What is Illinois called?

Illinois is called the prairie state because the state has an abundance of prairie grasses. The nickname for Illinois probably dates back to around 1842, maybe even earlier. Before the first European settlers came to Illinois, the state was mostly covered in prairies. read more

The midsection of Illinois is a second major division, called Central Illinois. It is an area of mainly prairie and known as the Heart of Illinois. It is characterized by small towns and medium-small cities. read more

The word Illinois is the French derivation of the Miami-Illinoisverb irenwe·wa , transferred from Ojibwe, Ottawa dialect( ilinwe ), and transliterated into French. read more