27 Interesting and Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Illinois

You may think that Illinois is just a bunch of cornfields and open land, but there are some really unique things in The Prairie State. From roadside attractions like fire-breathing dragons to fun facts about folks like Abraham Lincoln, Illinois is full of things you may not know!

1. Illinois Is the 6th Most Populous State

Though it’s one of the less popular states, Illinois has a pretty high population. Around 12.5 million people live in Illinois, and the Chicago metropolitan area is home to nearly 10 million. That means that nearly 80% of people in Illinois live in those 19 counties in and around Chicago. 

Since Illinois seems to center around Chicago, you’ll find that other cities are much smaller and fewer. The population of Chicago alone is over 2.5 million, while the next largest city, Aurora, has a population of 180,000.

2. The Capital Is Springfield

Springfield, located in central Illinois, is the capital of the state. Its population is 113,394, making it one of the state’s larger cities. It’s a great place to visit if you enjoy history and culture, and there are a few memorials and sites dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. There is also an Illinois State Museum and a few parks worth checking out. 

3. It’s Called the Prairie State

Illinois got its nickname years ago when the first settlers started to travel west. They had never seen such large areas of grasslands. Illinois’s prairies once covered 21.6 million acres of land, but as of the present day, only cover around 6,100 acres. Out of those acres, only about a third of it is considered high-quality prairie land. That means that just .01% of the original prairie land still exists today. 

4. The State Insect Is the Monarch Butterfly

Perhaps one of the most distinguishable butterflies, monarchs are gorgeous orange and black insects. Third-grade students across Illinois suggested the species in 1975 as a candidate for state insect. It won that year and has stayed the state insect ever since. Monarchs are also the state insects of Alabama, Idaho, Minnesota, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia. 

5. Walt Disney Was Born There

The man behind the mouse was born in a small house in the Hermosa neighborhood of Chicago. His family lived in the neighborhood until Disney was 5, and then moved to a farm in Missouri. The house was purchased and restored by Disney fans and houses regular events celebrating Disney’s creator and his legacy.

6. It Was the First State to Abolish Slavery

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which banned slavery, was approved by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865. Before the president even signed the amendment, Lincoln’s home state of Illinois had already ratified it. Lincoln expressed pride in his home state for doing its part and being ahead of the others.

7. It’s the Home of Dairy Queen

It’s hard to imagine a time before Dairy Queen, but the iconic fast-food shop started in 1938 in Kankakee. A father and son had been trying new ways to make a frozen dairy product. They asked a friend to use their store to market their product and offer an all-you-can-eat “ice cream” trial sale. In just two hours, customers had eaten over 1,600 servings! They opened the first Dairy Queen a few years later in Joliet. Though Blizzards are the most popular menu item today, they weren’t even invented until 1985, 45 years after the first Dairy Queen opened. 

8. The World’s Tallest Man Was Born There

Robert Pershing Wadlow was the tallest person to ever exist in history. He was born on February 22, 1918, and weighed just 8 lbs 6 oz at birth. He began growing quickly, reaching 62 pounds by 18 months. In Kindergarten, Wadlow was 5’ 6 ½” tall and wearing the same size clothes as a 17-year-old. 

9. We Can Thank Illinois for McDonald’s

While the McDonald brothers got their start in California with drive-in restaurants and 15-cent hamburgers, the first actual McDonald’s franchise opened in Illinois. Ray Kroc became the franchise agent for the McDonald brothers in 1954 and opened the first store in Des Plaines. When Kroc opened the first franchise, he had a vision of eventually opening 1,000 McDonald’s in the U.S. With the current number of over 36,000 restaurants that span 100 nations, I would say his dream has certainly been fulfilled. 

10. It’s Home to a Green River, Once Each Year

Every St. Patrick’s Day, the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130 Union dyes the Chicago River green. It’s a vibrant, emerald green that is similar to The Emerald Isle in Ireland. This celebration has been going on for nearly seven decades, with no plans to stop anytime soon!

11. Their State Animal Is the White-Tailed Deer

Illinois schoolchildren chose the white-tailed deer to be their state animal in 1980. The white-tailed deer is common in Illinois and provided food for early settlers. It’s also the state animal of Arkansas, Georgia, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

12. Color TV Was First Broadcast by an Illinois Station

It was April 15, 1956, when WMAQ-TV first debuted color television. Channel 5, an NBC-associated station, was the first to broadcast it on 110 stations across America. But WMAQ-TV is based out of Chicago, making it the first state to bring color TV to the world!

13. The State Flower Is the Violet

Violets are gorgeous, small flowers that grow nearly everywhere. You can find them in their most common shade of violet, or in yellow, blue, or white. Violets contribute to the ecosystem because they provide food for many animals like rabbits and birds. It’s also the state flower of New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. 

14. There’s a Village That Is the Pumpkin Capital of the World

The Village of Morton is a small town in Central Illinois with a big story. It produces 85% of the canned pumpkin for the world. Actually, the Nestle factory in the center of town produces the pumpkin, but it’s operated and run by many of the town’s citizens.  

15. John Deere Was Founded in Illinois

The iconic lawncare company got its start in 1837 with John Deere’s invention of the first commercially successful self-scouring steel plow. He was an excellent blacksmith who learned that cast-iron plows were not effective on Illinois’ sticky red soil. He decided to make a steel plow, and on the first day he tested it, garnered hundreds of watchers to see his invention. Soon after that day, he was selling his self-scouring steel plow across the country.

16. It’s Home to a Fire-Breathing Dragon

The Kaskaskia Dragon is a popular roadside attraction in Vandalia. It’s right off the highway, and you can pull in and insert a dragon coin (which you can get for a dollar) to have the metal dragon shoot fire for ten seconds. The local hardware store, called Kaskaskia, built the dragon in 1995 for fun as a toy but didn’t expect all of the attention it would garner.

17. It’s the 21st State

Illinois was the 21st state to join, in two parts. The southern portion of the Illinois Territory was admitted as the state of Illinois, and the northern portion was joined to the Michigan Territory. 

18. It’s Home to the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle

The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle is right off Route 159, south of Collinsville. It’s a 170-foot-tall water tower built for the G.S. Suppiger catsup bottling plant. It was almost demolished in 1995, but activists saved it and restored the roadside attraction. In 2002, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

19. The Largest Bakery in the World Is in Chicago

Nabisco has a 1,800,000-square-foot bakery in the heart of Chicago. It employs more than 1,200 workers and produces nearly 320 pounds of food. The most common products you’ll find baking are Oreo, Belvita, and Chips Ahoy! Cookies, as well as Ritz Crackers and Teddy Grahams.

20. The State Has Had Two Other Capitals

Although the current capital city is Springfield, Illinois has had two other cities as its capital before. Kaskaskia, which is home to the fire-breathing roadside dragon attraction, and Vandalia. Kaskaskia was the capital for just two years before Vandalia took the title in 1820. Then, Springfield became the permanent capital in 1837.

21. It Was Home to the World’s First Skyscraper

The Home Insurance Building in Chicago was erected in 1885. It towered 10 stories tall, peaking at 138 feet. The architect, Major William LeBaron Jenney, was using a new technique that included a steel frame to support the building and bricks to add character. This method of structuring the inside with steel was called the ‘Chicago Skeleton’. Other buildings would follow in its architectural footsteps.

22. Twinkies Were Invented There

That’s right, we have Illinois to thank for the sweet and tasty snack. Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930, by James Dewar. He was a manager for the Continental Baking Company and noticed that the equipment they used for making strawberry shortcakes was not being used when strawberries weren’t in season. He came up with the idea to insert a creamy filling into the shortcakes instead of strawberries and thus invented the Twinkie. 

23. It’s Home to the City of Lights

Aurora is called the City of Lights because it was the first place to use electric lights to publicly light the entire city. Each year the city holds a Festival of Lights that celebrates and commemorates the area’s long history. 

24. Their State Dance Is the Square Dance

Illinois chose the square dance to be their state dance in 1990. It’s also the state dance of Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

25. It’s Home to the 3rd Largest City in the U.S.

Chicago is the third-largest city in terms of population in America. The two top cities are New York and Los Angeles, with populations of around 8.5 and 4 million, respectively. Chicago has a population of around 2.5 million, sitting around 300,000 more people than Houston. 

26. Illinois Has Had Three State Seals

Every American state has a state seal or a sort of logo that appears on all official documents. The state seal of Illinois is unique, though, because it’s the third one that the state has chosen. Just like the state has had three capital cities, it seems as if they have a bit of trouble making up their minds!

27. It’s Covered by One of the Great Lakes

Lake Michigan covers approximately 1,500 square miles of Illinois. It borders Lake and Cook counties, and between the two makes up 63 miles of shoreline in the counties. Cook County and a few neighboring counties get a large majority of their municipal water from the lake.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © marchello74 from Getty Images Pro, Maribell.T from Self Applied Creativity/ via Canva.com