Appalachia, The Ozarks, and Illinois

Captain Mine, Illinois

As is the case with Appalachia and the Ozarks, coal mining is particularly important to the Illinois economy and it is often referred to as "Black Treasure". The state also has distinct differences between it's northern areas and its southern areas.

Coal:
Illinois' recoverable reserves of coal are larger than those of any state east of the Mississippi River and the third largest in the country, behind only Montana and Wyoming. About 200 billion tons of coal are estimated to lie underground in the state. Only about 38 billion tons of that coal can be recovered economically, however. There are four main reasons why the remainder of the coal is not recoverable: unfavorable geologic conditions, surface developments, such as towns and roads, inefficient mining processes, limitations of current technology. Coal is mined by surface or underground methods. In surface mining, where the coal lies close to the surface, large earth-moving equipment is used to remove the earth materials above the coal seam. The coal is then scooped up, processed, and transported. The remaining earth materials are put back into the hole, and the surface is restored to its original shape and land use. Just like Appalachia and the Ozarks, mining in Illinois has had its share of controversy and Illinois law now requires that coal mining be done only if it does not cause serious damage to the land. 

Chicago in Northern Illinois

Southern Illinois

Northern and Southern Illinois:
Northern Illinois is more industrialized, populated, cosmopolitan in the Chicago area, and it is more diverse. Southern Illinois, on the other hand, is more agricultural, the population is more spread out, and they rely on more mining and oil related jobs. Although Southern Illinois is home to the second cosmopolitan area in Illinois, it is nowhere near the size of Chicago Metro Area. 

There are also differences in the geography of the two. Northern Illinois tends to be more flat while in the southern portion of the state, there are more rolling hills and it is not so flat. Culturally, Southern Illinois is more uniform than the north. There is also more low paying jobs in the south hence there is more poverty.