You don’t need to convince me about why Illinois is an amazing state. Or give me a reason to be proud of Illinois. But here are ten reasons why Illinoisians should be proud to be from Illinois:

  1. We were the first state to abolish slavery.

Gage Skidmore/Flickr

  1. We have some classic sports franchises.

Paula Bleinicka/Flickr

  1. We have one of the best major cities in the world.

Roman Boed/Flickr

  1. We have first-rate museums.

Phil Roeder/Flickr

  1. Our farms feed America.

Tim/Flickr

  1. Route 66 Starts Here.

Ron Frazier/Flickr

  1. We brought the world deep dish pizza.

Will/Flickr

  1. Our universities are incredible.

ilovebutter/Flickr

  1. We have a river that flows backward.

Daniel X. O’Neil/Flickr

  1. Illinois is beautiful!

Michael/Flickr

Why are YOU proud to be from Illinois?

Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Paula Bleinicka/Flickr

Roman Boed/Flickr

Phil Roeder/Flickr

Tim/Flickr

Ron Frazier/Flickr

Will/Flickr

ilovebutter/Flickr

Daniel X. O’Neil/Flickr

Michael/Flickr

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