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Toronto was originally built in the 1800s as a rural station stop on the Illinois Central line six miles south of Springfield, Illinois, the state capital. Farmers would bring fresh vegetables and milk to the now-vanished railroad station for transportation into nearby cities.
- Overview
- Relief and drainage
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
Illinois, constituent state of the United States of America. It stretches southward 385 miles (620 km) from the Wisconsin border in the north to Cairo in the south. In addition to Wisconsin, the state borders Lake Michigan to the northeast, Indiana to the east, Kentucky to the southeast, Missouri to the west, and Iowa to the northwest. Illinois was named for the Illinois Indians. The capital is Springfield, in the west-central part of the state.
Admitted as the 21st member of the union on December 3, 1818, Illinois lies within both the so-called old industrial belt and the fertile agricultural heart of the country. The presence of Chicago, one of the country’s most prominent cities, creates sharp distinctions between the state’s largely urban and suburban northeast and the more evenly balanced urban-rural population downstate. In political life, Illinois is divided between Cook county (which contains much of the Chicago metropolitan area) and “downstate”—that is, all the other counties, even those north of Cook, such as Lake county. although its northern portion touches the Upper Midwest, its southern point is actually farther south than Richmond, Virginia, and has great affinities with neighbouring Kentucky and Missouri. Further contrasts derive from the racial and ethnic complexity of the population.
Much of Illinois’s land is flat, with irregular plains in the western, northern, and southern sections. This area once constituted a vast tallgrass prairie, virtually all of which was converted to farmland or urban sprawl. The unglaciated southernmost part of the state is in many ways out of character with the rest of Illinois. Shawnee National Forest, the only large tract of federally administered land in Illinois, covers a great part of this region. Southern Illinois consists of gently sloping, open hills. Rolling hills in the northwestern corner include the state’s highest point, Charles Mound, which is 1,235 feet (376 metres) above sea level. The statewide average elevation is about 600 feet (180 metres).
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The deep black soil of much of northern and central Illinois has unusual richness, and its quality for agriculture is among the finest in the world. The soils of the southern third of the state are far less suited for farming.
Illinois is drained by as many as 900 streams emptying mostly into the Mississippi River system. The Chicago and Calumet rivers—originally flowing into the St. Lawrence by way of Lake Michigan—have been altered through the construction of canals to drain into the Mississippi by way of the Illinois River, which roughly bisects the northern portion of the state from northeast to southwest. The Ohio River joins the Mississippi at the state’s southern tip near Cairo, an area known as “Little Egypt.”
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Because of its geographic position and its long north-south axis, Illinois experiences wide regional variations in temperature. Across the state, seasonal temperature variation also tends to be great, with typically cold, snowy winters and hot summers; extremes are somewhat ameliorated around Lake Michigan. Mean winter temperatures are about 22 °F ...
Illinois vegetational regions are separated into the tallgrass prairie of northern and central Illinois and the oak-hickory forest of the western and southern regions. Only tiny fragments of the original tallgrass prairie have been preserved, and some small areas have been reconstructed; the largest restored prairie in the state is Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, near Joliet. Before European settlers—first the French and then the English—moved in beginning in the 17th century, oak-hickory forests also prevailed in the north. The settlers, needing wood for fuel and construction material and the lumbering industry, stripped most of the trees, which left only 10 percent forest cover in Illinois. More than 6,200 square miles (16,000 square km) of forests remain, some 1,100 square miles (2,800 square km) of them in Shawnee National Forest. The state’s length gives it an unusual variety of Northern and Southern plant life. Both Northern and Southern wildflowers grow in Illinois, as do a variety of trees, such as white pines, tamaracks, walnuts, cypresses, and tupelos.
Before 1800 abundant wildlife roamed the prairies and forests, but bison, bears, wolves, mountain lions (pumas), porcupines, and elk have disappeared. Deer became extinct in 1910, but in 1933 the state department of conservation placed small herds that established a growing deer population. By the early 21st century the number of white-tailed deer in the state had reached into the hundreds of thousands. Coyotes and foxes can be found in woodlands and other natural areas and, increasingly, in and around urban areas. Game birds such as quail and pheasant are not as plentiful as in previous times, but waterfowl are abundant during the spring and fall migrations. Pollution has nearly wiped out many species of fish, but bullheads, carp, catfish, white and yellow bass, and walleye still abound.
Aug 12, 2010 · Tale of two cities: Chicago vs. Toronto Toronto and Chicago have a lot in common, including: Train station name: Union Architecture: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe left his impression on skyscrapers in ...
Apr 7, 2016 · The city has a wide-reaching transit system of subways, buses, and streetcars, commuter transportation, Uber, taxis, and a train linking Pearson Airport to downtown Toronto, making it easy for residents and visitors to navigate the city. Bikeshare Toronto makes commuter bikes available for those looking to get around on two wheels, and being a ...
Aug 20, 2023 · Toronto’s city limits encompass various neighborhoods, parks, and bodies of water, such as Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands. Chicago’s city boundaries and total size. Chicago, often referred to as the “Windy City,” is a major metropolis located in the state of Illinois.
Apr 16, 2024 · While Toronto is technically located in Canada, its close proximity to the United States is one of the main reasons why it is a city of such importance. Being situated on the border of the two countries, Toronto has become a hub for international trade and business.
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Illinois — History and Culture. The state of Illinois was built on the back of industry and the transport of commercial goods via the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan. Chicago was founded in the 1830’s and has been the economic and cultural heart of Illinois ever since. The city is famous for its laid-back Midwest attitude, and in many ...
