Illinois and California

Illinois and California are two of the top agriculturally rich areas in the United States, but California dwarfs Illinois in terms agricultural production. According to the text, California's agricultural productivity, valued at over $30 billion annually, is greater than any other state in the country. Some of the major agricultural products grown in California include almonds, apricots, artichokes, avocados, broccoli, celery, dates, figs, grapes, kiwifruit, plums, and walnuts. All of the agricultural products mentioned are grown only in California. 


In Illinois, the major products are corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products and wheat. The state is known for its major soybean industry as well as its major corn industry. Illinois is also home to many major food manufacturers and meat processing industries. Chicago is said to be the global center for food manufacturing and meat processing. Illinois also has a wine industry, but California's wine industry is dominant.

Los Angeles Rail Map

Something else that is common between California and Illinois is the similarities between both of their urban centers. In California, there are three main urban clusters which are the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, San Diego, and the San Francisco/ Bay Area. The rest of California is mainly open and contains low density communities. The rest of the state is dedicated to agriculture, nature, or is too rugged/arid to settle. The Los Angeles and San Diego areas are heavily dependent on the automobile for its citizens main transportation while the bay area is more conducive to alternative forms of transportation such as the BART light rail system. There has been a surge in light rail use in the Los Angeles area in recent years with several new lines opening in the past decade such as the Metro Gold Line, Orange Line, and the recent addition of the Expo Line which cuts through the heart of downtown Los Angeles and extends to the heavily congested west side.

Roads leading to Chicago

In Illinois, the Chicago Metropolitan area is the largest urban area in the state and there are also clusters of population located through the state, although they are not as large as Chicago. In recent years, an area southwest of the state has become increasingly urban as it lies just across the river from St. Louis. This area is known as Metro-East. Within Chicago, the city spreads out from a central node known as the loop which is where the central business district lies. Just like the major urban center of Los Angeles in California, Chicago has also been shaped by the automobile and also transportation corridors which all lead to the downtown area. From an aerial view of the city, one can see how the roads and rail lines disperse in all directions away from downtown which is the case in Los Angeles as well. The Chicago areas boasts an incredible transportation network that is similar to those found on the East coast of the United States, but the region also has the feel of a California urban area.  

Chicago Rail Map