Chicago Streets, Southern Illinois Outdoors, and Everything In Between

Scroll down for Southern Illinois outdoors, statewide national parks, state parks, metro areas and other local destinations.

Shown Above: Inside Shawnee National Forest.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/djh644/6316434523/

The U.S. state of Illinois is home to 74 State Parks, along with nature preserves, forests and of course the city of Chicago with its numerous cultural attractions. Use this page to help you pick your favorite things to do in Illinois.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to other image galleries.

Southern Illinois Outdoors

Above: The Southern town of Belleville, the largest Illinois city south of Springfield,

has a population of about 700,000.

Photo: city-data.com

fast facts about illinois

1. The official state flower of Illinois is the Purple Violet.

2. The official state tree of Illinois is the White Oak.

3. The official state bird of Illinois is the Cardinal.

4. In population size, Chicago is the third largest city in the United States. Roughly three out of four Illinois residents live in Chicago.

5. In population size, the ten largest cities in the state of Illinois are Chicago, Aurora, Rockford, Joliet, Naperville, Springfield, Peoria, North Peoria, Elgin and Waukegan, in that order.

6. Illinois is divided into six geographical regions: Northern, Western, Central, Southwest, Southern, and Chicagoland.

7. Native American Indian Tribes from Illinois include Illini, Ho-chunk, Chickasaw, Dakota-Sioux, Miami, and Shawnee.

Above: Big house in small town Galena.

photo: smalltowngems.com

States and areas bordering the state of Illinois are Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, and part of Lake Michigan.

The agricultural state of Illinois has only eight cities with a resident population of more than 100,000. Among them is Chicago, which is the 3rd largest city in the United States, and is home to roughly 2.7 million people.

Major League Chicago sports teams include the Cubs (MLB), the White Sox (MLB), the Bears (NFL), the Bulls (NBA) and the Blackhawks (NHL).

Below: Southern Illinois Outdoors - An adorable cottage in Cambria.

Photo: pinkcobweb.blogspot.com