Downstate Illinois

Downstate Illinois refers to the part of the U.S. state of Illinois south of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is in the northeast corner of the state and has been dominant in American history, politics, and culture. It is defined as the part of the state that lies west of Chicago and its suburbs but at the same or greater latitude.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} Prior to the issuance of 2000 Census results, 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]

  Cook County

  Rest of Chicago metropolitan area in 1950

  Parts added to Chicago metropolitan area by 2010

(NOTE: This is only for the Illinois part of the metropolitan area.)

Downstate Illinois is divided into several subregions: Northern Illinois, Central Illinois, and Southern Illinois, which in turn are divided into more subregions.

The term has been part of the northern Illinois residence lingo for decades,^[9] and is commonly used by the media.^[10][11][12] The Illinois General Assembly regularly uses the term in the titles of bills it passes.^[13]

Definition

Downstate Illinois lacks a precise definition.^[14] 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.^[14]

Major cities

Ten Largest Downstate Cities
Rank	City	Population	County
1	Rockford	152,871	Winnebago
2	Springfield	116,250	Sangamon
3	Peoria	115,007	Peoria
4	Champaign	81,055	Champaign
5	Bloomington	76,610	McLean
6	Decatur	76,122	Macon
7	Normal	52,497	McLean
8	Moline	45,883	Rock Island
9	Belleville	44,478	St. Clair
10	Urbana	41,250	Champaign

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.

See also

• Forgottonia

References

1. Dave McKinney; Stephen Di Benedetto (September 3, 2011). "Illinois House OKs casino for Chicago, slots at O'Hare, Midway". Chicago Sun-Times.
2. "Building Permits Rise 11%". Chicago Tribune. December 5, 1987.
3. "They Got Us Wrong". Chicago Reader. February 3, 2011.
4. . Bradley.edu. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
5. "Illinois raises cap on charter schools - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star". Rrstar.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
6. . October 18, 2000. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
7. . June 21, 1988. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
8. "Names". www.lib.niu.edu.
9. "Lawrence Journal-World - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
10. Around, Getting (August 23, 2010). "Chicago-K.C. corridor ready to roll - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
11. Ramsey, Mike (November 6, 1998). "Missionary Educator From Downstate Illinois Is Remembered In China - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
12. [1] March 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
13. . Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
14. Thompson, James R. "'Downstate'". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved February 13, 2020.

Coordinates: 40°N 89°W / 40°N 89°W / 40; -89