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General Care Communities
Illinois
Area Info
The State of Illinois is a state of the United States of America and the 21st state admitted to the Union. Illinois is the most populous state in the Midwest and the fifth most populous in the nation, and has a large and cosmopolitan population. Its balance of vast suburbs and the great metropolis of Chicago in the northeast, rural areas, small industrial cities, and renowned agricultural productivity in central and western Illinois, and the coal mines of the south give it a highly diverse economic base. Its central location, connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River via the Illinois River, made it a transportation hub for 150 years. It is this mixture of factory and farm, of urban and rural, that makes Illinois a microcosm of the United States.
About 2,000 Native American hunters and a small number of French villagers inhabited the area at the time of the American Revolution. American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s; they achieved statehood in 1818. Yankees arrived a little later and dominated the north, founding the future metropolis of Chicago in the 1830s. The coming of the railroads in the 1850s made highly profitable the rich prairie farmlands in central Illinois, attracting large numbers of immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden. Northern Illinois provided major support for Illinoisans Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War. By 1900, factories were being rapidly built in the northern cities, along with coal mines in central and southern areas. This industrialization attracted large numbers of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, and also led to the state's material contribution as a major arsenal in both world wars. In addition to immigrants from Europe, large numbers of blacks left the cotton fields of the South to come to Chicago, where they developed a famous jazz culture.
Articles
Willow Lake Estates - Willow Lake Estates, in Elgin IL, Presents Affordable, Resort-Style Living!
CHICAGO, IL – May 12, 2011 – Willow Lake Estates is a 55+ community overlooking the picturesque Fox River, located in Elgin, IL. Situated in the beautiful Fox River Valley, Willow Lake Estates offers its residents the comforts of a suburban retreat.... Read more...
Equity Lifestyle Properties Launches Feature Community Campaign
Equity Lifestyle Properties and Retirenet.Com have launched a new marketing campaign to feature premier properties in Florida, California, Illinois, Arizona and Colorado. Read more...
News from The Chigago Tribune
Progress seen at city 'turnaround' schools
Feb 9, 2012 6:07 am
U. of C. group cites improvements in math, reading skills at elementary levelA study of Chicago's most aggressive efforts to reform failing schools, including replacing school leadership and staff in ...
Feb 9, 2012 6:00 am
Dear Tom,
At New Trier campus, former faculty member Jan Borja is mourned, lauded
Feb 9, 2012 6:00 am
Longtime principal of freshman site touched many livesNo one at New Trier High School can remember voluntarily canceling a day of classes to allow the district to mourn a former faculty member. But Ja...
Reputed mobster Michael Sarno sentenced to 25 years
Feb 9, 2012 6:00 am
A decorated World War II veteran-turned-bombmaker in his 80s. His quirky, impulsive son, a former trick bicyclist who stole more than $1 million in jewelry heists. A thick-armed, tattooed Outlaw biker...
Public gives input on CTA plans to modernize Red, Purple lines
Feb 9, 2012 6:00 am
Kyle Lauterhahn says several "slow zones" on the CTA Red Line increase the time he spends commuting from his home in Evanston to his job in Chicago.
Feb 9, 2012 6:00 am
Owned party-supply emporium in WillowbrookJohn A. Murray Jr. embodied the spirit of his party-supply store, throwing himself into celebrations and never taking himself too seriously.
43 puppies rescued from van in Little Village neighborhood
Feb 9, 2012 6:00 am
'Alert and astute' police credited with saving animals said to be bound for pet stores in Chicago, New YorkThe 43 puppies rescued from a van parked in the Little Village neighborhood Tuesday morning w...
Cultural venues may host summit events
Feb 9, 2012 6:00 am
Museums look to benefit from G-8, NATO spotlightsSome of the city's leading cultural institutions are being considered as potential venues for private events when the G-8and NATO summits bring dozens ...
City sticker design yanked, but not without pain
Feb 9, 2012 4:54 am
'Perception' that teen's artwork incorporated gang signs was too great to ignore, city clerk saysAs controversy swirled, Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza weighed concerns from some quarters that gang...
South Side Irish Parade's revival questioned
Feb 9, 2012 4:49 am
Emanuel's administration throwing cold water on plan for event next monthMayor Rahm Emanuel's administration indicated this week that it doesn't think the group trying to resurrect the South Side Iris...
News from the Chicago Sun-Times
2-year-old critically injured when dresser falls on her
Feb 9, 2012 7:45 am
A 2-year-old girl was in critical condition early Thursday after a dresser with a TV o...
Teachers file EEOC layoff complaint
Feb 9, 2012 7:30 am
The Chicago Teachers Union filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Com...
Teachers file EEOC layoff complaint
Feb 9, 2012 7:30 am
The Chicago Teachers Union filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Com...
Stick with reality, not perception
Feb 9, 2012 6:24 am
Perception is a funny thing. My perception at this very moment is that City Clerk Susa...
Merchandise Mart pulls the plug on Art Chicago
Feb 9, 2012 6:07 am
Citing mostly financial concerns, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. Wednesday announced...
Mayor Emanuel: Time to speed up trains to OHare, Midway
Feb 9, 2012 5:57 am
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday hes evaluating plans to shave up to 12 minutes off CTA travel ...
Firefighters extinguish small kitchen mishap at their firehouse
Feb 9, 2012 4:17 am
Chicago firefighters had to use their skills in their own firehouse when a pot of meat was left ...
Emptying pockets at security checkpoint? Probably best to hang on to your pot
Feb 9, 2012 4:01 am
Devante Jackson of Joliet was charged with marijuana possession after emptying five bags of pot ...
Not so fast. Hold off on Crane H.S. phase-out, hearing officer urges
Feb 9, 2012 2:23 am
No decision on the phase-out of Crane High School should be made until school district...
Family of woman left in morgue for 14 months sues Cook County
Feb 9, 2012 2:21 am
The family of a Chicago woman whose body sat unidentified in the Cook County morgue for 14 month...
Illinois News from BigNewsNetwork.com
Hardin investigates dark water problem
Feb 9, 2012 12:03 am
HARDIN - Problems with the filters at the treatment plant led to discolored water on West Main Street last week, and trustees are looking for a solution.Jugs and bottles of tap water ranging from ......
Director hints tuition program could need tax bailout
Feb 9, 2012 12:03 am
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois' prepaid college tuition fund on which some 54,000 families are relying is vowing to find some way to make up a $559.9 million deficit.Even if that means asking for a ...
Ford cites Chicago plant’s successes at Auto Show preview
Feb 8, 2012 11:59 pm
The Ford Shelby 500 GT is introduced by Hau Thai-Tang during the 2012 Chicago Auto Show media preview at McCormick Place Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, in Chicago. | John J. ...
Caterpillar rules Illinois out of plant plans
Feb 8, 2012 11:59 pm
Caterpillar Inc. has ruled Illinois out of plans to relocate a factory and 1,400 jobs from Japan, citing both logistical problems with building the plant in its home state and ongoing concerns about ...
With civil unions won, Illinois legislators now calling for same-sex marriage
Feb 8, 2012 11:58 pm
landmark civil-unions law took effect, the state's three openly gay lawmakers are pushing for a new law that would formalize same-sex marriage. A bill filed today ...
Cell phone ban for drivers gains momentum in Illinois
Feb 8, 2012 11:58 pm
The House Transportation Committee voted in favor of legislation sponsored by state. Rep. John D'Amico , D-Chicago, that bans all handheld communication devices while driving. The ...
SJ-O coach arrested; attorney's call sets off sheriff's investigation
Feb 8, 2012 11:47 pm
Tweet Widget URBANA -- A 19-year-old college student from St. Joseph is considering a lawsuit against a former high school coach, his principal, his superintendent and the school district for ...
Champaign officials look at reining in use of plastic bags
Feb 8, 2012 11:47 pm
Tweet Widget CHAMPAIGN -- Officials are beginning to explore ways to bag "urban tumbleweed" by making plastic bags a thing of the past and maybe help the environment at the same time. ......
Champaign council rejects contract to review 2011 arrest, use of force policy
Feb 8, 2012 11:47 pm
Tweet Widget CHAMPAIGN - The city council on Tuesday night decided not to move forward with an $85,000 independent review of a June 2011 arrest and the use-of-force policy. Police officers and ...
Former UI chief of staff accepts faculty job
Feb 8, 2012 11:47 pm
Tweet Widget URBANA -- Former presidential chief of staff Lisa Troyer will be paid $109,000 a year in her new role as a University of Illinois psychology professor, but she also faces a possible ......
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