Illinois Facts
From soaring skyscrapers to wide open prairies, Illinois Facts is packed with surprises! Discover quick, fascinating facts about the Prairie State — perfect for curious minds, travelers, and proud locals alike.
🗺️ Illinois Facts State Basics
Collection of state symbols can be found Illinois State Symbols
👨👩👧👦 Population
Approx. 13 million
🏙️ Capital
Springfield
🔖 Nickname
The Prairie State
🧊 Statehood
21st state
🌺 Flower
Violet
🌆 Largest City
Chicago
🍿 Snack
Popcorn
🚩 Illinois State Flag
🤪 Weird & Wacky Illinois Facts
🛑 No Fancy Pet Fish Tossing: In Galesburg, it’s illegal to keep a “smelly dog, fish, or other animal” in public — especially if it’s offensive to your neighbors.
🌽 Corny Royalty: The town of Hoopeston once crowned a “Sweetcorn Queen” at its annual Sweetcorn Festival.
🎩 Lincoln’s Ghost Still Roams: Some say Abraham Lincoln’s ghost haunts the old State Capitol in Springfield — and even the White House!
🚗 You Can’t Drive Without a Steering Wheel: In Decatur, it’s technically illegal to drive a car without a steering wheel — which seems… practical?
💨 Chicago Isn’t Really That Windy: The nickname “Windy City” was actually coined because of its political blowhards, not the breeze off Lake Michigan.
🧀 Cheese-Throwing Protest?: In the 1980s, Illinois dairy farmers reportedly staged protests by tossing cheese wheels in front of government buildings.
🐸 Frog-Jumping Contest Champions: The city of Beardstown hosts quirky frog-jumping contests inspired by Mark Twain’s famous story.
📻 Radioactive Healing Spa?: In the early 1900s, people visited a spa in Zion, Illinois, to bathe in supposedly “healing” radioactive water. Spoiler: bad idea.
🔊 The First All-Talking Film was shown in Chicago in 1927 — and people thought movies would never be silent again!
🍩 Donut-Hurling Traditions?: Some small towns in Illinois host winter games that involve throwing powdered donuts through hoops as a local sport.
🎈 World’s Largest Catsup Bottle stands proudly in Collinsville — it’s over 170 feet tall and was built as a water tower!
🦖 Dinosaurs Once Roamed This State: Fossils from ancient crocodile-like creatures and duck-billed dinos have been found in southern Illinois.
🧭 Illinois Facts Timeline
French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet explore Illinois.
Illinois becomes the 21st state admitted to the Union.
Construction begins on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, boosting Chicago’s growth.
The Great Chicago Fire devastates much of the city.
The world’s first skyscraper is built in Chicago: the Home Insurance Building.
Prohibition sparks a rise in organized crime led by figures like Al Capone.
The Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) becomes the world’s tallest building.
Harold Washington becomes Chicago’s first African-American mayor.
The Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, win their first NBA Championship.
The Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time in 108 years!
🏙️ City & Culture Highlights of Illinois Facts
🎡 Just for Fun Illinois Facts
Think you know New York? These quirky, delightful facts prove there’s always something new to discover — from classic eats to iconic streets.
🌿 Wild & Natural Illinois Facts
🌽 The Prairie State Lives Up to Its Name: Illinois was once covered in over 22 million acres of tallgrass prairie — today, less than 1% remains, protected in places like Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
🌳 Home to the Oldest Living Tree in the State: A bur oak in the Cook County Forest Preserves is estimated to be over 300 years old!
🐢 Blanding’s Turtle Is a Local Celebrity: This smiling, yellow-throated turtle is an endangered species and a focus of conservation in northeastern Illinois.
🦅 Bald Eagles Love Illinois: Every winter, thousands of bald eagles migrate to the Mississippi River near Alton and Starved Rock — making Illinois one of the best states to spot them!
🌊 Illinois Has a “National Seashore”: Sort of! The beautiful sandy beaches along Lake Michigan (like those at Illinois Beach State Park) feel like the ocean — with waves, dunes, and seagulls.
🌋 Ancient Volcano?: Illinois has a buried ancient volcanic feature — Hicks Dome in the Shawnee Hills may be a collapsed volcano or meteor impact site!
🦌 White-Tailed Deer Rule the Woods: You’re most likely to spot these graceful animals in southern Illinois forests or even suburban areas.
🐍 It Has a Snake Road: In Shawnee National Forest, LaRue-Pine Hills Snake Road is closed twice a year to allow snakes and amphibians to migrate safely between bluffs and wetlands.
🌺 Wildflowers Bloom Across the State: Spring brings bursts of color with trillium, shooting stars, bluebells, and purple coneflowers — especially in prairies and woodland preserves.
🐸 The Chorus Frogs Sing in Spring: These tiny frogs create a loud “clicking” sound — like running your finger over a comb — as one of the first signs of spring in Illinois wetlands.
🎨 Color the Illinois Skyline!
Bring the Windy City to life with your own colorful twist!
This fun Illinois-themed coloring page features Chicago’s famous skyline!
🏙️ Even More Fun Illinois Facts
- Route 66, the iconic American highway, begins in Chicago.
- Cahokia Mounds holds remnants of one of the greatest Native American cities ever built.
- The First McDonald’s opened in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955.
- Twinkies were invented in River Forest, Illinois in 1930.
- Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901.
- Chicago’s O’Hare Airport was the world’s busiest airport for decades.
- The Ferris Wheel was invented for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.
- Navy Pier is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the entire Midwest.
- Metropolis, Illinois is home to a giant Superman statue and an annual Superman Celebration.
- The Chicago River is dyed green every year for St. Patrick’s Day.
- Illinois has more units of government (townships, counties, school districts) than any other state.
- Springfield, Illinois is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln.
- Illinois was once the “center of the ice cream sundae debate” — some say Evanston invented it!
- Chicago is called the “Windy City” not because of the weather — but because of talkative politicians in the 1800s!
- The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has one of the largest public university libraries in the world.
- Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry is the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere.
- Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other U.S. state! 🎃
- Illinois leads the nation in soybean production.
- Barack Obama launched his political career in Illinois before becoming the 44th U.S. President.
🎉 That’s Illinois Facts — Proud, Lively, and Full of Heart!
Explore more of what makes the Prairie State unforgettable:
