Are you proud to say that you are from Illinois? (Chicago: neighborhood, live)

[emathias]

Originally Posted by andrew61

Well, I, for one, do not "despise" the suburbs and the rest of Illinois. I'm just indifferent to it.

It's just not on my radar.

I agree with this.

I didn't grow up here, and I didn't move to Illinois. I moved to Chicago. That it happens to be in Illinois is irrelevant to me.

I don't even think about Illinois most of the time. Actually, I will admit that I am often annoyed when I see articles or books reference this city as "Chicago, Illinois," as if there is some other Chicago out there creating confusion among people. It doesn't annoy me because it's Illinois, it just annoys me because I think Chicago, like most other Global cities is so big and influential that it transcends the idea of State so listing the state it's in just seems silly to me. Similarly, I think it's silly when people say "Dallas, Texas" or "Denver, Colorado," even though both those cities are a fair bit smaller than Chicagoland is.

[Alacran]

Actually there are other chicagos out there.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Alacran

Actually there are other chicagos out there.

Only much smallers ones that are named for the big one.

[tonythetuna]

I was born and raised in Chicago and still live here. I think of myself as a Chicagoan first and a Illinoisan second. Whoever thinks of themselves differently, so be it, it is their call.

I am much more proud of being from Chicago than I am proud of being from Illinois. With all it's faults, Chicago is where I am from and nothing in the world can change that.

With that being said, I am not ashamed of being from Illinois. But I am just not anywhere close to being as proud of it as I am of being from Chicago.

[Dayton Sux]

The further I went was to Hoffman Estates, which, in that time was mostly cornfields. As a result, when I return to visit, it is like I am a true visitor when I now go to see relatives that live in the northern suburbs; I get thoroughly confused and turned around.

Hah! Aint that the truth!

We briefly lived out in Lombard in DuPage County, and back in the day it was the same cornfields landscape west of Wheaton all the way to the Fox River towns (exceptions being Warrenville, West Chicago, and Winfield, which were sort of urban/small town islands). Now you have to get out toward Plainfield way out in Will County to get that same type of outer-suburban landscape.

The area around Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg is unrecognizable to me now, too...

Though, I have to say, for me suburbia and city were always wrapped up into the concept of "Chicagoland", or the urban region of Chicago, which was somwhat apart from "Illinois"...the true rural downstate Illinois. Though its kind of odd to think that "downstate" as a concept could also include the places more-or-less "west" like Rockford and Savanna and Galesburg and Galena. I guess that would be more "side-state"?

Anyway, fun thread. No disrespect meant to the rest of the state...Land of Lincoln. Though i think Chicago itself was "Land of Douglas" back in those days...Stephen Douglas lived in Chicago, no?

[alexgh90]

I was born and raised in Chicago and I am very proud to say I'm Chicagoans.

[Huascar]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

Anyway, fun thread. No disrespect meant to the rest of the state...Land of Lincoln. Though i think Chicago itself was "Land of Douglas" back in those days...Stephen Douglas lived in Chicago, no?

The state elected Douglas over Lincoln for senator in 1858 but went for Lincoln over Douglas in the presidential election of 1860. Cook County went for Lincoln in both elections.

Northern Illinois, including Cook County, was heavily Republican having been settled by people from the Northwest who were free soilers. The central part of the state had been heavily Whig (Lincoln had been a Whig) and tended Republican. The heavily Democratic part of the state was that part south of the Shelbyville Moraine that had been settled by southerners. Thus the importance of southern Illinois pro war Democrats like Logan and McClernand to the Lincoln administration.

Irishtom would'a told you this but he's relaxing on the beach.

[Huascar]

Originally Posted by Huascar

Northern Illinois, including Cook County, was heavily Republican having been settled by people from the Northwest who were free soilers. .

Northeast I should'a said of course, not Northwest. Hell, back in those days this was the Northwest; just ask ole Joe Johnston.

[socaldream]

Born and raised mostly in Illinois. I have lived 27 of 41 years here, but at this point in time I have to say, no, I am not proud to be from Illinois. The reasons? High taxes, high crime, corrupt politicians, corporate greed and municipal waste, bad schools, pathetic weather, terrible roads, ridiculous road tolls, and tremendous unemployment. Nope, I have given up on this state and as soon as I am able I am out of here. On to better weather, more jobs and greener pastures for me.

[Thinking_Out_Loud]

THE ONLY REASON I stay in Illinois is because it is the only state I can get state medical insurance in. I have medicare, but the state picks up that cost on my state medical insurance. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to live.

Illinois is a HORRIBLE state with horrible community leaders, horrible state politicians...Quinn IS NOT the bees knees!! We have three governors in club Fed for various stunts that cost us all, and Illinois has really become the "force your opinions and beliefs on everyone else" State.

Once you get out of the city, and mostly out of Cook County, you find higher quality people. The exception to that is when you get up north into Lake County where people are so stuck up they want the whole county fenced off just for them. I went to Gurnee Mills last year and the locals were all like "they need to make a residency rule that only residents can be in this mall"

I was so appalled at this! Illinois is just so screwed up that it defies any detailed explanation because once you lay out all the details, you are bound to find out something new and embarrassing as always.