May - Week 21 - Illinois - the Prairie State

21 Illinois

Date admitted to the US – December 3, 1818
Postal abbreviation – IL
Capital – Springfield
Area – 57,914.38 [25th largest in the US]
Population as of census 2010 – 12,830,632 [5th largest in the US]
Population density per square mile – 231.1 [12th largest in the US]
Area codes – 217, 309, 312, 618, 630, 708, 773, 815, 847
Zip codes – 60001 - 62999
Number of counties – 102
State nickname –  Prairie State
State motto – State Sovereignty, National Union

State Flag of Illinois

Fun facts –
-The world's first Skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885.
-The Sears Tower, in Chicago, is the tallest building in North America.
-Metropolis, the home of Superman, really exists in Southern Illinois.
-Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery.
-Des Plaines is home to the first McDonald's.
-The Illinois state dance is square dancing.
-Illinois has the highest number of personalized license plates of any state.
-The trains that pass through Chicago's underground freight tunnels daily, if parked end to end, would extend over ten miles.
-The slogan of 105.9, Chicago's classic rock radio station, is 'Of all the radio stations in Chicago...we're one of them.'
-Illinois has a wide variety of weather:  major winter storms, deadly tornadoes, and spectacular heat and cold episodes.
-The Chicago Public Library is the world's largest public library, with a collection of more than 2 million books.
-The Chicago River is dyed green on Saint Patrick's Day.

Law Schools
-University of Chicago Law School
-Chicago - Kent College of Law
-DePaul University College of Law
-University of Illinois College of Law
-John Marshall Law School
-Loyola University Chicago College of Law
-Northern Illinois University College of Law
-Northwestern University School of Law
-Southern Illinois University School of Law
 
Military facts
Military schools
Military bases