Where does Southern Illinois begin? (Chicago, Naperville: middle-class, credit, how much)

[RedFlyer]

Originally Posted by css9450

Reminds me of a friend of mine. Some years ago, we went on a drive and wound up in Manteno, Illinois. Years later, he mantioned the trip we made "to Southern Illinois". I was baffled because I didn't remember any trips I made to Southern Illinois with him. He went on with more details about that particular day, then it dawned on me - he was talking about Manteno! Man that's not even as far south as Kankakee!

For the record, I define US 50 as the dividing line.

My fiance works near Bourbonnais, and we are from the Lockport/Joliet area. We both are of the opinion that Bourbonnais is down south, in terms of how we live and commute. Anything south of Rt. 45 (LaGrange Rd.) is for the most part, considered south.

That is not meant as an insult. I've driven through the entire state once, on the way to Kentucky about 15 years ago. Other than that, asides from going to one U of I football game, and spending a weekend at ISU, I never go down state for anything. For those of us who do live north of I-80, in the southern suburbs of Chicago, venturing into the Bourbonnais area is considered "south" for us.

On the flip side, I've gotten a laugh when my fiance has told me that she's heard one of her students talking about going to Orland Square Mall or a restaurant in Tinley Park and how it was a special drive or how they made the drive up north.

I'd be interested in touring Springfield and driving through some other areas. I had the chance to visit Pontiac, IL a few weeks back... and yes, to me, that was definitely down SOUTH.

[JerichoHW]

Most of my family from my dad's family lives in Western Kentucky, specifically in the Murray/Mayfield corridor and going down I-57 you can see the changes in culture and geography as you go along. From the stretch of I-57 that runs between Kankakee and Country Club Hills, the new suburban sprawl and big box stores is mixed with rural farmland. I consider this area to be still Northern Illinois, 20 years ago one could argue it was Central Illinois but it has changed drastically. Once I get past the Hilton Garden Inn and Wal-Mart near the Greater Kankakee Airport (IKK) I consider myself to be in Central Illinois. The flat open plains are both drab and beautiful at the same time. The small villages and distant farmhouses are quite the spectacle, its literally the "Great Plains" of Illinois. I agree that Salem is the start of Southern Illinois, the once open farmland starts to become interlaced with pretty thick wooded forests and the once flat land starts into rolling hills. The "drawl" becomes more evident in peoples voices as well, although some parts of Illinois also have this particular accent but not quite as thick. A true local probably considers Mont Vernon the actual start of Southern Illinois, but culturally speaking Salem and Mt. Vernon seem pretty similar overall.

[Kamsack]

Originally Posted by JerichoHW

Most of my family from my dad's family lives in Western Kentucky, specifically in the Murray/Mayfield corridor and going down I-57 you can see the changes in culture and geography as you go along. From the stretch of I-57 that runs between Kankakee and Country Club Hills, the new suburban sprawl and big box stores is mixed with rural farmland. I consider this area to be still Northern Illinois, 20 years ago one could argue it was Central Illinois but it has changed drastically. Once I get past the Hilton Garden Inn and Wal-Mart near the Greater Kankakee Airport (IKK) I consider myself to be in Central Illinois. The flat open plains are both drab and beautiful at the same time. The small villages and distant farmhouses are quite the spectacle, its literally the "Great Plains" of Illinois. I agree that Salem is the start of Southern Illinois, the once open farmland starts to become interlaced with pretty thick wooded forests and the once flat land starts into rolling hills. The "drawl" becomes more evident in peoples voices as well, although some parts of Illinois also have this particular accent but not quite as thick. A true local probably considers Mont Vernon the actual start of Southern Illinois, but culturally speaking Salem and Mt. Vernon seem pretty similar overall.

I grew up in W KY as well...in Madisonville...and have lived in northern Illinois near Ottawa-La Salle and now live up in far northwest Minnesota. I have family in Mahomet, IL. I have travelled down I-57 many times....and I agree when I hit Salem I consider that southern Illinois because all of a sudden there are trees and much less farming. That same scenery extends all the way down to Mt Vernon and south and east some. Effingham is where I have stopped to eat (as it seems everybody else does too as traffic can be a nightmare there). There I feel like I am in the south as I hear the southern drawl quite strongly. I felt it was another world from Champaign and points north.

[JerichoHW]

I always get sick when I eat in Effingham, I think its a mix of heat and fumes from all the cars and trucks. Quite the busy little city.

[css9450]

Originally Posted by DaninEGF

Effingham is where I have stopped to eat (as it seems everybody else does too as traffic can be a nightmare there).

At night Effingham is unmistakeable from a distance as its lit up like daylight from all the lights. I sometimes wonder if its visible from space!

[urza216]

Originally Posted by TempesT68

That is the dividing line!

You live in Weaton. According to Google Maps, this west suburb is even futher away from Chicago than Homewood, a Chicago suburb that is south of I-80.

If Homewood is "downstate" then I guess you're "outstate" or something. Or "western Illinois".

[urza216]

Originally Posted by OrangeAndBlue

I see it split up about like this:

south of US-50: southern IL
south of I-80 / Kankakee but north of US-50: central IL
Chicago and suburbs: Chicago metro area
the rest of the state: northern IL

Obviously cultures, geography, etc. don't change as soon as you cross the street, but this is roughly how I would divide up the state into regions. I have lived in every one of those regions for several years each (except northern IL) and there are definitely big differences.

???

So all the Cook County and Will County towns south of I-80 are not Chicago suburbs but "Central IL"? WTF?

So Homewood, Flossmoor, Country Club Hills, Glenwood, Lynwood, Chicago Heights, Olympia Fields, Park Forest, Richton Park, Matteson, Steger, South Chicago Heights, Sauk Village, Ford Heights, University Park, Monee and Crete are ALL "Central Illinois" and NOT suburbs of Chicago??? WTF? All of these towns discussed in the Chicago Suburbs forum on C-D.

You do realize that once you hit 1-80 on the Metra Electric train line (ie: the stop in Hazel Crest), there are still eight more southbound stops to go, right? And here I thought the Metra served Chicago and Suburbs. Little did I know it apparently serves a big chunk of "Central Illinois" too. At least according to this post it does..

Cultural differences? Glenwood is just four towns south of Chicago! And it's south of I-80. What are these great cultural differences between Glenwood and a town that's four towns west or north of Chicago?

And why is Chicago Heights called that if it's south of I-80 and not a suburb of Chicago? And why is South Suburban Hospital called that if it's south of I-80 and not a part of the Chicago suburbs? It doesn't make much sense.

[OrangeAndBlue]

Couple of things you overlooked, or I wasn't clear enough on:

Obviously cultures, geography, etc. don't change as soon as you cross the street, but this is roughly how I would divide up the state into regions

No, you won't see drastic changes from one town to the next just because of a county line or highway going through it, but in general, there are cultural differences between the Chicago metro area, central IL, and southern IL and I think they are roughly defined by what I wrote. You're reading into this too much.

south of I-80 / Kankakee but north of US-50: central IL
Chicago and suburbs: Chicago metro area

I-80 doesn't go straight across the state, but cuts north into the southern portions of the Chicago metro area. That's why I wrote Kankakee as part of the dividing line, because I see the divide south of Chicago somewhere near there (or wherever I-80 would be if it kept going straight east instead of curving northward into the Chicago metro area). Also, Chicago suburbs are part of the metro area, so no, I'm not saying Homewood, Flossmoore, etc. are part of central IL.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by OrangeAndBlue

Couple of things you overlooked, or I wasn't clear enough on:

No, you won't see drastic changes from one town to the next just because of a county line or highway going through it, but in general, there are cultural differences between the Chicago metro area, central IL, and southern IL and I think they are roughly defined by what I wrote. You're reading into this too much.

I-80 doesn't go straight across the state, but cuts north into the southern portions of the Chicago metro area. That's why I wrote Kankakee as part of the dividing line, because I see the divide south of Chicago somewhere near there (or wherever I-80 would be if it kept going straight east instead of curving northward into the Chicago metro area). Also, Chicago suburbs are part of the metro area, so no, I'm not saying Homewood, Flossmoore, etc. are part of central IL.

Oh okay. Then I agree with you. :-)

With one slight addition I'd like to make: Kankakee County is somewhat of a world onto itself. It's not really Central IL but it's not really Chicagoland either. Kankakee County is Kankakee County. You'll find that most younger residents identify with Chicago and not Central IL at all..

[jackhitts]

Originally Posted by DaninEGF

I grew up in W KY as well...in Madisonville...and have lived in northern Illinois near Ottawa-La Salle and now live up in far northwest Minnesota. I have family in Mahomet, IL. I have travelled down I-57 many times....and I agree when I hit Salem I consider that southern Illinois because all of a sudden there are trees and much less farming. That same scenery extends all the way down to Mt Vernon and south and east some. Effingham is where I have stopped to eat (as it seems everybody else does too as traffic can be a nightmare there). There I feel like I am in the south as I hear the southern drawl quite strongly. I felt it was another world from Champaign and points north.

I think this has been talked about on another thread, but I live in Effingham now and I've noticed that Effingham is really where the Midwestern accent seems to give way to the more Southern one. It could be, though, that the accents you heard were not from people who actually live in the area — it is "the Crossroads of Opportunity", remember.

Anywho, most of the locals I come across speak pretty normally to me (as in, sound like the rest of Central Illinois). It's when you start getting down to Mt. Vernon that you start to hear that drawl (but again, it isn't universal).

Also, as someone noted: There's still a LOT of corn grown around Effingham. The further south you go, the fewer farms you see and the more it starts to look like the backwoods south. I think that's also a strong indicator of where you are in regards to the Central/Southern split.