6 Things You Absolutely Should Know about Illinois

1. Chicago is the largest city in the state.

2. Illinois is second in corn production, 5th in population, and 25th in area in the United States.

3. One of the state's nicknames is "Land of Lincoln." (You can find the other nickname on our other blog)

4. Carl Sandberg was born, raised, and his ashes buried in a small-town working class neighborhood in the prairies of western Illinois.

5. The world headquarters of Deere & Company in Moline, Illinois,  was designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, who also designed Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

6. In the mid 1980s, we spent several days in Vandalia while our car was being repaired. We are glad Abraham Lincoln led a group of state senators to move the state capital from there to Springfield in 1837.