Illinois Vacations & Trips

Overview

Illinois in the Midwestern region of the United States has three major geographical divisions: Northern Illinois is dominated by Chicago metropolitan area or Chicagoland; Central Illinois is mainly prairie and known as the Heart of Illinois; and Southern Illinois is bordered by the two most voluminous rivers in the United States, the Mississippi River and the Ohio River. Illinois is dominated by the Great Lake, Lake Michigan, though there are numerous smaller lakes found throughout, making the state a popular outdoor destination. About three million Scandinavians immigrated to the U.S. between 1825 and 1925, settling mostly in Minnesota and Illinois, so it has a strong Scandinavian and Nordic heritage, along with Indigenous heritage, and influences from many other cultures who settled here.