Central Illinois

Central Illinois, also called the Heart of Illinois, is an area of the state of Illinois. Champaign-Urbana, Quincy, Springfield, Danville and Decatur are usually listed as Central Illinois cities, towns or villages. These five places, however, are also often named Southern Illinois places on many occasions and some area citizens.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} Galesburg, Peoria, Normal and Bloomington are always included in the Central Illinois classification areas.

Geography

Central Illinois within Illinois

Central Illinois' geographical area is generally flat prairie and farmland. The area includes Douglas County, the state's flattest.^[7][8] The region also hosts a variety of man-made lakes. They include Lake Shelbyville, Lake Springfield, Clinton Lake and Lake Decatur.^[9] Major rivers in the region include the Illinois, Middle Fork of the Vermilion, Kaskaskia, Sangamon and Mississippi rivers.^[10]

Climate

The climate of Central Illinois is humid continental. The area goes through all four seasons. Snow is common in the winter months. Though Central Illinois' counties vary in the snowfall rate, many receive about twenty inches of snow annually.^[11] With all precipitation put together, most counties receive about 38 inches of rain and snow annually.^[11] Severe weather, including tornadoes, is common during the spring and summer months.^[12] Though they don't happen very often, blizzards can happen in parts of central Illinois in winter. The weather of Central Illinois affects the crop season as well. Droughts can sometimes happen in the late spring, summer or fall. These cause harm to the soybean and corn crops in the area.

Education

Colleges

• Blackburn College
• Danville Area Community College
• Eureka College
• Heartland Community College
• Illinois Central College
• Illinois College
• John Wood Community College
• Knox College
• Lake Land College
• Lincoln College
• Lincoln Land Community College
• Methodist College
• Monmouth College
• Parkland College
• Richland Community College
• Spoon River College

Universities

• Bradley University
• Eastern Illinois University
• Illinois State University
• Illinois Wesleyan University
• Lincoln Christian University
• Millikin University
• Quincy University
• Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
• University of Illinois Springfield
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Western Illinois University

Trade and specialty schools

• Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing
• Lakeview College of Nursing
• Midwest Technical Institute (East Peoria)
• Midwest Technical Institute (Springfield)
• Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing
• Saint John’s College
• Urbana Theological Seminary
• Walther Theological Seminary

References

1. "Annual Report on the Board of Trustees at the Southern Illinois University" (PDF). The Southern Illinois University at Springfield. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
2. "The 102nd General Assembly". Politico. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
3. "The Illinois High Court: Cities Can't Sidestep Lawsuits". The Cook County Records. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
4. "National Parks in Illinois". Thought Company. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
5. "For First Time in Color - 1962 Nape Photograph". Crypto Zoo News. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
6. Hannan, Caryn (January 2008). The Illinois Encyclopedia. ISBN 9781878592965. Retrieved October 5, 2021. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
7. "Domestic Geographic Information". U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
8. Mink, Randy (2004). "Douglas County". Travel America. Retrieved November 11, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
9. "Map of Lakes in Central Illinois". Google Maps. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
10. "Map of Rivers in Central Illinois". Google Maps. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
11. "Climate information". Midwest Regional Climate Center (MRCC). Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
12. Angel, Jim. "Illinois Tornado Data". Illinois State Climatologist Office. Archived from the original on 2008-12-09. Retrieved 2008-11-11.