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Updated elected offices.
Currently, Illinois has a [[Democratic]] governor, [[Patrick Joseph Quinn]], but has elected [[Republican]] governors in the recent past, such as [[George Ryan]], who controversially emptied the state's death row after an investigation by [[Northwestern University]] law students proved that one death row inmate was innocent.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/11/illinois.death.row/</ref> Critics charged that he only did so to gain sympathy because he was about to be tried for [[corruption]] and selling [[commercial driver's license]]s when he was the [[Illinois Secretary of State]]. There are 2 senators and 19 Representatives in Illinois.
Currently, Illinois has a [[Democratic]] governor, [[Patrick Joseph Quinn]], but has elected [[Republican]] governors in the recent past, such as [[George Ryan]], who controversially emptied the state's death row after an investigation by [[Northwestern University]] law students proved that one death row inmate was innocent.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/11/illinois.death.row/</ref> Critics charged that he only did so to gain sympathy because he was about to be tried for [[corruption]] and selling [[commercial driver's license]]s when he was the [[Illinois Secretary of State]]. There are 2 senators and 19 Representatives in Illinois.
==Commerce==
*Gross State Product - $528 Billion (2004)
*Gross State Product - $528 Billion (2004)
*Personal income per Capita - $32,965 (2003)
*Personal income per Capita - $32,965 (2003)
Illinois is not only the nation’s leading pumpkin producer, but also its leading pumpkin processor. Libby's plants 5,000 acres of Dickinson Select pumpkins each year in and around Morton, Illinois. Morton, where 80 percent of the world's canned pumpkin is packed at the Libby's factory, is known as the "Pumpkin Capital of the World." The town hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival to celebrate the start of the pumpkin canning season. Illinois is a leading producer of [[soybeans]], corn and hogs. The state's climate and varied soil types enable farmers to grow and raise many other agricultural commodities, including cattle, wheat, oats, sorghum,hay, sheep, poultry, fruits and vegetables. Illinois also produces several specialty crops, such as buckwheat, horseradish, ostriches, fish and Christmas trees. Marketing of Illinois' agricultural commodities generates more than $9 billion annually. Corn accounts for nearly 40 percent of that total. Marketing of soybeans contributes about one-third, with the combined marketing of livestock, dairy and poultry generating about 23 percent.
Illinois is not only the nation’s leading pumpkin producer, but also its leading pumpkin processor. Libby's plants 5,000 acres of Dickinson Select pumpkins each year in and around Morton, Illinois. Morton, where 80 percent of the world's canned pumpkin is packed at the Libby's factory, is known as the "Pumpkin Capital of the World." The town hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival to celebrate the start of the pumpkin canning season. Illinois is a leading producer of [[soybeans]], corn and hogs. The state's climate and varied soil types enable farmers to grow and raise many other agricultural commodities, including cattle, wheat, oats, sorghum,hay, sheep, poultry, fruits and vegetables. Illinois also produces several specialty crops, such as buckwheat, horseradish, ostriches, fish and Christmas trees. Marketing of Illinois' agricultural commodities generates more than $9 billion annually. Corn accounts for nearly 40 percent of that total. Marketing of soybeans contributes about one-third, with the combined marketing of livestock, dairy and poultry generating about 23 percent.
Illinois has a competitive edge over many other states due to its central location and superior
Illinois has a competitive edge over many other states due to its central location and superior
transportation system. More than 2,000 miles of interstate highways and 34,500 miles of other state highways make trucking of goods fast and efficient. Chicago is home to the largest rail gateway in the nation, connecting the eastern and western United States. The state boasts some 1,100 airports, landing areas and heliports, including Chicago's O'Hare International, through which more than 65 million travelers pass annually. Illinois' 1,118 miles of navigable waterways, including the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, make barge traffic an excellent option for shipment of grain to the Gulf of Mexico.
transportation system. More than 2,000 miles of interstate highways and 34,500 miles of other state highways make trucking of goods fast and efficient. Chicago is home to the largest rail gateway in the nation, connecting the eastern and western United States. The state boasts some 1,100 airports, landing areas and heliports, including Chicago's O'Hare International, through which more than 65 million travelers pass annually. Illinois' 1,118 miles of navigable waterways, including the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, make barge traffic an excellent option for shipment of grain to the Gulf of Mexico.
==Demographics==
According to the 2010 census.
According to the 2010 census.
*Hispanic/Latino: 2,029,578 (15.8%)
*Hispanic/Latino: 2,029,578 (15.8%)
==Elected Officials==
===Federal===
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Richard Durbin]] (D)
*Sen. [[Richard Durbin]] (D)
*Sen. [[Mark Kirk]] (R)
*Sen. [[Mark Kirk]] (R)
*Rep. [[Bobby Rush]] [D, IL-1]
*Rep. [[Bobby Rush]] [D, IL-1]
*Rep. [[Jesse Jackson]] [D, IL-2]
*Rep. [[Robin Kelly]] [D, IL-2]
*Rep. [[Daniel Lipinski]] [D, IL-3]
*Rep. [[Daniel Lipinski]] [D, IL-3]
*Rep. [[Luis Gutiérrez]] [D, IL-4]
*Rep. [[Luis Gutiérrez]] [D, IL-4]
*Rep. [[Peter Roskam]] [R, IL-6]
*Rep. [[Peter Roskam]] [R, IL-6]
*Rep. [[Danny Davis]] [D, IL-7]
*Rep. [[Danny Davis]] [D, IL-7]
*Rep. [[Joe Walsh]] [R, IL-8]
*Rep. [[Tammy Duckworth]] [D, IL-8]
*Rep. [[Janice Schakowsky]] [D, IL-9]
*Rep. [[Janice Schakowsky]] [D, IL-9]
*Rep. [[Robert Dold]] [R, IL-10]
*Rep. [[Robert Dold]] [R, IL-10]
*Rep. [[Adam Kinzinger]] [R, IL-11]
*Rep. [[Bill Foster]] [D, IL-11]
*Rep. [[Jerry Costello]] [D, IL-12]
*Rep. [[Mike Bost]] [R, IL-12]
*Rep. [[Judy Biggert]] [R, IL-13]
*Rep. [[Rodney Davis]] [R, IL-13]
*Rep. [[Randy Hultgren]] [R, IL-14]
*Rep. [[Randy Hultgren]] [R, IL-14]
*Rep. [[Timothy Johnson]] [R, IL-15]
*Rep. [[John Shimkus]] [R, IL-15]
*Rep. [[Donald Manzullo]] [R, IL-16]
*Rep. [[Adam Kinzinger]] [R, IL-16]
*Rep. [[Bobby Schilling]] [R, IL-17]
*Rep. [[Cheri Bustos]] [D, IL-17]
*Rep. [[Aaron Schock]] [R, IL-18]
*Rep. [[Darin LaHood]] [R, IL-18]
===Statewide===
===Statewide===
*Governor [[Patrick J. Quinn]] (D)
*Governor [[Bruce Rauner]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Lisa Madigan]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Evelyn Sanguinetti]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Jesse White]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Jesse White]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Lisa Madigan]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Lisa Madigan]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Dan Rutherford]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Mike Frerichs]] (D)
*State Comptroller [[Judy Baar Topinka]] (R)
*State Comptroller [[Leslie Munger]] (R)
==State Facts==
*Illinois State Tree – white oak
*Illinois State Tree – white oak
*Illinois State Snack – popcorn
*Illinois State Snack – popcorn
*Illinois State Fruit – goldrush apple
*Illinois State Fruit – goldrush apple
==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* Keiser, John H. ''Building for the centuries: Illinois, 1865 to 1898.'' good survey
* Keiser, John H. ''Building for the centuries: Illinois, 1865 to 1898.'' good survey
* Kleppner, Paul. ''Political atlas of Illinois'' (1988) election maps
* Kleppner, Paul. ''Political atlas of Illinois'' (1988) election maps
* Meyer, Douglas K. ''Making the heartland quilt: a geographical history of settlement and migration in early-nineteenth-century Illinois.'' (2000).
* Meyer, Douglas K. ''Making the heartland quilt: a geographical history of settlement and migration in early-nineteenth-century Illinois.'' (2000).
===Primary sources===
===Primary sources===
* Peck, John Mason. ''A Gazetteer of Illinois, in Three Parts: Containing a General View of the State, a General View of Each County, and a Particular Description of Each'' (1837) fascinating primary source [http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/300889206?page=frame&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DY5pKAAAAMAAJ%26checksum%3D8b8c2da173569b9ff33410019959caef&title=&linktype=digitalObject&detail= online]
* Peck, John Mason. ''A Gazetteer of Illinois, in Three Parts: Containing a General View of the State, a General View of Each County, and a Particular Description of Each'' (1837) fascinating primary source [http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/300889206?page=frame&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DY5pKAAAAMAAJ%26checksum%3D8b8c2da173569b9ff33410019959caef&title=&linktype=digitalObject&detail= online]