Central Illinois

Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central section of the state, divided in thirds from north to south. It is an area of mostly flat prairie. The western section (west of the Illinois River) was originally part of the Military Tract of 1812 and forms the distinctive western bulge of the state. Known as the Heart of Illinois, it is characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities. Agriculture, particularly corn and soybeans, as well as educational institutions and manufacturing centers, figure prominently. Major cities include Peoria–the third largest metropolitan area in Illinois at 370,000, Springfield (the state capital), Decatur, Quincy, Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Galesburg and Danville.cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor=Nelson, Ronald E. (ed.) |others= |title=Illinois: Land and Life in the Prairie State|origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |date= |year=1978|month= |publisher= |location= |language= |isbn=0-8403-1831-6|oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ]

References

ee also

Universities:
* University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
* Western Illinois University
* Eastern Illinois University
* Illinois State University
* Bradley University
* Quincy University
* Millikin University
* University of Illinois at Springfield
* Eureka College
* Illinois College
* Knox College
* Monmouth College
* MacMurray College
* Springfield College
* Illinois Wesleyan University