Illinois does not = Chicago!! (Washington, Union: house, rent, employment)

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Why does almost everyone in Illinois have to live in Chicagoland? Is it because of the lake or something? Why does everyone crowd up in that corner of the state? This state is very long--there are many other places to live in Illinois like Peoria for example--what did Chicago do early on to have this happen?

let mew drop some science, courtesy of wiki:

Economy:
Chicago has the third largest gross metropolitan product in the nation - approximately $442 billion according to 2007 estimates.[26] The city has also been rated as having the most balanced economy in the United States, due to its high level of diversification.[27] Chicago was named the fourth most important business center in the world in the MasterCard Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index. [28] Additionally, the Chicago metropolitan area recorded the greatest number of new or expanded corporate facilities in the United States for five of the past six years.[29] The Boeing Company relocated its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago in 2001.
Chicago is a major financial center with the second largest central business district in the U.S. The city is the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (the Seventh District of the Federal Reserve). The city is also home to four major financial and futures exchanges, including the Chicago Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the "Merc"). The city and the surrounding suburbs are home to 66 Fortune 500 companies.[citation needed] Chicago and the surrounding areas also house many major brokerage firms and insurance companies, such as Allstate Corporation and Zürich North America. In addition, despite Chicago commonly being perceived as a rust-belt city, a study indicated that Chicago has the largest high-technology and information-technology industry employment in the United States.[30]
Manufacturing (which includes chemicals, metal, machinery, and consumer electronics), printing and publishing, and food processing also play major roles in the city's economy. Nevertheless, much of the manufacturing occurs outside the city limits, especially since World War II.[31] Several medical products and services companies are headquartered in the Chicago area, including Baxter International, Abbott Laboratories, and the Healthcare Financial Services division of General Electric. Moreover, the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which helped move goods from the Great Lakes south on the Mississippi River, and of the railroads in the 19th century made the city a major transportation center in the United States. In the 1840s, Chicago became a major grain port, and in the 1850s and 1860s Chicago's pork and beef industry expanded. As the major meat companies grew in Chicago many, such as Armour, created global enterprises. Though the meatpacking industry currently plays a lesser role in the city's economy,[31] Chicago continues to be a major transportation and distribution center.
The city is also a major convention destination; Chicago is third in the U.S. behind Las Vegas and Orlando as far as the number of conventions hosted annually.[32] In addition, Chicago is home to eleven Fortune 500 companies, while the metropolitan area hosts an additional 21 Fortune 500 companies.[33] Chicago also hosts 12 Fortune Global 500 companies and 17 Financial Times 500 companies. The city claims one Dow 30 company, aerospace giant Boeing, which moved its headquarters from Seattle to the Loop in 2001. The city and its surrounding metropolitan area are also home to the second largest labor pool in the United States with approximately 4.25 million workers.[34] In 2006, Chicago placed 10th on the UBS list of the world's richest cities.[35]

Transportation:
Chicago is a major transportation hub in the United States. It is an important component in global distribution, as it is the third largest inter-modal port in the world after Hong Kong and Singapore.[66] Additionally, it is the only city in North America in which six Class I railroads meet.[67]
Chicago is one of the largest hubs of passenger rail service in the nation. Many Amtrak long distance services originate from Chicago Union Station. Such services provide connections to New York, Seattle, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC. Amtrak also provides a number of short-haul services throughout Illinois and toward nearby Milwaukee.
Nine interstate highways run through Chicago and its suburbs.
Chicago is served by Midway International Airport on the south side and O'Hare International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports, on the far northwest side. In 2005, O'Hare was the world's busiest airport by aircraft movements and the second busiest by total passenger traffic (due to government enforced flight caps).[68]


Now thats just a start....

[Kali's Grandma]

When I started this tread back in January, I never expect this kind of response...
For some of you...I never said nor implied that there was anything wrong with Chicago...it's just not for me..I prefer the smaller, much smaller, towns.
For the Central Illinoians....I spent time in Beardstown, Rankin, Lovington, Peoria, Jacksonville tho I don't have many memories of Jax, and Bartonville.

I had just noticed that most of the threads were directed to Chicago and the surrounding area when there are....

1)separate areas in this forum to discuss Chicago and it's suburbs and
2)When people outside the state hear someone is from Illinois, don't natually assume they are from Chicago. And...
3)Illinois itself has something for everybody...it's a big State with lots to offer

Trust me when people hear I'm from Orlando, they think I automatically know their Great Aunt Gert who just moved here or that I must go to Disney on a regular basis.

I get back to the great state of Illinois every chance I get!!

[RiWrites]

I live in Lakeland Florida which is halfway between Tampa and Orlando. But when people find out I am from Florida they either ask me if I know how they can get into DisneyWorld for less money since I live in Orlando or they will ask me the best places to go in Miami. There is so much more to Florida than that just Orlando or Miami So I understand how you all feel about people thinking you are from Chicago.

[XtremeBiker278]

I am a born and raised Chicagoan, and even I must admit that Illinois does indeed represent, but should not repesent, all of Illinois. I love the city, but there is so much more too. Everything from the North Shore, to Galena, Springfield, and everything else, Illinois is a huge state that has so many amazing places to visit. Unortunately, because Chicago is the biggest city out of Illinois and has the most attractions, seemingly infinite resources, and has a lot of culture... then everybody will think Chicago = Illinois. But as we all know, there is a ton else to do and so much more than the city.

[rotciv1]

I think that it's just a location in Illinois that everyone knows about. They start from Chicago and then get their bearings from there. I live in Chicago, but was born in Peoria and when I'm travelling if people are not familiar with Peoria, then Chicago is always a place everyone if familiar with. Most people think that Peoria is a Suburb of Chicago because this area is so large and with so many Suburban areas it's easy to understand why. Funny thing about alot of people who were raised in Chicaqo is that they have not travelled to far from their neighborhood. I've met people who have lived here all their life and never went to a Cubs gave or visited Sears Tower.

[jamh13]

I've lived all over the country(east and west) and got this every time i've mentioned I'm from Illinois. "Your from Chicago" No, actually there are other cities in Illinos besides chicago. At first I always tried to explain there is a place(quad cities) on a river(mississppi), but no ones ever heard of it(thank god!). So now I just say I'm from Chicago.

[M TYPE X]

People have never heard of Davenport/Moline? Hello, John Deere tractor?!

[michellie]

Its like that here aswell, whenever you say your from Ireland, people automatically think your from Dublin!!?? so annoying

[Scribbler]

Hah, when I was IN Dublin, I would try to explain to locals where I was from...gave up on Minnesota (where I was a student), due to blank looks. Tried to give Illinois, more blank looks. Resigned myself to (fraudulently) giving Chicago as my locale, in hopes of some types of recognition. Finally, a glimmer of awakening in the eyes of some! Followed by a charmingly lilting, "Now, that's just past Boston, isn't it?" *smacks forehead*

And here the Irish get pissed if you can't tell a Kerry accent from a Dublin one.

[michellie]

Originally Posted by Scribbler

And here the Irish get pissed if you can't tell a Kerry accent from a Dublin one.

LOL .... now i have to say theres a BIG difference in those 2 accents!!But i dont blame you for not being able to tell the difference !!!