Geography of Illinois - Political Geography

Political Geography

See also: List of counties in Illinois

The city of Chicago and some of its older suburbs are heavily Democratic. While this tendency has historically been balanced by Republican voters in the suburbs, Democrats have significantly increased their suburban support in the past decade. Central Illinois' largely rural character helps to sustain a largely Republican voting pattern and widespread antipathy toward Chicago. The combination of poorer soil, coal mining and industrialization has caused the southern region to lean Democratic politically, especially in the urbanized region around Saint Louis, Missouri.

Rockford, Illinois is known as a center of liberal "gypsy moth" Republicans.

Read more about this topic:  Geography Of Illinois

Famous quotes containing the words political and/or geography:

    If the Soviet Union let another political party come into existence, they would still be a one-party state, because everybody would join the other party.
    Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)

    The California fever is not likely to take us off.... There is neither romance nor glory in digging for gold after the manner of the pictures in the geography of diamond washing in Brazil.
    Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)