Western Illinois

Understand

Western Illinois is generally defined as the area west of I-39, south of I-80 and north of Metro-East. Much of the land in the region is dedicated to agriculture but there are several small towns that dot the region.

Culturally, the area is similar to neighboring Central Illinois and Southeast Iowa. The people are friendly but do not particularly care for Chicago.

Regions

• Forgottonia is a region in the greater Western Illinois region of Illinois anchored by Quincy. The name refers to the tongue-in-cheek independence movement the area held in the 1970s following a series of setbacks which damaged the long-term economic development prospects of the region including the defeat of interstate and passenger rail projects and the moving of Carthage College from Carthage, IL to Kenosha, WI. The region is also uniquely divided from the rest of the state as the majority lies between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and can only be reached by limited bridge access. Though definitions may vary, the region traditionally includes the entirety of 14 counties including Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, Morgan, Pike, Schuyler, Scott and Warren. By and large, the entire area is rural but has some attractions worth seeing.
• The Illinois Quad Cities—4-headed metro region in western Illinois and Eastern Iowa containing Rock Island and Moline. Davenport and Bettendorf are on the Iowa side of the Mississippi.
• Greater Peoria: The region immediately surrounding Peoria.

Cities

• Arenzville - home of the Arenzville Burgoo
• Quincy - The southern anchor city of the region, Quincy is a port city on the Mississippi River.
• Nauvoo - founded by Joseph Smith and the LDS
• Peoria - the largest city in Western Illinois, Peoria is home to Bradley University, an interesting riverfront with minor-league baseball and is also home to headquarters of Caterpillar and other large companies.
• East Peoria
• Moline (home of Western Illinois University - Quad Cities Campus) and Rock Island - two of the Quad Cities
• Jacksonville - home of Illinois College, the first college in the state
• Bradford
• Plymouth
• Washington - unique town with big city conveniences and small town charm.
• Galesburg - the northern anchor city of the region, home of Knox College and poet Carl Sandburg.
• Macomb - home to Western Illinois University
• Cherry
• Rock Island

Get around

The best way to travel throughout the region is by car. I-74 is the primary thoroughfare and connects anchor cities Peoria and Rock Island. It also provides service to the Illinois Twin Cities (Bloomington and Normal) and the Urbana and Champaign area. US 24 serves as a secondary thoroughfare and connects Peoria to Quincy another anchor city located on the Mississippi. Interstate 72 also provides some service to the southern portions of the region.