On Dec. 3, 1818 Illinois entered the union as our 21^st State. At the time, the estimated population of total European settlers and Native Americans was around 35,000. The treeless prairie was very different from the adjacent forests of Kentucky and Tennessee, and was still largely unsettled. Most of the early Illinois settlers remained in the southern part of the state, where they built homes and farms near the trees that grew along creek and river bottoms. The southern part of the state, known as “Little Egypt,” was mainly settled by migrants from the South, who had traveled there via the Ohio River.  Eventually, a few farmers took on the task of plowing the prairie and discovered that the soil was richer than expected. The development of heavier prairie plows and improved access to wood and other supplies, accessible through new shipping routes, encouraged more farmers to head north.

In 1819, Vandalia became the new state’s first capital, and over the next 18 years, three separate buildings were built to serve successively as the capitol building. In 1837, the state legislators representing Sangamon County, under the leadership of state representative  Abraham Lincoln, succeeded in having the capital moved to Springfield, where a fifth capitol building was constructed. A sixth capitol building was erected in 1867, which continues to serve as the Illinois capitol today.

The state experienced rapid population growth almost immediately. The 1820 census counted 55,211 Illinois residents, a gain of 16.2% from 1810. Since then, Illinois has gained population in every decennial census, although the rate of growth has slowed. As of 2020, the state is approaching 13 million residents. Since 1840, the center of population in Illinois had shifted to the north. Chicago, once a remote hamlet, rapidly emerged as a bustling city. Today, Illinois is one of the most dynamic and diverse states in the nation and it all began in Dec. 1818.

The people of Bloomington are in for a treat, courtesy of the confectionery company Ferrero North America. The company announced plans to spend $75 million in order to expand their factory in Bloomington by 70,000 square feet.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust has announced new plans for a visitor and education center to be built at the architect’s former home and studio. The home, located in Oak Park, has been open as a public museum since 1974.

An estimated 90,000 visitors come to see the property each year. When the property next to the home went up for sale, the trust saw an opportunity and decided to make the purchase.

“It has for a long time been apparent that having a visitor’s center would be an important next step,” said Celeste Adams, the president and chief executive of the trust.

According to the latest ranking by U.S. News and World Report, 13 Illinois High Schools have been named among the best in the nation.

The rankings analyzed more than 20,500 public high schools across the country and 13 of Illinois’ public high schools received gold medal ratings. Gold medals were awarded to the top 500 schools, silver medals were given to the schools ranked between no. 501 and no. 2,711 and bronze medals were given to an additional 3,237 schools.

According to a recent study by IBM Watson Health, Illinois has one of the highest numbers of top hospitals in the state. Out of the 100 top hospitals in the nation, only Texas and Ohio exceeded Illinois in the number of top-ranking hospitals.

IBM Watson Health’s study analyzed about 2,750 acute care, short-term, non-federal hospitals for the 2018 list. Its study reported that top-performing hospitals realized better risk-adjusted outcomes and maintained both a lower cost to patients and a higher profit margin.