Downstate Illinois Explained
Downstate Illinois refers to the part of the U.S. state of Illinois south or outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is in the northeast corner of the state and has been dominant in state history, politics, and culture.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Downstate Illinois lacks a precise definition. Various boundaries that have been used are the Chicago city limits, the boundaries of Cook County, the collar counties, all of Illinois not contained in the Chicago media market, Interstate 80, and Bloomington.[5] Prior to the 2000 United States census, when it became part of the Chicago metropolitan area, even DeKalb (located 65 miles west of Chicago) was often considered to be "downstate".[6] [7] [8]
With regard to geographic placenames, the terms "up" and "down" generally refer to upstream and downstream with respect to a river basin, in this case that of the Mississippi River, which flows from north to south along the western edge of the state. Thus, the term "Downstate Illinois" may be understood to refer to the part of the state which lies downstream with respect to the Mississippi River and its tributaries in Illinois, such as the Illinois River.
Downstate Illinois is divided into three regions: Northern, Central, and Southern, which in turn are divided into more regions. The term has been used by Northern Illinois residents for decades and is commonly used by the media.[9] [10] [11] [12] The Illinois General Assembly regularly uses the term in the titles of bills it passes.[13]
Most of the state's largest cities (six of the top ten) are concentrated in and around the Chicago area, but several mid-sized cities exist in the downstate area as well. Springfield, the state capital, is located in Downstate Illinois.
| Ten Largest Cities in Downstate Illinois[14] |
|---|
| Rank | City | Population | County |
|---|
| 1 | | 148,655 | |
| 2 | | 114,394 | |
| 3 | | 113,150 | |
| 4 | | 88,302 | |
| 5 | | 78,680 | |
| 6 | | 70,522 | |
| 7 | | 52,736 | |
| 8 | | 42,985 | |
| 9 | | 42,404 | |
| 10 | Quincy | 39,463 | Adams | |
See also
Notes and References
- News: Building Permits Rise 11% . Chicago Tribune . 1987-12-05.
- Web site: They Got Us Wrong. Chicago Reader. February 3, 2011.
- Web site: Bradley University: Foster College of Business Administration . Bradley.edu . 2011-07-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100528044650/http://www.bradley.edu/fcba/community/cber/PeoriaMSAPopulationChanges.htm . 2010-05-28 .
- Web site: Associated Press . Illinois raises cap on charter schools - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star . Rrstar.com . 2011-07-11 . dead . https://archive.today/20120915081249/http://www.rrstar.com/news/x702320566/Illinois-lifts-cap-on-charter-schools . 2012-09-15 .
- Encyclopedia: 'Downstate' . Encyclopedia of Chicago . Chicago Historical Society . February 13, 2020 . Thompson . James R..
- 18 October 2000 . MTV's Campus Invasion Tour . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140611111135/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4570258.html . 11 June 2014.
- 21 June 1988 . DeKalb Corp. announces capitalization of three new companies, spinoff . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140611111141/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3891161.html . 11 June 2014.
- Web site: Names . www.lib.niu.edu.
- Web site: Lawrence Journal-World - Google News Archive Search. news.google.com.
- News: Chicago-K.C. corridor ready to roll - Chicago Tribune . Articles.chicagotribune.com . 2010-08-23 . 2011-07-11 . Getting . Around.
- News: Missionary Educator From Downstate Illinois Is Remembered In China - Chicago Tribune . Articles.chicagotribune.com . 1998-11-06 . 2011-07-11 . Mike . Ramsey.
- http://www.wttw.com/chicagotonightblog/2009_05_01_archive.html
- Web site: Illinois General Assembly - list of bills with "Downstate" in the text. 2011-07-11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721043145/http://www.ilga.gov/search/LISGSApage.asp?q=Downstate&submit1=Go&site=leg97. 2011-07-21.
- Web site: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States . 2023-05-17 . www.census.gov . en.
