Illinois and Indiana
The Land of Lincoln (clip from Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies)
The Hoosier State
Let's go! Let me hear it!
Go go go go go!
(screams)
Dang yeah! I’m getting fired up for this one.
Illinois and Indiana woohooo!
Two bordering Midwestern states in these United States.
Both also border Lake Michigan and the Ohio River.
And yes, both have a lot in common, starting with the fact that, according to some metrics,
both share Chicagoland, or the Chicago metropolitan area.
Well yeah, sure Chicagoland is mostly in Illinois, as is...well...Chicago, the third largest
city in the country, but Northwest Indiana is also often lumped into the Chicago metro.
Chicagoland makes up around 65% of the entire population of Illinois and 10% of the entire
population of Indiana.
Both are part of the Rust Belt, a region of the country known for declining industry and
run down factories.
Even decades after most of these factories have shut down, several cities in both states
continue to lose population each year.
And yet, manufacturing is still a major industry in both.
Indiana is the country’s leading steel producer and second largest car manufacturing state.
Illinois is known for making machinery, electrical equipment, transportation equipment, and food processing.
Related to this, both rank towards the bottom of all 50 states in terms of pollution, although
Illinois ranks better.
Other major industries in both include healthcare, retail, and education.
The average age of residents in both is the same.
The biggest religion in both is Christianity, but of those more identify as Roman Catholic
in Illinois and more identify as Evangelical Protestant in Indiana.
Oh, and Illinois residents are more religious, overall.
Both have very similar climates.
Specifically, a humid continental climate throughout most of the states, and humid subtropical
climate in the southern portions.
Basically, the further south you go in both states, the more precipitation and the more
hot it gets in the summer and less cold it gets in the winter.
Both get tornadoes, but flooding is definitely the most common natural disaster in both.
Both are entirely in the Interior Plains, and both fairly flat overall, although there
are hills in some areas.
When the first settlers came to what would become the two states, they encountered countless
prairies and forests.
For thousands of years, various American Indian tribes lived in the area.
Mississippian culture dominated, with Cahokia the major city and religious center in modern-day Illinois.
They were known as Mound Builders since they built...uh...mounds.
Several Algonquian tribes also resided in modern-day Illinois and Indiana.
The first Europeans to check out both were the French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette.
I am horrible at French pronunciations.
Illinois gets its name from another French dude named René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de
La Salle (oh boy), who explored the area in the 1600s.
He named a river after a group of American Indian tribes known collectively as the Illinois
Confederation, or Illiniwek, which translates to “the best people.”
So Illinois has that going for them.
Later, the state name came from the river.
So anyway, yeah the French declared modern day Illinois and Indiana as part of the French
Empire, of course, and they held control until the French and Indian War ended in 1763, when
the British took over because they, you know, won the war.
A Philadelphia trading company promptly came out that way to make some money, and, long
story short, ended up working out a deal to get some land out there.
They called the area “Indiana,” or “Land of the Indians.”
Wow, how creative.
But there is still confusion on where the Hoosier nickname came from.
Was it because people would say “who’s here?” when people approached their house?
Well maybe, but many say “hoosier” was a term used to describe country bumpkins or
after a dude actually named Hoosier who had a gang of workers who settled there later on.
Anyway, back to history.
After the British took control of modern-day Illinois and Indiana, they immediately found
themselves at war again, this time with a huge alliance of American Indian tribes.
It was known as Pontiac’s War, or Pontiac’s Rebellion.
After winning that one, the British had to deal with their 13 colonies rebelling a few
years later, but they lost that one, and the United States became a country, taking over
the area.
Well, the Americans also had to deal with other American Indian rebellions since settlers
kept stealing their land and breaking treaties.
Go figure.
But more and more Americans moved out that way, and on July 13, 1787, both modern-day
Illinois and modern-day Indiana became part of Northwest Territory.
In those early years, some settlers brought slaves with them, and there was a bit of conflict
over whether or not it should be legal in that territory.
Congress created Indiana Territory in 1800, and yep, future Illinois was part of it, but
it became its own territory in 1809.
After William Henry Harrison, the first governor of Indiana Territory and later ninth President,
was a bit shady with the Treaty of Fort Wayne, Indiana found itself at war again, this time
with Tecumseh’s War, or Tecumseh’s Rebellion.
Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief, and Harrison had a long history of hating each other.
For years, American Indian leaders were getting aid from and making secret deals with the
British in Canada, and this was one of the causes of the War of 1812.
Both Illinois and Indiana saw a lot of action during that war.
Indiana entered the Union as a free state in 1816, and Illinois also entered the Union
as a free state two years later.
By 1830, Indiana had more than twice as many people as Illinois, but both would grow significantly
in the coming decades thanks to the building of canals and later railroads.
After his people, the Sauk, lost their land in another shady treaty, a chief named Black
Hawk led an attack against Americans in western Illinois.
This led to what became known as the Black Hawk War, and was the last major American
Indian conflict in both states.
By 1860, Illinois had surpassed Indiana in population.
Both states contributed significantly to the Union effort during the American Civil War.
After that war was over, the population in both states shifted to the north, but while
Chicago obviously dominated, cities in both attracted immigrants and African Americans
from the South.
(singing) It was a great migration. It's such a sweet migration.
Both states were ahead of most of the rest of the country passing progressive
legislation at the end of the 1800s.
In the 1900s, Illinois was generally known for two things- being an industrial and cultural
hub for the country, and political corruption.
Indiana was known that century from shifting from a mostly farming state to a mostly industrial one.
Today, however, both ARE still considered agricultural states, but Illinois has more farms.
As I started this video with, Illinois may be the Land of Lincoln, as the beloved President
Abraham Lincoln famously spent most of his adult life there, but he also lived in southern
Indiana growing up.
So how about some differences?
First of all, Illinois has around 6 million more people.
That said, the population of Illinois has been declining for several years while it’s
been steadily growing in Indiana.
Most of that growth?
In the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Illinois borders five states, Indiana just four.
And Illinois is about 1.6 times bigger.
Despite bordering each other, they’re in different time zones.
Well, parts of Indiana are also in the Central time zone like Illinois.
Yeah, Indiana has a long history of time zone confusion, by the way.
Marijuana is completely legal for adults in Illinois.
It’s not legal at all in Indiana.
Illinois has also historically had less strict laws regarding alcohol.
However, it has very strict laws against fireworks, whereas Indiana lets you blow up all kinds
of stuff on the 4th of July.
Indiana residents tend to be more conservative.
While Illinois residents tend to generally vote for Democratic Party candidates, Indiana
residents tend to generally vote for Republican Party candidates.
Despite being a swing state and electing Obama President in 2008, Indiana voters before that
didn’t vote for a Democrat for President since LBJ in 1964.
More Illinois residents have college degrees.
Illinois spends lots more per student on education.
More Illinois residents are members of a union.
Granted, that might be since Indiana has a right to work law and Illinois doesn’t.
According to Forbes magazine, Indiana is a MUCH better state for business.
A big reason why?
Indiana residents pay much less in taxes than Illinois residents.
However, the median household income is quite a bit higher in Illinois.
Plus, the minimum wage is higher there.
The poverty rate is higher in Indiana.
But you know what I’m gonna say next, don’t you.
Yep, the cost of living is higher in Illinois.
But come on, that’s mostly due to Chicago having such a high cost of living.
I mean, Chicago, which I said before is Illinois’ biggest city, is 28% more expensive
than Indianapolis, Indiana’s biggest city.
Well, what about the second largest cities?
Ok, so get this.
Fort Wayne, Indiana, is 5% more expensive than Rockford, which is the largest city in
Illinois outside of the Chicago metro.
So see?
Chicago warps it.
Illinois has a more ethnically diverse population overall.
14.1% of Illinois residents were born in a foreign country, compared with 5% of Indiana residents.
Illinois has a more definite split that Indiana doesn’t seem to have.
That is the Chicago metro vs. the rest of the state.
Those outside of Chicago seem to have a love/hate relationship with the city.
Chicago accounts for most of the economic prosperity of the state, but it also accounts
for most of the political problems.
Indiana has more property crime.
Illinois?
More violent crime.
Six Vice Presidents, including the current one, Mike Pence, have been from Indiana.
Four Presidents have roots in Illinois.
Indiana has a random tree growing out of a tower and a random grave in the middle of
a road.
Illinois has more nuclear power plants than any other state.
In fact, 54% of its electricity comes from nuclear power.
Having been to both multiple times, I would argue the infrastructure...particularly the
roads...are better in Illinois.
Then again, there are a lot more roads you have to freaking pay to use in Illinois.
And finally, Sufjan Stevens made an album about Illinois, but not Indiana.
Check mate, Indiana.
Oh but wait.
Indiana has John Mellencamp.
Take that Illinois.
But come on...both states are terrific.
Maybe I’ll make that album about Indiana since Sufjan neglected to, or at least talk
John Mellencamp into doing it.
Ain’t that America, for you and me?
No, it’s not pronounced Illi noise.
Which state is better? Indiana or Illinois?
Also, which states should I compare next for this series?
I’m particularly confused about what to do with West Virginia since I'm comparing
Virginia to Maryland, I've decided.
Poor West Virginia. What am I going to do with you?
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