois is very rich and actualy black in color its neat to see when the farmers are tilling the soil during the spring. There is very little irrigation done for crops in Illinois. The top crops would be corn and soy beans. Its nickname is Land of Lincoln
because Abraham Lincoln was born there and Ronald Reagan was also. Those birth places would be a good tourist stop.

[calif]

All great info! Keep it coming! He will be thrilled when he gets home from school and sees all of this. Reps coming your way!

[Havasu]

Here is a picture of an Ilinois farm

[calif]

Great pic, looks like a model, the colors on the house and barn are so bright!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by calif

I need some information for my son who is doing a report on the state of Illinois.

If we were going to make a trip out there what are the must sees? Best tourist spots, well known or not.

Can he have 3 reasons why we should move there?

What is the driving age?

Thanks in advance! Hopefully he will come up with more questions.

IMO, the must sees are Chicago and burbs, Galena, Shawnee National Forest. I could give you hundreds of places to check out, but those cover the corners of the state.

3 reasons to move here? Hmmmm. Can I pick more? Ummmm 1) 4 seasons 2) endless amenities 3) great people.

And as others have mentioned, driving age is 16 (licensed), and I believe 15 for a permit.

Galena info:
Galena CVB

Shawnee National Forest:
Google Image Result for http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=11203&rendTypeId=4

Google Image Result for http://www.life.uiuc.edu/suarez/tillberg/images/SOILL002.jpg